DeCramer, Gary Michael
Senate 1983-92 (District 27)
Party when first elected: Democratic-Farmer-Labor
Counties Served:
Lincoln, Lyon, Murray, Nobles, Pipestone, Rock
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
Date of Birth:
9/13/1944
Birth Place:
Marshall, Minnesota
Birth County:
Lyon
Birth Country:
United States
Date of Death:
3/7/2012
Gender:
Male
Religion:
Unitarian Universalist, Catholic
Reported Minority: None Reported
Other Names:
City of Residence (when first elected):
Ghent
Occupation (when first elected):
Farmer/Legislator
EDUCATION
Crosier Preparatory Seminary, Onamia; Secondary;
College of St. Thomas; B.A.; English and American Literature
University of Oklahoma; M.A.; English and American Literature
University of St. Thomas; Ed.D.; Educational Leadership, May 1997
University of Minnesota, Humphrey Institute; Fellowship; Senior Fellow, State and Local Policy Program, 1992-1997
University of Minnesota, Twin Cities; Fellowship; Senior Fellow, Center for Transportation Studies, 1995-1997
OTHER GOVERNMENT SERVICE
U.S. Executive Branch:
United States Department on Agriculture, Office of Rural Development Program, Minnesota (State Director);
07/1997 to 02/2001
FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS
Spouse:
Estelle Brouwer (married on May 28, 1988); Patricia "Patti" O"Brien (married in May 1967; wife when first elected, divorced)
Children:
Three children (2 while in office, 1 born after he left office): Leila Mary (daughter, with Patti), Catherine "Katie" Estelle (born while he was in office), and Louise Claire (born after he left office) (daughters, with Estelle)
Family Members Who Have Served in the Minnesota Legislature:
GENERAL NOTES
He was of Flemish-Dutch ancestry.
Special Legislative Concerns: agriculture; soil, water and wildlife conservation; education.
He was raised on a farm near Ghent, Minnesota.
He ran unsuccessfully as the Democratic-Farmer-Labor party endorsed candidate for the Minnesota Senate in a 1981 special election. He lost to Randy Kamrath.
He served as the Interim President of Southwest State University in Marshall, Minnesota from July 1991-February 1992.
He did some consulting work for the Office of Planning and Development in Hennepin County, Minnesota.
He was a Director for the Master of Public Affairs Program and a Senior Lecturer at the University of Minnesota's Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs from May 2002 until his death in 2012.
He was a member of the 4-H Club.
He was living in Mendota Heights, Minnesota before he died.
He was a member of Unity Church Unitarian in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Religion provided by Gary DeCramer. He was Catholic when first elected but he became Unitarian Universalist while still in office.
Body:
Senate
District:
27
Elected:
11/6/1990
Residence:
Ghent
Term of Office:
1/7/1991 to 1/3/1993
Counties Represented:
Lincoln, Lyon, Murray, Nobles, Pipestone, Rock
Occupation:
Legislator/College Teacher
Party:
Democratic-Farmer-Labor
Committees:
-
Education
-
Education: American Indian Education
-
Education: Education Funding Division
-
Education: Joint Senate/House Libraries
-
Finance
-
Finance: Agriculture/Transportation/Regulation Division
-
Governmental Operations
-
Redistricting
-
Rules and Administration
-
Rules and Administration: Committees
-
Transportation (Chair)
-
Transportation: Commercial Policy
- Ex Officio Member
-
Transportation: Public Transportation
- Ex Officio Member
-
Transportation: Transportation Safety
- Ex Officio Member
Body:
Senate
District:
27
Elected:
11/4/1986
Residence:
Ghent
Term of Office:
1/5/1987 to 1/6/1991
Counties Represented:
