Researching Legislators

A wealth of information is available in print and online about current and former Minnesota legislators. The quickest route to biographical information is the Library's Legislators Past & Present database, but this list can help researchers dig deeper into the collections of the Legislative Reference Library and other publications and libraries.

Information from the Minnesota Legislature

• Official Web pages for current legislators: Minnesota House of Representatives, Minnesota Senate.
• Journal of the Minnesota House of Representatives, (1994-present online), and Journal of the Minnesota Senate (1995-present online). Journals provide floor votes and indexes to bills by topic and author. LRL has a nearly complete collection in paper.
• Legislative directories. All the biographical facts in these directories are included in the Legislators Past & Present database.
  • The Minnesota Legislative Manual. ("The Blue Book") St. Paul, Minnesota: Secretary of State, 1871, 1872, 1875-present.
  • Official Directory of the Legislature. ("The Red Book") St. Paul, Minnesota: The Legislature, 1909-Present.
  • Legislative Directory. St. Paul, Minnesota: Minnesota Railroads Association, 1957-1973.
  • Toensing, W.F. (Waldemar Frank). Minnesota Congressmen, Legislators, and Other Elected Officials: An Alphabetical Check List, 1849-1971. St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society, 1971.

Information from the Legislative Reference Library

• Historical Information About the Minnesota Legislature. A variety of historical data about the Legislature including lists of those who have served in leadership positions, family connections, women in the legislature, and more.
• Minnesota Legislators Past & Present database. Biographical records of all legislators since territorial times.
• Legislative Reference Library Catalog. Search for books by, about, or otherwise connected to former members in our collection.
• Legislative District Clipping Files, 1971-Present. These files of mainly newspaper articles are available in the Library on microfiche, in paper files, and in electronic files, depending on the date. Articles on legislators after they left office may be found in the Library's Personality Files.
• Legislative Time Capsule. Discover information on the sessions in which a member served, including leadership data, committee membership, and some member seating charts.
• Legislative Voting Records and Ratings. There are no official compilations of voting records. Interest groups sometimes compile voting records on all bills covering a specific subject area.

Resources from the Minnesota Historical Society

• Gale Family Library Catalog. Some former legislators have sent their files to the Minnesota Historical Society. Search their catalog to determine whether there are papers from the person you are researching.
• Family History Research. A short guide with research tips.
• Minnesota History Magazine. Search this publication to find articles mentioning former members.
• Minnesota Historical Society Newspaper Collection. Identify indexes and finding aids for articles on former members. Obituaries are often a good source of information.
• Minnesota Historical Society Search. Search for photographs and records of former members.
• Minnesota Reflections. A range of materials touching on the Legislature, not only images but documents and even audio. The collection will be of increasing use to legislative historians. The Minnesota Digital Library (MDL) is funded by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund of the Minnesota Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment to the Minnesota Constitution via the Minnesota Historical Society (MNHS). Additional funding is provided by Minitex.
• PeopleFINDER. Type in the name of the member and the PeopleFINDER searches through a variety of the Minnesota Historical Society's collections.

Minnesota County and City Historical Societies, Research Centers, and Libraries

• Local Libraries. Contact libraries in the area where the member served to determine whether they have collected information on the legislator.
• Minnesota Historical Organizations. Determine what county/counties the member represented, then contact the corresponding historical organizations to determine if they have collected information on them.