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    Ojala, William R. "Bill"

    Sessions Served    Other Information

    House 1971-72 (District 62); House 1973-74 (District 6A)

    Party when first elected:  Nonpartisan Election-Liberal Caucus

    Counties Served:  St. Louis

    BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

    Date of Birth: 1/23/1925
    Birth Place: Eveleth, Minnesota
    Birth County: St. Louis
    Birth Country: United States
    Date of Death: 1/6/2018
    Gender: Male
    Religion:
    Reported Minority: None Reported
    Other Names: Bill
    City of Residence (when first elected): Aurora
    Occupation (when first elected): Attorney

    EDUCATION

    Gilbert High School; Secondary;
    Virginia Junior College; Junior College/Community College;
    University of Minnesota; B.A.;
    University of Minnesota; Attended Graduate School;
    William Mitchell College of Law; Attended Law School;

    OTHER GOVERNMENT SERVICE

    Municipal Mayor: Aurora, Minnesota (City Mayor); [Dates Unknown] [Elected]
    School Board/Administration: School District 691, Minnesota (Director); [Dates Unknown]
    Military: United States Marines (World War II, Pacific Area, 33 months); 1942 to 1945
    County Board/Commissioner: St. Louis County, Minnesota (County Commissioner); 1966 to 1970

    FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS

    Spouse: Dorothy Jean Bonde
    Children: Four children: Charles, Mary Jean, Kathryn Ann, and David
    Family Members Who Have Served in the Minnesota Legislature:

    GENERAL NOTES

    He and Gabe Brisbois formed the Economic Justice Party; he ran for Congress under that party in 1974 but he was defeated by Jim Oberstar.

    Most recent term photo
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    Total Days Served: 1463

    SESSIONS SERVED

    68th Legislative Session (1973-1974)

      Session Details   Convened Date: 1/2/1973
    Body: House
    District: 06A
    Elected: 11/7/1972
    Residence: Aurora
    Term of Office: 1/1/1973 to 1/5/1975
    Oath Date: 1/2/1973
    Counties Represented: St. Louis
    Occupation: Attorney
    Party: Nonpartisan Election-Democratic-Farmer-Labor Caucus
    Committees:
    • Crime Prevention and Corrections
    • Governmental Operations
    • Health and Welfare
    • Judiciary
    • Labor-Management Relations
    Session Notes: There were efforts to unseat him due to the fact that on October 30, 1972, he told reporters that he had not paid his state income taxes for three years as a protest against the Vietnam War. (Seating of House Members Challenged. Fergus Falls Daily Journal, January 3, 1973)
    term photo
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    67th Legislative Session (1971-1972)

      Session Details   Convened Date: 1/5/1971
    Body: House
    District: 62
    Elected: 11/3/1970
    Residence: Aurora
    Term of Office: 1/4/1971 to 12/31/1972
    Oath Date: 1/5/1971
    Counties Represented: St. Louis
    Occupation: Attorney
    Party: Nonpartisan Election-Liberal Caucus
    Committees:
    • Commerce and Economic Development
    • Health, Welfare and Corrections
    • Insurance
    • Judiciary
    • Local Government

    OTHER INFORMATION

    Articles & Books About

    • Lundy, John. "'A True Son of the Iron Range': Lawyer, Politician Bill Ojala Dies at 92." Duluth News Tribune, January 9, 2018.
    • William Ojala and Donald Moe (1973) - Cover sheet and various pages from the Minnesota Journal of the House, 1973 related to efforts to unseat him over his earlier refusal to pay income taxes as a protest against the Vietnam War.

    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.

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