Lincoln, Lyon, Murray, Nobles, Pipestone, Rock
Occupation:
Legislator/College Teacher
Party:
Democratic-Farmer-Labor
Committees:
-
Agriculture and Rural Development
-
Agriculture and Rural Development: Agricultural Credit
-
Agriculture and Rural Development: Agriculture Resources (Chair)
-
Education
-
Education: Education Funding Division
-
Education: Higher Education Division
-
Education: Indian Education (Chair)
-
Finance
-
Finance: Education Division
-
Transportation
-
Transportation: General Policy, Rural and Commercial (Chair)
Body:
Senate
District:
27
Elected:
11/4/1986
Residence:
Ghent
Term of Office:
1/5/1987 to 1/6/1991
Counties Represented:
Lincoln, Lyon, Murray, Nobles, Pipestone, Rock
Occupation:
Legislator/College Teacher; University of Oklahoma, Southwest State University, and Gannon College
Party:
Democratic-Farmer-Labor
Committees:
-
Agriculture
-
Agriculture: Agriculture Credit
-
Agriculture: Agriculture Resources (Chair)
-
Education
-
Education: Education Aids Division
-
Education: Higher Education Division
-
Finance
-
Finance: Education Division
-
Transportation
-
Transportation: General Policy and Rural and Commercial (Chair)
Body:
Senate
District:
27
Elected:
11/2/1982
Residence:
Ghent
Term of Office:
1/3/1983 to 1/4/1987
Counties Represented:
Lincoln, Lyon, Murray, Nobles, Pipestone, Rock
Occupation:
Legislator/Part-time Farmer
Party:
Democratic-Farmer-Labor
Committees:
-
Agriculture and Natural Resources
-
Agriculture and Natural Resources: Agriculture
-
Agriculture and Natural Resources: Public Lands and Waters
-
Public Utilities and State Regulated Industries
-
Public Utilities and State Regulated Industries: Public Utilities
-
Transportation
-
Transportation: General Policy (Chair)
-
Veterans and General Legislation
-
Veterans and General Legislation: Veterans Affairs (Chair)
Body:
Senate
District:
27
Elected:
11/2/1982
Residence:
Ghent
Term of Office:
1/3/1983 to 1/4/1987
Counties Represented:
Lincoln, Lyon, Murray, Nobles, Pipestone, Rock
Occupation:
Farmer/Legislator
Party:
Democratic-Farmer-Labor
Committees:
-
Agriculture and Natural Resources
-
Agriculture and Natural Resources: Agriculture
-
Agriculture and Natural Resources: Public Land and Water Resources
-
Public Utilities and State Regulated Industries
-
Public Utilities and State Regulated Industries: Public Utilities
-
Transportation
-
Transportation: General Policy (Chair)
-
Veterans and General Legislation
-
Veterans and General Legislation: Veterans' Affairs (Chair)
Articles & Books About
-
"In Memoriam: Gary Michael DeCramer, September 13, 1944 - March 7, 2012." Memorial Service Program, Ted Mann Concert Hall, University of Minnesota, March 20, 2012.
-
French, Rose. "Schools, Rural Areas Lost Advocate (Obituary)." Star Tribune, March 13, 2012, p. B6.
-
"DeCramer, Gary Michael (Obituary)." Star Tribune, March 11, 2012, p. B9.
-
Lien, Dennis. "Gary DeCramer, Former Minnesota State Senator, Collapses and Dies (Obituary)." St. Paul Pioneer Press, March 8, 2012.
-
Peterson, Per. "Former Sen. DeCramer Dies at 67 (Obituary)." Marshall Independent, March 7, 2012.
Articles & Books By
These files are available in the Legislative Reference Library.
Photographs
Rep. Kalis, Rep. Boerboom, Senator Stumpf, Senator Langseth, Representative K.J. McDonald, Senator Berg, Senator Davis, Rep. Schoenfeld, and Senator DeCramer shake hands following the signing of an omnibus agriculture bill, St. Paul, Minnesota.
1985.
Photo credit:
This image was scanned from the files of the Minnesota Senate Photographer
with the generous help of the Minnesota
Digital Library.
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.