House 1979-82 (District 38A); House 1983-92 (District 41B); House 1993-94 (District 40B)
Party when first elected: Independent Republican
Counties Served:
Hennepin
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
Date of Birth:
7/22/1954
Birth Place:
Bloomington, Minnesota
Birth County:
Hennepin
Birth Country:
United States
Date of Death:
Gender:
Female
Religion:
Reported Minority: None Reported
Other Names:
City of Residence (when first elected):
Bloomington
Occupation (when first elected):
Psychiatric Social Worker
EDUCATION
Academy of Holy Angels High School; Secondary;
University of Notre Dame; B.A.; Sociology, Summa Cum Laude, Phi Betta Kappa, 1976
University of Minnesota, School of Social Work; M.S.W.; Social Work, 1978
University of Minnesota, Law School; J.D.; Cum Laude, 1984
University of Minnesota, Humphrey Institute; Fellowship; Policy Fellow, 1990-1991
OTHER GOVERNMENT SERVICE
State Board/Commission/Council:
Minnesota Legislative Commission to Review Administrative Rules (Vice-Chair);
1985 to 1986
County Attorney:
Hennepin County, Minnesota (Assistant County Attorney);
1992 to 1993
Judge:
Hennepin County District Court/4th Judicial District, Minnesota (Appointed by Governor Arne Carlson);
01/1994 to 10/1996
[Appointed]
Judge:
Minnesota Supreme Court (Associate Justice, Appointed by Governor Arne Carlson);
11/1996 to 01/1998
[Appointed]
Judge:
Minnesota Supreme Court (Chief Justice);
01/28/1998 to 01/10/2006
[Appointed]
State Board/Commission/Council:
Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority (Interim Chair);
02/23/2017 to 07/12/2017
[Appointed]
FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS
Spouse:
Single (when first elected); Thomas "Tom" Berkelman (married in 1984; divorced after she left the legislature); Wheelock Whitney (married in April 2005)
Children:
Three children: Hunter, Carter, and Max (sons; one was born in 1986, while she was in office)
Family Members Who Have Served in the Minnesota Legislature:
Jerome V. Blatz
- Father
Thomas R. Berkelman
- Husband
GENERAL NOTES
She was Minnesota's first female Chief Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court.
At 24 years of age she was the youngest female legislator at the time of swearing in.
She was appointed a Special Master during the Minnesota state government shutdown in 2011. She heard arguments for funding requests and was the person responsible for interpreting the ruling by Ramsey County District Court Judge Kathleen Gearin related to shutdown funding.