Jude, Thaddeus "Tad"
House 1973-82 (District 42A); Senate 1983-88 (District 48)
Party when first elected: Nonpartisan Election-Democratic-Farmer-Labor Caucus
Counties Served:
Hennepin, Wright
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
Date of Birth:
12/13/1951
Birth Place:
Saint Cloud, Minnesota
Birth County:
Birth Country:
United States
Date of Death:
Gender:
Male
Religion:
Catholic
Reported Minority: None Reported
Other Names:
Tad
City of Residence (when first elected):
Mound
Occupation (when first elected):
None Listed
EDUCATION
St. Lawrence Seminary; Secondary; Graduate
St. Thomas College; B.A.; Political Science
William Mitchell College of Law; J.D.;
OTHER GOVERNMENT SERVICE
County Board/Commissioner:
Hennepin County, Minnesota (County Agricultural Society Advisory Board);
19?? to 19??
County Board/Commissioner:
Hennepin County, Minnesota (Hennepin Judiciary Committee);
19?? to 19??
Military:
United States Army Reserves (6 years);
19?? to 19??
County Board/Commissioner:
Hennepin County, Minnesota (County Commissioner);
01/03/1989 to 19??
[Elected]
State Agency:
Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, Special Compensation Fund (Workers' Compensation Attorney);
1995 to 2010
Judge:
10th Judicial District Court, Minnesota (District Court Judge);
01/2011 to 20??
[Elected]
FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS
Spouse:
Single (when first elected); Married (listed in 1981); Single (listed in 1983); Gail (first listed in 1987)
Children:
Family Members Who Have Served in the Minnesota Legislature:
Victor N. Jude
- Father
GENERAL NOTES
Special Legislative Concerns: judiciary legislation, taxes.
Thaddeus "Tad" Jude was the youngest person elected to the Minnesota Legislature. When he was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 1972 he was 20 years old and turned 21 in December before being sworn in to office in January 1973. (Members were required to be 21 at this time.) He replaced Carl Mario D'Aquila who was 22 when elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 1946, the youngest known person elected to the Minnesota Legislature at that time. R. Carlisle Burdick, was 21 when he served in the 1856 Minnesota Territorial House of Representatives. He was the youngest known person to be elected to the Minnesota Territorial Legislative Assembly.
He ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic-Farmer-Labor party endorsement for the United States House of Representatives in the 6th Congressional District in the 1992 election.
He announced that he was switching from the Democratic-Farmer-Labor party to the Independent Republican party in December 1992.
He ran unsuccessfully as the Independent Republican endorsed candidate for the United States House of Representatives in the 6th Congressional District in the 1994 election.
Jude was a candidate in the 2022 Minnesota Attorney General election but withdrew after being eliminated at the convention.
He filed to run for Hennepin County Attorney in the 2022 election, but lost the primary.
He was an unsuccessful candidate for the 3rd U.S. Congressional District in 2024.
He was a member of the Wright County Historical Society.
His grandfather, Bernard Jude, was Mayor of Maple Lake, Minnesota.
He was a member of Our Lady of the Lake Church.
Religion provided by the Minnesota Legislative Manual, 1977-78 and the Catholic Bulletin, 3/21/1975.
Body:
Senate
District:
48
Elected:
11/4/1986
Residence:
Maple Grove
Term of Office:
1/5/1987 to 1/2/1989
(unfinished term)
Counties Represented:
Hennepin, Wright
Occupation:
Lawyer
Party:
Democratic-Farmer-Labor
Committees:
-
Governmental Operations
-
Judiciary
-
Judiciary: Civil Law Division (Chair)
-
Judiciary: Revisor's Bill
-
Public Utilities and Energy
-
Public Utilities and Energy: Deregulated Industries
-
Taxes and Tax Laws
-
Taxes and Tax Laws: Property Taxes and Local Government Aids
Reason for unfinished term:
Elected to other office
Session Notes:
He was elected to the position of County Commissioner in Hennepin County, Minnesota.
Body:
Senate
District:
48
Elected:
11/2/1982
Residence:
Maple Grove
Term of Office:
1/3/1983 to 1/4/1987
Counties Represented:
Hennepin, Wright
Occupation:
Lawyer
Party:
Democratic-Farmer-Labor
Committees:
-
Governmental Operations
-
Judiciary
-
Judiciary: Civil Law
-
Judiciary: Revisor's Bill (Chair)
-
Public Utilities and State Regulated Industries
-
Public Utilities and State Regulated Industries: Public Utilities
-
Taxes and Tax Laws
-
Taxes and Tax Laws: Economic Development
-
Taxes and Tax Laws: Income Tax
Body:
Senate
District:
48
Elected:
11/2/1982
Residence:
Maple Grove
Term of Office:
1/3/1983 to 1/4/1987
Counties Represented:
Hennepin, Wright
Occupation:
Lawyer
Party:
Democratic-Farmer-Labor
Committees:
-
Governmental Operations
-
Governmental Operations: Administration
-
Judiciary
-
Judiciary: Civil Law
-
Judiciary: Revisor's Bills (Chair)
-
Public Utilities and State Regulated Industries
-
Public Utilities and State Regulated Industries: Public Utilities (Chair)
-
Taxes and Tax Laws
-
Taxes and Tax Laws: Economic Development
-
Taxes and Tax Laws: Income Tax
Body:
House
District:
42A
Elected:
11/4/1980
Residence:
Mound
Term of Office:
1/5/1981 to 1/2/1983
Counties Represented:
Hennepin, Wright
Occupation:
Attorney, Private Practice, St. Bonifacius
Party:
Democratic-Farmer-Labor
Committees:
-
Commerce and Economic Development
-
Commerce and Economic Development: Economic Development
-
Energy
-
Judiciary (Chair)
-
Judiciary: Judicial Administration
-
Judiciary: Law Reform
-
Reapportionment and Elections
Body:
House
District:
42A
Elected:
11/7/1978
Residence:
Mound
Term of Office:
1/1/1979 to 1/4/1981
Counties Represented:
Hennepin, Wright
Occupation:
Attorney
Party:
Democratic-Farmer-Labor
Committees:
-
Agriculture
-
Energy and Utilities
-
Energy and Utilities: Utilities Regulation and Pricing
-
Judiciary
-
Judiciary: Judiciary Law Reform
-
Transportation
-
Transportation: Safety and General Transportation
Body:
House
District:
42A
Elected:
11/2/1976
Residence:
Mound
Term of Office:
1/3/1977 to 12/31/1978
Counties Represented:
Hennepin, Wright
Occupation:
Candy Distributor, Jude Candy Company/Student/Legislator
Party:
Democratic-Farmer-Labor
Committees:
-
Governmental Operations
-
Higher Education
-
Transportation
Body:
House
District:
42A
Elected:
11/5/1974
Residence:
Mound
Term of Office:
1/6/1975 to 1/2/1977
Counties Represented:
Hennepin, Wright
Occupation:
Student, William Mitchell College of Law
Party:
Democratic-Farmer-Labor
Committees:
-
Governmental Operations
-
Judiciary
-
Transportation
Body:
House
District:
42A
Elected:
11/7/1972
Residence:
Mound
Term of Office:
1/1/1973 to 1/5/1975
Counties Represented:
Hennepin, Wright
Occupation:
None Listed
Party:
Nonpartisan Election-Democratic-Farmer-Labor Caucus
Committees:
-
Environmental Preservation and Natural Resources
-
Governmental Operations
-
Judiciary
-
Transportation
These files are available in the Legislative Reference Library.
Photographs
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.