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Petrafeso, Paul Ronald "Pete"

Sessions Served    Other Information

House 1971-72 (District 30B); House 1975-78 (District 41B)

Party when first elected:  Nonpartisan Election-Liberal Caucus

Counties Served:  Hennepin

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

Date of Birth: 7/18/1942
Birth Place: Denver, Colorado
Birth County:
Birth Country: United States
Date of Death: 9/24/2025
Gender: Male
Religion:
Reported Minority: None Reported
Other Names: Pete
City of Residence (when first elected): Saint Louis Park
Occupation (when first elected): Director of Indian Education, Upper Midwest Regional Educational Laboratory

EDUCATION

University of Colorado; B.A.; Political Science
University of Minnesota; Doctoral Work; Education

OTHER GOVERNMENT SERVICE

State Board/Commission/Council: Metropolitan Council Criminal Justice Committee, Minnesota; 19?? to 19??
U.S. Executive Branch: Volunteer in Service to America (VISTA), Baltimore, Maryland; 19?? to 19??
U.S. Legislative Staff/Council/Commission: United States Senate Subcommittee on Indian Affairs (Special Investigator); 1969 to 19??

FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS

Spouse: Jan Ingrid Smaby (while in office); Debbie
Children:
Family Members Who Have Served in the Minnesota Legislature:

GENERAL NOTES

He was a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party.

The Minnesota Legislative Manual, 1975-76 lists his name as Paul "Pete" Petrafeso.

He was an all-star baseball player at the University of Colorado and went on to play baseball professionally.

He ran unsuccessfully as a Liberal candidate for the Minnesota House of Representatives in the 1972 election. His opponent, Robert J. McFarlin, defeated him by 2 votes so a recount occurred. The recount confirmed that Robert J. McFarlin had won.

Most recent term photo
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Total Days Served: 2184

SESSIONS SERVED

70th Legislative Session (1977-1978)

  Session Details   Convened Date: 1/4/1977
Body: House
District: 41B
Elected: 11/2/1976
Residence: Saint Louis Park
Term of Office: 1/3/1977 to 12/31/1978
Oath Date: 1/4/1977
Counties Represented: Hennepin
Occupation: Legislator
Party: Democratic-Farmer-Labor
Committees:
  • Governmental Operations
  • Health and Welfare
  • Local and Urban Affairs
  • Rules and Legislative Administration
Leadership Position: Assistant Majority Leader
term photo
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69th Legislative Session (1975-1976)

  Session Details   Convened Date: 1/7/1975
Body: House
District: 41B
Elected: 11/5/1974
Residence: Saint Louis Park
Term of Office: 1/6/1975 to 1/2/1977
Oath Date: 1/7/1975
Counties Represented: Hennepin
Occupation: Education
Party: Democratic-Farmer-Labor
Committees:
  • Deinstitutionalization
  • Education
  • Health and Welfare
  • Local and Urban Affairs

67th Legislative Session (1971-1972)

  Session Details   Convened Date: 1/5/1971
Body: House
District: 30B
Elected: 11/3/1970
Residence: Saint Louis Park
Term of Office: 1/4/1971 to 12/31/1972
Oath Date: 1/5/1971
Counties Represented: Hennepin
Occupation: Director of Indian Education, Upper Midwest Regional Educational Laboratory
Party: Nonpartisan Election-Liberal Caucus
Committees:
  • City Government
  • Commerce and Economic Development
  • Governmental Operations
  • Higher Education
  • Metropolitan and Urban Affairs

OTHER INFORMATION

Articles & Books About

  • "Pete Ronald Petrafeso." The Desert Sun, September 30, 2025.

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.

Archive Collections

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