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    McCutcheon, William W. "Bill"

    Sessions Served    Other Information

    Senate 1971-72 (District 43); Senate 1973-80 (District 67)

    Party when first elected:  Nonpartisan Election-Conservative Caucus

    Counties Served:  Dakota, Ramsey

    BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

    Date of Birth: 12/20/1926
    Birth Place: Hayward, Wisconsin
    Birth County:
    Birth Country: United States
    Date of Death: 6/17/2020
    Gender: Male
    Religion:
    Reported Minority: None Reported
    Other Names: Bill
    City of Residence (when first elected): Saint Paul
    Occupation (when first elected): Police Captain, St. Paul

    EDUCATION

    St. Paul Public Schools; Secondary;
    University of Minnesota; Attended College;
    FBI National Academy; Vocational-Technical School;
    Metropolitan State University; B.A.;

    OTHER GOVERNMENT SERVICE

    Military: United States Army (2.5 years); 19?? to 19??
    Municipal Board/Commission: St. Paul, Minnesota (Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse); 19?? to 19??
    Municipal Government: St. Paul, Minnesota (Park Police Officer); 1948 to 1954
    Municipal Government: St. Paul, Minnesota (Police Officer); 1954 to 1980
    Municipal Government: St. Paul, Minnesota (Police Captain, Chief of Police); 1980 to 1992

    FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS

    Spouse: Marlene
    Children: Four children: Timothy, Ann, Jeffry, and Kevin
    Family Members Who Have Served in the Minnesota Legislature:

    GENERAL NOTES

    He moved to St. Paul in the 1930s.

    Special Legislative Concerns: taxes, state government, judicial administration.

    Most recent term photo
    Click to view
    Total Days Served: 3406

    SESSIONS SERVED

    71st Legislative Session (1979-1980) (second half of Senate term)

      Session Details   Convened Date: 1/3/1979
    Body: Senate
    District: 67
    Elected: 11/2/1976
    Residence: Saint Paul
    Term of Office: 1/3/1977 to 5/1/1980 (unfinished term)
    Oath Date: 1/4/1977
    Counties Represented: Dakota, Ramsey
    Occupation: Law Enforcement; Deputy Chief, St. Paul Police Department
    Party: Democratic-Farmer-Labor
    Committees:
    • Governmental Operations
    • Governmental Operations: Personnel
    • Judiciary
    • Judiciary: Criminal Law
    • Rules and Administration
    • Rules and Administration: Bill Scheduling
    • Taxes and Tax Laws (Chair)
    • Taxes and Tax Laws: Sales and Property Tax (Chair)
    Reason for unfinished term: Resigned
    Session Notes: He resigned to become the Chief of the St. Paul Police Department. His actual term end day is unclear. No special election was held to fill this seat.

    70th Legislative Session (1977-1978)

      Session Details   Convened Date: 1/4/1977
    Body: Senate
    District: 67
    Elected: 11/2/1976
    Residence: Saint Paul
    Term of Office: 1/3/1977 to 5/1/1980 (unfinished term)
    Oath Date: 1/4/1977
    Counties Represented: Dakota, Ramsey
    Occupation: Law Enforcement; Deputy Chief of Police, St. Paul Police Department
    Party: Democratic-Farmer-Labor
    Committees:
    • Governmental Operations
    • Governmental Operations: Employee Benefits
    • Judiciary
    • Judiciary: Criminal Law
    • Rules and Administration
    • Rules and Administration: Bill Scheduling
    • Taxes and Tax Laws (Chair)
    Reason for unfinished term: Resigned
    Session Notes: He resigned to become the Chief of the St. Paul Police Department. His actual term end day is unclear. No special election was held to fill this seat.
    term photo
    Click to view

    69th Legislative Session (1975-1976) (second half of Senate term)

      Session Details   Convened Date: 1/7/1975
    Body: Senate
    District: 67
    Elected: 11/7/1972
    Residence: Saint Paul
    Term of Office: 1/1/1973 to 1/2/1977
    Oath Date: 1/2/1973
    Counties Represented: Dakota, Ramsey
    Occupation: Deputy Chief of Police
    Party: Nonpartisan Election-Democratic-Farmer-Labor Caucus
    Committees:
    • Governmental Operations
    • Governmental Operations: Pensions and Retirement
    • Governmental Operations: State Employees (Chair)
    • Judiciary
    • Judiciary: Ad Hoc Subcommittee on Privacy
    • Judiciary: Criminal Law and Corrections
    • Judiciary: Private Law Reform (Chair)
    • Taxes and Tax Laws

    68th Legislative Session (1973-1974)

      Session Details   Convened Date: 1/2/1973
    Body: Senate
    District: 67
    Elected: 11/7/1972
    Residence: Saint Paul
    Term of Office: 1/1/1973 to 1/2/1977
    Oath Date: 1/2/1973
    Counties Represented: Dakota, Ramsey
    Occupation: Deputy Chief of Police
    Party: Nonpartisan Election-Conservative Caucus Party Notes: He switched to the Democratic-Farmer-Labor party in 1974.
    Committees:
    • Governmental Operations
    • Governmental Operations: State Boards and Commissions
    • Judiciary
    • Judiciary: Judiciary
    • Metropolitan and Urban Affairs
    • Metropolitan and Urban Affairs: Metropolitan Government
    • Metropolitan and Urban Affairs: Metropolitan Transportation
    term photo
    Click to view

    67th Legislative Session (1971-1972)

      Session Details   Convened Date: 1/5/1971
    Body: Senate
    District: 43
    Elected: 11/3/1970
    Residence: Saint Paul
    Term of Office: 1/4/1971 to 12/31/1972
    Oath Date: 1/5/1971
    Counties Represented: Ramsey
    Occupation: Police Captain, St. Paul
    Party: Nonpartisan Election-Conservative Caucus
    Committees:
    • Corrections and Commitments
    • Health and Welfare
    • Judiciary
    • Local Government
    • Regulated Industries
    • Urban Affairs

    OTHER INFORMATION

    Articles & Books About

    • Woltman, Nick. "William McCutcheon, 93: Chief was Training, Tech Innovator." Pioneer Press, June 20, 2020, p. A3.

    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.

    Photographs

    Senator William McCutcheon and Senator Gene Merriam consult with Senate counsel JoAnne Zoff during a tax committee hearing, St. Paul, Minnesota. 1978. Photo credit: This image was scanned from the files of the Minnesota Senate Photographer with the generous help of the Minnesota Digital Library.
    Senators George Conzemius, William McCutcheon, and Nick Coleman confer during a committee hearing, St. Paul, Minnesota. c. 1973-1976. Photo credit: This image was scanned from the files of the Minnesota Senate Photographer with the generous help of the Minnesota Digital Library.

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