House 1997-2002 (District 15B); Senate 2003-2012 (District 20)
Party when first elected: Democratic-Farmer-Labor
Counties Served:
Big Stone, Chippewa, Kandiyohi, Lac Qui Parle, Lincoln, McLeod, Meeker, Renville, Swift, Yellow Medicine
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
Date of Birth:
11/12/1943
Birth Place:
Fort Dodge, Iowa
Birth County:
Birth Country:
United States
Date of Death:
3/2/2012
Gender:
Male
Religion:
Lutheran
Reported Minority: None Reported
Other Names:
City of Residence (when first elected):
Granite Falls
Occupation (when first elected):
Lutheran Pastor/Agency Manager
EDUCATION
Mankato State University; B.A.; Biology
Luther Theological Seminary, St. Paul; M.Div.; 1974
OTHER GOVERNMENT SERVICE
Military:
United States Air Force (Vietnam Era, Assigned to the Research Division of the School of Aerospace Medicine);
19?? to 19??
FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS
Spouse:
Patricia "Pat" (married around 1969)
Children:
Three children: Andrew and Matthew "Matt' (sons), Erin (daughter)
Family Members Who Have Served in the Minnesota Legislature:
GENERAL NOTES
Special Legislative Concerns: agriculture, rural communities, rural education, rural health care, rural transportation, energy, jobs, education.
He grew up on a farm near Ventura, Iowa. He came to Minnesota in 1970.
He ran unsuccessfully as the Democratic-Farmer-Labor party endorsed candidate for the Minnesota Senate in the 1992 election.
In December 2010 he was diagnosed with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis)/Lou Gehrig's Disease.
He died at Region's Hospital in St. Paul, Minnesota. His funeral was held on March 7, 2012 at Granite Falls Lutheran Church in Granite Falls, Minnesota.
Religion provided by the Natural Resources Defense Council's State Directories 2005 and Politics in Minnesota the Directory, 2005-2006.