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Franklin J. "Frank" Knoll

Sessions Served    Other Information

House 1974-76 (District 61A); Senate 1977-82 (District 61)

Party when first elected:  Nonpartisan Election-Liberal Caucus

Counties Served:  Hennepin

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

Date of Birth: 4/30/1940
Birth Place: Saint Cloud, Minnesota
Birth County:
Birth Country: United States
Date of Death: 5/18/2023
Gender: Male
Religion: Catholic
Reported Minority: None Reported
Other Names: Frank
City of Residence (when first elected): Minneapolis
Occupation (when first elected): Attorney, Hennepin County Public Defender

EDUCATION

St. John's Preparatory School, Collegeville, Minnesota; Secondary;
St. John's University, Collegeville, Minnesota; B.A.; Chemistry and Biology, 1962
University of Minnesota, Law School; J.D.; 1966
Harvard University, Law School; Fellowship; Bush Leadership Fellow; Summer, 1978

OTHER GOVERNMENT SERVICE

Military: United States Navy Reserve (Lieutenant); 19?? to ?
State Public Defender/Office: Hennepin County, Minnesota (Assistant Public Defender); 19?? to 19??
Judge: Hennepin County Minnesota, Judicial District Court (District Judge); 1984 to ? [Appointed]

FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS

Spouse: Margot (married in 1965)
Children: Three children: Elizabeth, Caroline, and Jonathan
Family Members Who Have Served in the Minnesota Legislature:

GENERAL NOTES

Special Legislative Concerns: housing, minority and small business concerns, criminal justice, handicapped.

He was a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party.

Religion provided by the Catholic Bulletin, 3/21/1975.

Most recent term photo
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Total Days Served: 3337

SESSIONS SERVED

72nd Legislative Session (1981-1982)

  Session Details   Convened Date: 1/6/1981
Body: Senate
District: 61
Elected: 11/4/1980
Residence: Minneapolis
Term of Office: 1/5/1981 to 1/2/1983
Oath Date: 1/6/1981
Counties Represented: Hennepin
Occupation: Attorney, Assistant Hennepin County Public Defender
Party: Democratic-Farmer-Labor
Committees:
  • Finance
  • Finance: State Departments
  • Governmental Operations (Chair)
  • Governmental Operations: Structure - Ex Officio Member
  • Judiciary
  • Judiciary: Criminal Law
  • Judiciary: Real Estate Law
  • Rules and Administration
term photo
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71st Legislative Session (1979-1980) (second half of Senate term)

  Session Details   Convened Date: 1/3/1979
Body: Senate
District: 61
Elected: 11/2/1976
Residence: Minneapolis
Term of Office: 1/3/1977 to 1/4/1981
Oath Date: 1/4/1977
Counties Represented: Hennepin
Occupation: Attorney, Assistant Hennepin County Public Defender
Party: Democratic-Farmer-Labor
Committees:
  • Energy and Housing
  • Energy and Housing: Housing (Chair)
  • Finance
  • Finance: State Departments
  • Governmental Operations
  • Governmental Operations: Civil Administration Regulatory Reform-1980
  • Governmental Operations: Metropolitan Affairs-1979
  • Governmental Operations: Metropolitan Government-1980
  • Judiciary
  • Judiciary: Judicial Administration
  • Judiciary: Privacy

70th Legislative Session (1977-1978)

  Session Details   Convened Date: 1/4/1977
Body: Senate
District: 61
Elected: 11/2/1976
Residence: Minneapolis
Term of Office: 1/3/1977 to 1/4/1981
Oath Date: 1/4/1977
Counties Represented: Hennepin
Occupation: Attorney
Party: Democratic-Farmer-Labor
Committees:
  • Energy and Housing
  • Energy and Housing: Housing (Chair)
  • Governmental Operations
  • Governmental Operations: Metro Affairs (Chair)
  • Judiciary
  • Judiciary: Judicial Administration
term photo
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69th Legislative Session (1975-1976)

  Session Details   Convened Date: 1/7/1975
Body: House
District: 61A
Elected: 11/5/1974
Residence: Minneapolis
Term of Office: 1/6/1975 to 1/2/1977
Oath Date: 1/7/1975
Counties Represented: Hennepin
Occupation: Attorney, Hennepin County Public Defender
Party: Democratic-Farmer-Labor
Committees:
  • Crime Prevention and Corrections
  • Governmental Operations
  • Judiciary
term photo
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68th Legislative Session (1973-1974)

  Session Details   Convened Date: 1/2/1973
Body: House
District: 61A
Elected: 11/6/1973
Residence: Minneapolis
Term of Office: 11/14/1973 to 1/5/1975 (Special Election)
Oath Date: 11/14/1973
Counties Represented: Hennepin
Occupation: Attorney, Hennepin County Public Defender
Party: Nonpartisan Election-Liberal Caucus
Committees:
Session Notes: He won the seat vacated by Gary Flakne. According to The Minneapolis Star, he was sworn in on November 14, 1973.

OTHER INFORMATION

Articles & Books About

News Sources

The Library maintains newspaper clippings on individual legislators during their terms. Clippings are available from 1973 to the present in a variety of formats: 1973-1999, microfiche available at the Library; 2000-2009, scanned in yearly compilations and digitally available on the legislative network; 2009-present, archived in a searchable database maintained by the Library and available on the legislative network.
These files are available in the Legislative Reference Library.

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