Milton, John Watson
Senate 1973-77 (District 49)
Party when first elected: Nonpartisan Election-Democratic-Farmer-Labor Caucus
Counties Served:
Anoka, Ramsey
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
Date of Birth:
8/19/1935
Birth Place:
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Birth County:
Ramsey
Birth Country:
United States
Date of Death:
7/3/2023
Gender:
Male
Religion:
Unitarian, Catholic
Reported Minority: None Reported
Other Names:
City of Residence (when first elected):
White Bear Lake
Occupation (when first elected):
Management Consultant/Health Planner
EDUCATION
St. Paul Academy, St. Paul, Minnesota; Secondary; Graduate, 1953
Princeton University; B.A.; Magna Cum Laude, 1957
OTHER GOVERNMENT SERVICE
State Board/Commission/Council:
Minnesota Supreme Court Juvenile Justice Study Commission;
19?? to 19??
State Board/Commission/Council:
Minnesota Commission on the Economic Status of Women;
19?? to 19??
Municipal Board/Commission:
White Bear, Minnesota (Advisory Committee for Aging);
19?? to 19??
State Board/Commission/Council:
Commission on Minnesota's Future;
197? to 197?
County Board/Commissioner:
Ramsey County, Minnesota (County Commissioner, Vice-Chair);
1971 to 1973
[Elected]
FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS
Spouse:
Judith (when first elected); Maureen Acosta (after he left office)
Children:
Five children and two stepchildren
Family Members Who Have Served in the Minnesota Legislature:
GENERAL NOTES
Special Legislative Concerns: health, welfare and aging; legislative reform.
He was of Irish, Czech, Welsh, and German ancestry.
He was a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party.
Religion provided by the Catholic Bulletin, 3/21/1975. John Milton indicated that he converted to Catholicism after he left office.
Body:
Senate
District:
49
Elected:
11/2/1976
Residence:
White Bear Lake
Term of Office:
1/3/1977 to 11/1/1977
(unfinished term)
Counties Represented:
Anoka, Ramsey
Occupation:
Management Consultant
Party:
Democratic-Farmer-Labor
Committees:
-
Employment
-
Employment: Economic Development (Chair)
-
Finance
-
Finance: Health, Welfare and Corrections
-
Health, Welfare and Corrections
Reason for unfinished term:
Resigned
Body:
Senate
District:
49
Elected:
11/7/1972
Residence:
White Bear Lake
Term of Office:
1/1/1973 to 1/2/1977
Counties Represented:
Anoka, Ramsey
Occupation:
Management Consultant
Party:
Nonpartisan Election-Democratic-Farmer-Labor Caucus
Committees:
-
Governmental Operations
-
Governmental Operations: Government Structure
-
Governmental Operations: State Boards and Commissions
-
Health, Welfare and Corrections
-
Health, Welfare and Corrections: Adult Corrections
-
Health, Welfare and Corrections: Health (Chair)
-
Metropolitan and Urban Affairs
-
Metropolitan and Urban Affairs: Land Use and Physical Development
Body:
Senate
District:
49
Elected:
11/7/1972
Residence:
White Bear Lake
Term of Office:
1/1/1973 to 1/2/1977
Counties Represented:
Anoka, Ramsey
Occupation:
Management Consultant/Health Planner
Party:
Nonpartisan Election-Democratic-Farmer-Labor Caucus
Committees:
-
Governmental Operations
-
Governmental Operations: Government Structure
-
Governmental Operations: State Boards and Commissions
-
Health, Welfare and Corrections
-
Health, Welfare and Corrections: Health (Chair)
-
Metropolitan and Urban Affairs
Articles & Books About
Articles & Books By
-
Milton, John Watson. For the Good of the Order, Nick Coleman and the High Tide of Liberal Politics in Minnesota, 1971-1981. Ramsey County Historical Society, 2012.
-
Spear, Allan H. Crossing the Barriers: The Autobiography of Allan H. Spear. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2010; Afterword by John Milton.
-
Milton, John W. Time to Choose. 2008.
-
Milton, John W. The Fallen Nightingale: A Novel. Edina, Minnesota: Beaver's Pond Press, Incorporated, 2004.
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.