Clark, Karen J.
House 1981-82 (District 59A); House 1983-92 (District 60A); House 1993-2012 (District 61A); House 2013-2018 (District 62A)
Party when first elected: Democratic-Farmer-Labor
Counties Served:
Hennepin
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
Date of Birth:
7/23/1945
Birth Place:
, Oklahoma
Birth County:
Birth Country:
United States
Date of Death:
Gender:
Female
Religion:
Catholic
Reported Minority: None Reported
Other Names:
City of Residence (when first elected):
Minneapolis
Occupation (when first elected):
Nurse-Practitioner, Hennepin County Health Department
EDUCATION
Edgerton Public High School; Secondary; 1963
College of St. Teresa, Winona; B.S.; Nursing, Training as a Nurse Practitioner in OB/GYN
Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government; M.P.A.; Public Administration
OTHER GOVERNMENT SERVICE
State Board/Commission/Council:
Minnesota Council on the Economic Status of Women;
19?? to 19??
State Board/Commission/Council:
Minnesota Council on Asian-Pacific Minnesotans;
19?? to 19??
FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS
Spouse/Partner:
Single (when first elected); Jacquelyn Zita (around 1989)
Children:
Family Members Who Have Served in the Minnesota Legislature:
GENERAL NOTES
She was the first openly gay person to run and be elected to the Minnesota Legislature, without previously having held a seat in it. She was the first openly lesbian member to serve in the Minnesota Legislature. She is also the longest serving openly lesbian member to serve in a state legislature in the United States. Allan Spear was the first openly gay member of the Minnesota Legislature.
She grew up on a sharecropping farm in Rock County, Minnesota.
Her mother was Mayor of a small town.
Religion provided by the Natural Resources Defense Council's State Directories 2005.
Body: House
District: 62A
Elected: 11/8/2016
Residence: Minneapolis
Term of Office: 1/3/2017 to 1/7/2019
Counties Represented:
Hennepin
Occupation: College Instructor
Party:
Democratic-Farmer-Labor
Committees:
-
Agriculture Finance
Minutes
-
Environment & Natural Resources Policy and Finance
Minutes
-
Job Growth & Energy Affordability Policy and Finance
Minutes
Body: House
District: 62A
Elected: 11/4/2014
Residence: Minneapolis
Term of Office: 1/6/2015 to 1/2/2017
Counties Represented:
Hennepin
Occupation: College Instructor
Party:
Democratic-Farmer-Labor
Committees:
-
Agriculture Finance
Minutes
-
Environment & Natural Resources Policy & Finance
Minutes
-
Job Growth & Energy Affordability Policy & Finance
Minutes
Body: House
District: 62A
Elected: 11/6/2012
Residence: Minneapolis
Term of Office: 1/8/2013 to 1/5/2015
Counties Represented:
Hennepin
Occupation: College Instructor
Party:
Democratic-Farmer-Labor
Committees:
-
Capital Investment
Minutes
-
Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture Finance
Minutes
-
Housing Finance and Policy (Chair)
Minutes
-
Jobs and Economic Development Finance and Policy
Minutes
-
Ways and Means
Minutes
Body: House
District: 61A
Elected: 11/2/2010
Residence: Minneapolis
Term of Office: 1/4/2011 to 1/7/2013
Counties Represented:
Hennepin
Occupation: College Instructor
Party:
Democratic-Farmer-Labor
Body: House
District: 61A
Elected: 11/4/2008
Residence: Minneapolis
Term of Office: 1/6/2009 to 1/3/2011
Counties Represented:
Hennepin
Occupation: College Instructor; Holistic Medicine, College of St. Catherine; and Women in Politics, University of Minnesota
Party:
Democratic-Farmer-Labor
Committees:
-
Finance
Minutes
-
Finance: Capital Investment Finance Division
Minutes
-
Finance: Environment and Natural Resources Finance Division
Minutes
-
Finance: Higher Education and Workforce Development Finance and Policy Division
Minutes
-
Finance: Housing Finance and Policy and Public Health Finance Division (Chair)
Minutes
Body: House
District: 61A
Elected: 11/7/2006
Residence: Minneapolis
Term of Office: 1/3/2007 to 1/5/2009
Counties Represented:
Hennepin
Occupation: College Instructor; Adjunct Faculty, College of St. Catherine and the University of Minnesota
Party:
Democratic-Farmer-Labor
Committees:
-
Finance
Minutes
-
Finance: Education Finance and Economic Competitiveness Finance Division: Higher Education and Work Force Development Policy and Finance Division
Minutes
-
Finance: Environment and Natural Resources Finance Division
Minutes
-
Finance: Environment and Natural Resources Finance Division: Drinking Water Source Protection
Minutes
-
Finance: Housing Policy and Finance and Public Health Finance Division (Chair)
Minutes
-
Ways and Means
Minutes
Body: House
District: 61A
Elected: 11/2/2004
Residence: Minneapolis
Term of Office: 1/4/2005 to 1/2/2007
Counties Represented:
Hennepin
Occupation: College Instructor/Legislator
Party:
Democratic-Farmer-Labor
Special Session Bills Authored: 2005 1st Sp.S. - Author
Committees:
-
Commerce and Financial Institutions
Minutes
-
Jobs and Economic Opportunity Policy and Finance
Minutes
-
Ways and Means
Minutes
Body: House
District: 61A
Elected: 11/5/2002
Residence: Minneapolis
Term of Office: 1/7/2003 to 1/3/2005
Counties Represented:
Hennepin
Occupation: Government
Party:
Democratic-Farmer-Labor
Special Session Bills Authored: 2003 1st Sp.S. - Author
Committees:
-
