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    DeGroat, Frank H.

    Sessions Served    Other Information

    House 1963-66 (District 57); House 1967-72 (District 65A); House 1973-76 (District 10A)

    Party when first elected:  Nonpartisan Election-Conservative Caucus

    Counties Served:  Becker, Otter Tail, Wadena

    BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

    Date of Birth: 5/7/1916
    Birth Place: Morton, Minnesota
    Birth County: Redwood
    Birth Country: United States
    Date of Death: 8/12/1989
    Gender: Male
    Religion: Lutheran
    Reported Minority: American Indian
    Other Names:
    City of Residence (when first elected): Lake Park
    Occupation (when first elected): Dairy and Grain Farmer

    EDUCATION

    OTHER GOVERNMENT SERVICE

    State Board/Commission/Council: Minnesota Governor's Human Rights Commission; 19?? to 19??

    FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS

    Spouse: Married
    Children: Five children
    Family Members Who Have Served in the Minnesota Legislature:

    GENERAL NOTES

    Several sources list him as the first American Indian elected to the Minnesota Legislature. This is not true, there were others who served before him.

    "DeGroat is a descendant of the East Coast Brotherton tribe...he was born on the Morton Indian Reservation and grew up on the White Earth Reservation." (Session Weekly, April 28, 1989, p. 7)

    "Upon filing for election, [in 1962] DeGroat announced he would be a Conservative candidate saying, 'I am a Conservative. There is a need for conservative practices in government, for sound fiscal government.'...Though he consistently caucused with conservatives, he regarded himself as an independent. ...by 1974...DeGroat had reluctantly joined the Republican rank and file." (Fargo-Moorhead Forum, August 13, 1989)

    He was a member of the Republican Party.

    He was an unsuccessful candidate for the Minnesota Senate in the 1976 election.

    He was an unsuccessful unendorsed Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party candidate for the Minnesota House of Representatives in the 1980 election.

    He died, of cancer, in a hospital in Fargo, North Dakota.

    Religion provided by the Catholic Bulletin, 3/21/1975.

    Most recent term photo
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    Total Days Served: 5110

    SESSIONS SERVED

    69th Legislative Session (1975-1976)

      Session Details   Convened Date: 1/7/1975
    Body: House
    District: 10A
    Elected: 11/5/1974
    Residence: Lake Park
    Term of Office: 1/6/1975 to 1/2/1977
    Oath Date: 1/7/1975
    Counties Represented: Becker, Otter Tail, Wadena
    Occupation: Farmer
    Party: Republican
    Committees:
    • Agriculture
    • Taxes
    • Transportation

    68th Legislative Session (1973-1974)

      Session Details   Convened Date: 1/2/1973
    Body: House
    District: 10A
    Elected: 11/7/1972
    Residence: Lake Park
    Term of Office: 1/1/1973 to 1/5/1975
    Oath Date: 1/2/1973
    Counties Represented: Becker, Otter Tail, Wadena
    Occupation: Farmer
    Party: Nonpartisan Election-Conservative Caucus
    Committees:
    • Agriculture
    • Local Government
    • Taxes
    • Transportation
    Session Notes: Dan Kershner contested his election due to unfair campaign practices. The three county attorneys decided not to prosecute since they felt there were not reasonable grounds to convene a grand jury.
    term photo
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    67th Legislative Session (1971-1972)

      Session Details   Convened Date: 1/5/1971
    Body: House
    District: 65A
    Elected: 11/3/1970
    Residence: Lake Park
    Term of Office: 1/4/1971 to 12/31/1972
    Oath Date: 1/5/1971
    Counties Represented: Becker
    Occupation: Farmer
    Party: Nonpartisan Election-Conservative Caucus
    Committees:
    • Agriculture (Chair)
    • Health, Welfare and Corrections
    • Labor Relations
    • Local Government
    • Natural Resources
    • Transportation

    66th Legislative Session (1969-1970)

      Session Details   Convened Date: 1/7/1969
    Body: House
    District: 65A
    Elected: 11/5/1968
    Residence: Lake Park
    Term of Office: 1/6/1969 to 1/3/1971
    Oath Date: 1/7/1969
    Counties Represented: Becker
    Occupation: Dairy and Grain Farmer
    Party: Nonpartisan Election-Conservative Caucus
    Committees:
    • Agriculture
    • Conservation
    • Employee Compensation and Retirements
    • Health and Welfare
    • Highways
    • Labor Relations
    term photo
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    65th Legislative Session (1967-1968)

      Session Details   Convened Date: 1/3/1967
    Body: House
    District: 65A
    Elected: 11/8/1966
    Residence: Lake Park
    Term of Office: 1/2/1967 to 1/5/1969
    Oath Date: 1/3/1967
    Counties Represented: Becker
    Occupation: Dairy and Grain Farmer
    Party: Nonpartisan Election-Conservative Caucus
    Committees:
    • Agriculture
    • Dairy Products and Livestock
    • Employees Compensation
    • Game and Fish
    • Highways
    • Labor-Management Relations

    64th Legislative Session (1965-1966)

      Session Details   Convened Date: 1/5/1965
    Body: House
    District: 57
    Elected: 11/3/1964
    Residence: Lake Park
    Term of Office: 1/4/1965 to 1/1/1967
    Oath Date: 1/5/1965
    Counties Represented: Becker
    Occupation: Dairy and Grain Farmer
    Party: Nonpartisan Election-Conservative Caucus
    Committees:
    • Agriculture and Cooperatives
    • Labor-Management Relations
    • Recreation and Water Resources
    • University

    63rd Legislative Session (1963-1964)

      Session Details   Convened Date: 1/8/1963
    Body: House
    District: 57
    Elected: 11/6/1962
    Residence: Lake Park
    Term of Office: 1/7/1963 to 1/3/1965
    Oath Date: 1/8/1963
    Counties Represented: Becker
    Occupation: Dairy and Grain Farmer
    Party: Nonpartisan Election-Conservative Caucus Party Notes: "Upon filing for election, [in 1962] DeGroat announced he would be a Conservative candidate saying, 'I am a Conservative. There is a need for conservative practices in government, for sound fiscal government.'...Though he consistently caucused with conservatives, he regarded himself as an independent." (Fargo-Moorhead Forum, August 13, 1989)
    Committees:
    • Agriculture
    • Forestry and Public Domain
    • Industrial and Employee Relations
    • Recreation and Water Resources
    • University
    term photo
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    OTHER INFORMATION

    Articles & Books About

    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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