Popovich, Peter Stephen
House 1953-62 (District 40)
Party when first elected: Nonpartisan Election-Liberal Caucus
Counties Served:
Ramsey
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
Date of Birth:
11/27/1920
Birth Place:
Crosby, Minnesota
Birth County:
Birth Country:
United States
Date of Death:
3/29/1996
Gender:
Male
Religion:
Catholic
Reported Minority: None Reported
Other Names:
City of Residence (when first elected):
Saint Paul
Occupation (when first elected):
Attorney and Municipal Bond Consultant; Peterson, Popovich and Marsden Law Firm
EDUCATION
St. Mary's Point; Elementary School;
Chisholm High School; Secondary; Graduate
Hibbing Junior College; A.A.;
University of Minnesota; B.A.; 1942 or 1943
St. Paul College of Law; LL.B.; 1947
OTHER GOVERNMENT SERVICE
State Board/Commission/Council:
Minnesota Territorial Centennial Office;
19?? to 19??
Judicial Administration:
United States Circuit Court (Law Librarian for Judge John B. Sanborn);
19?? to 19??
State Board/Commission/Council:
Minnesota Statehood Centennial Commission (Chair);
1955 to 1959
[Appointed]
Judge:
Minnesota Court of Appeals (Chief Judge, Appointed by Governor Rudy Perpich);
11/02/1983 to 1987
[Appointed]
Judge:
Minnesota Supreme Court (Justice, Appointed by Governor Rudy Perpich);
11/16/1987 to 1989
[Appointed]
Judge:
Minnesota Supreme Court (Chief Justice);
02/01/1989 to 11/30/1990
[Appointed]
FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS
Spouse:
Dorothy Lee (married in 1944, spouse while in office, divorced around 1962); Gail Prince Javorina (remarried in 1985, after he left office)
Children:
Four children (while in office); Three stepchildren (after he left office): Vicki, Dorothy, and Suzanne (daughters with Dorothy); Stephen (son, with Dorothy); Michelle Javorina (stepdaughter), Paul Javorina and Stephen Javorina (stepsons)
Family Members Who Have Served in the Minnesota Legislature:
GENERAL NOTES
He was of Yugoslavian ancestry.
He ran unsuccessfully for the Minnesota Legislature in the 1950 election.
He contracted polio in the late 1940s.
He was a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor party. (Minnesota History, Fall 2008, p. 104)
He was Vulcanus Rex in the St. Paul Winter Carnival in 1952.
He died of multiple organ failure at Midway Hospital in St. Paul, Minnesota. His funeral was held at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Lakeland, Minnesota.
Religion provided by Minnesota History, Fall 2008, p. 104.
Elected: 11/8/1960
Residence: Saint Paul
Term of Office: 1/3/1961 to 1/7/1963
Counties Represented:
Ramsey
Occupation: Attorney and Municipal Bond Consultant, Peterson and Popovich Law Firm
Party:
Nonpartisan Election-Liberal Caucus
Committees:
-
Appropriations
-
Civil Administration
-
Education
-
Judiciary
-
Motor Vehicles (Chair)
-
Reapportionment
Elected: 11/4/1958
Residence: Saint Paul
Term of Office: 1/6/1959 to 1/2/1961
Counties Represented:
Ramsey
Occupation: Attorney and Municipal Bond Consultant; Peterson, Popovich and Marsden Law Firm
Party:
Nonpartisan Election-Liberal Caucus
Committees:
-
Appropriations
-
Civil Administration
-
Education
-
Judiciary
-
Motor Vehicles (Chair)
-
Reapportionment
Elected: 11/6/1956
Residence: Saint Paul
Term of Office: 1/8/1957 to 1/5/1959
Counties Represented:
Ramsey
Occupation: Attorney and Municipal Bond Consultant; Peterson, Popovich and Marsden Law Firm
Party:
Nonpartisan Election-Liberal Caucus
Committees:
-
Appropriations
-
Education
-
Judiciary
-
Motor Vehicles (Chair)
Elected: 11/2/1954
Residence: Saint Paul
Term of Office: 1/4/1955 to 1/7/1957
Counties Represented:
Ramsey
Occupation: Attorney and Municipal Bond Consultant; Peterson, Popovich and Marsden Law Firm
Party:
Nonpartisan Election-Liberal Caucus
Committees:
-
Appropriations
-
Civil Administration
-
Education
-
Highways
-
Judiciary
-
Motor Vehicles (Chair)
Elected: 11/5/1952
Residence: Saint Paul
Term of Office: 1/6/1953 to 1/3/1955
Counties Represented:
Ramsey
Occupation: Attorney and Municipal Bond Consultant; Peterson, Popovich and Marsden Law Firm
Party:
Nonpartisan Election-Liberal Caucus
Committees:
-
Appropriations
-
Civil Administration
-
Judiciary
-
Municipal Affairs
Articles & Books About
"In Remembrance." Session Weekly, St. Paul: Minnesota House of Representatives Information Office, April 5, 1996, p. 26.
"Former Chief Justice Peter Popovich Dies (Obituary)." St. Paul Pioneer Press, March 30, 1996, p. 1B, 5B.
Zack, Margaret. "Peter Popovich Dies at 75 (Obituary)." Star Tribune, March 30, 1996, p. A1, A9.
Minnesota Supreme Court. "Peter S. Popovich." Biographical Sketches of Justices of the Minnesota Supreme Court and Judges of the Minnesota Court of Appeals from Territorial Days to 1990, St. Paul, Minnesota: West Publishing Company, 1990, p. 33.
Archive Collections
Files of Chief Justice Peter S. Popovich, 1966-1991 (bulk 1987-1990)
- Available in the Minnesota Historical Society's Collections.
These files are available in the Legislative Reference Library.