Commerce, Jobs, and Economic Development
Minutes
-
Commerce, Jobs, and Economic Development: Economic Development and Tourism Division
Minutes
-
Environment and Natural Resources Policy
Minutes
-
Jobs and Economic Development Finance
Minutes
Body: House
District: 61A
Elected: 11/7/2000
Residence: Minneapolis
Term of Office: 1/3/2001 to 1/6/2003
Counties Represented:
Hennepin
Occupation: Legislator/College Instructor
Party:
Democratic-Farmer-Labor
Committees:
-
Commerce, Jobs, and Economic Development
Minutes
-
Jobs and Economic Development Finance
Minutes
-
Ways and Means
Minutes
Body: House
District: 61A
Elected: 11/3/1998
Residence: Minneapolis
Term of Office: 1/5/1999 to 1/2/2001
Counties Represented:
Hennepin
Occupation: Legislator
Party:
Democratic-Farmer-Labor
Committees:
-
Commerce
Minutes
-
Jobs and Economic Development Finance
Minutes
-
Jobs and Economic Development Policy
Minutes
Body: House
District: 61A
Elected: 11/5/1996
Residence: Minneapolis
Term of Office: 1/7/1997 to 1/4/1999
Counties Represented:
Hennepin
Occupation: Legislator
Party:
Democratic-Farmer-Labor
Committees:
-
Capital Investment
-
Economic Development and International Trade
-
Economic Development and International Trade: Economic Development
-
Economic Development and International Trade: Economic Development Finance Division
-
Economic Development and International Trade: Housing and Housing Finance Division (Chair)
-
Financial Institutions and Insurance
Minutes
Body: House
District: 61A
Elected: 11/8/1994
Residence: Minneapolis
Term of Office: 1/3/1995 to 1/6/1997
Counties Represented:
Hennepin
Occupation: Legislator
Party:
Democratic-Farmer-Labor
Committees:
-
Capital Investment
-
Economic Development, Infrastructure and Regulation Finance
-
Economic Development, Infrastructure and Regulation Finance: Transportation Finance Division
-
Housing (Chair)
-
Housing: Reclaiming and Recycling Vacant Housing
Body: House
District: 61A
Elected: 11/3/1992
Residence: Minneapolis
Term of Office: 1/5/1993 to 1/2/1995
Counties Represented:
Hennepin
Occupation: Legislator
Party:
Democratic-Farmer-Labor
Committees:
-
Commerce and Economic Development
-
Commerce and Economic Development: Economic Equality
-
Commerce and Economic Development: International Trade, Technology and Economic Development Division
-
Ethics
-
Health and Human Services
-
Health and Human Services: Health and Housing Finance Division
-
Housing (Chair)
-
Housing: Manufactured Housing
Body: House
District: 60A
Elected: 11/6/1990
Residence: Minneapolis
Term of Office: 1/8/1991 to 1/4/1993
Counties Represented:
Hennepin
Occupation: Legislator
Party:
Democratic-Farmer-Labor
Committees:
-
Appropriations
-
Appropriations: Human Resources Division
-
Economic Development
-
Economic Development: International Trade and Technology Division
-
Economic Development: Quality Workforce and Competitiveness
-
Financial Institutions and Insurance
-
Housing (Chair)
-
Housing: Community Revitalization
Body: House
District: 60A
Elected: 11/8/1988
Residence: Minneapolis
Term of Office: 1/3/1989 to 1/7/1991
Counties Represented:
Hennepin
Occupation: Legislator
Party:
Democratic-Farmer-Labor
Committees:
-
Appropriations
-
Appropriations: Health and Human Services Division
-
Economic Development
-
Economic Development: Community Stabilization and Development Division (Chair)
-
Financial Institutions and Housing
-
Financial Institutions and Housing: Housing Division
Body: House
District: 60A
Elected: 11/4/1986
Residence: Minneapolis
Term of Office: 1/6/1987 to 1/2/1989
Counties Represented:
Hennepin
Occupation: Legislator/Ob-Gyn Nurse Practitioner
Party:
Democratic-Farmer-Labor
Committees:
-
Economic Development and Housing
-
Economic Development and Housing: Job Development and Training (Chair)
-
Governmental Operations
-
Governmental Operations: Pensions
-
Health and Human Services
-
Health and Human Services: Social Services
-
Regulated Industries
Body: House
District: 60A
Elected: 11/6/1984
Residence: Minneapolis
Term of Office: 1/8/1985 to 1/5/1987
Counties Represented:
Hennepin
Occupation: Nurse
Party:
Democratic-Farmer-Labor
Committees:
-
Governmental Operations
-
Health and Human Services
-
Health and Human Services: Health Care
-
Local and Urban Affairs
-
Local and Urban Affairs: Metropolitan Affairs
Body: House
District: 60A
Elected: 11/2/1982
Residence: Minneapolis
Term of Office: 1/4/1983 to 1/7/1985
Counties Represented:
Hennepin
Occupation: Nurse
Party:
Democratic-Farmer-Labor
Committees:
-
Governmental Operations
-
Governmental Operations: Jobs Creation and Unemployment Issues (Chair)
-
Health and Welfare
-
Health and Welfare: Departmental Affairs
-
Local and Urban Affairs
-
Local and Urban Affairs: Physical and Economic Development
Body: House
District: 59A
Elected: 11/4/1980
Residence: Minneapolis
Term of Office: 1/6/1981 to 1/3/1983
Counties Represented:
Hennepin
Occupation: Nurse-Practitioner, Hennepin County Health Department
Party:
Democratic-Farmer-Labor
Committees:
-
Governmental Operations
-
Governmental Operations: Pensions and Investments
-
Health and Welfare
-
Health and Welfare: Departmental Affairs
-
Local and Urban Affairs
-
Local and Urban Affairs: Economic Development
-
Regulated Industries
-
Regulated Industries: Rates Under Bond-Interim Rates