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Fitzsimons, Richard W. "Dick"

Sessions Served

Other Information

House 1953-66 (District 67); House 1967-72 (District 67A); Senate 1973-76 (District 1)

Party when first elected: Nonpartisan Election-Conservative Caucus

Counties Served: Beltrami, Kittson, Lake of the Woods, Marshall, Pennington, Polk, Red Lake, Roseau

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

Date of Birth: 1/19/1922

Birth Place: Argyle, Minnesota

Birth County: Marshall

Birth Country: United States

Date of Death: 1/9/1991

Gender: Male

Religion: Catholic

Reported Minority: None Reported

Other Names: Dick

City of Residence (when first elected): Argyle

Occupation (when first elected): Farmer

EDUCATION

Argyle Schools; Elementary School;
Argyle High School; Secondary; Graduate, 1939

OTHER GOVERNMENT SERVICE

County Board/Commissioner: Marshall County, Minnesota (County Fair Board); 19?? to 19??

Municipal Government: Crookston, Minnesota (Township Clerk); 19?? to 19??

State Board/Commission/Council: Minnesota State Historical Society, Honorary Executive Council (Named a Life Member); 1981 to 1991

State Board/Commission/Council: Minnesota Agricultural Drought Task Force (Appointed by Governor Rudy Perpich); 07/1988 to 19?? [Appointed]

State Board/Commission/Council: Minnesota Blue Ribbon Commission to Determine What Constitutes a High Quality Undergraduate Degree in the Minnesota State University System (Appointed by the Minnesota State University Board); 1990 to 199? [Appointed]

FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS

Spouse: Janice Kyseth (married on June 6, 1960)
Children: Two children: Mark Patrick (son), Lori Anne (daughter)
Family Members Who Have Served in the Minnesota Legislature:

GENERAL NOTES

He was born on a farm. He moved to Warren, Minnesota in 1972 and to Moorhead, Minnesota in 1976.

He was severely burned while refueling his tractor in 1969. Over a third of his body was burned.

He was a member of the 4-H Club, the Knights of Columbus, and the Marshall County Historical Society.

He died of a heart attack at home in Moorhead, Minnesota. His funeral was held at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Moorhead, Minnesota.

Religion provided by his obituary.

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Total Days Served: 8764

SESSIONS SERVED

69th Legislative Session (1975-1976) (second half of Senate term)

Session Details Convened Date: 1/7/1975

Body: Senate

District: 01

Elected: 11/7/1972

Residence: Warren

Term of Office: 1/1/1973 to 1/2/1977
Oath Date: 1/2/1973

Counties Represented: Beltrami, Kittson, Lake of the Woods, Marshall, Pennington, Polk, Red Lake, Roseau

Occupation: Farmer

Party: Nonpartisan Election-Independent Republican Caucus

Committees:

Finance
Finance: State Departments II
Finance: State Departments III and Semi-State Affairs
Rules and Administration: Staffing
Transportation and General Legislation
Transportation and General Legislation: Veterans Affairs and General Legislation

68th Legislative Session (1973-1974)

Session Details Convened Date: 1/2/1973

Body: Senate

District: 01

Elected: 11/7/1972

Residence: Warren

Term of Office: 1/1/1973 to 1/2/1977
Oath Date: 1/2/1973

Counties Represented: Beltrami, Kittson, Lake of the Woods, Marshall, Pennington, Polk, Red Lake, Roseau

Occupation: Farmer

Party: Nonpartisan Election-Conservative Caucus

Committees:

Finance
Finance: Administrative State Departments
Finance: Natural Resources, Highways and Semi-State
Transportation and General Legislation
Transportation and General Legislation: Joint Fuel Oil
Transportation and General Legislation: Veterans Affairs

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67th Legislative Session (1971-1972)

Session Details Convened Date: 1/5/1971

Body: House

District: 67A

Elected: 11/3/1970

Residence: Argyle

Term of Office: 1/4/1971 to 12/31/1972
Oath Date: 1/5/1971

Counties Represented: Kittson, Marshall, Roseau

Occupation: Grain Farmer

Party: Nonpartisan Election-Conservative Caucus

Committees:

Appropriations (Chair)
Appropriations: Medical Education
Natural Resources
Reapportionment and Elections
Rules and Legislative Administration

66th Legislative Session (1969-1970)

Session Details Convened Date: 1/7/1969

Body: House

District: 67A

Elected: 11/5/1968

Residence: Argyle

Term of Office: 1/6/1969 to 1/3/1971
Oath Date: 1/7/1969

Counties Represented: Kittson, Marshall, Roseau

Occupation: Grain Farmer

Party: Nonpartisan Election-Conservative Caucus

Committees:

Agriculture
Appropriations (Chair)
Conservation
Elections and Reapportionment
Land and Water Resources
Legislative Administration and Rules

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65th Legislative Session (1967-1968)

Session Details Convened Date: 1/3/1967

Body: House

District: 67A

Elected: 11/8/1966

Residence: Argyle

Term of Office: 1/2/1967 to 1/5/1969
Oath Date: 1/3/1967

Counties Represented: Kittson, Marshall, Roseau

Occupation: Grain Farmer

Party: Nonpartisan Election-Conservative Caucus

Committees:

Agriculture
Appropriations (Chair)
Elections and Reapportionment
Forestry and Public Domain
Game and Fish
Rules

64th Legislative Session (1965-1966)

Session Details Convened Date: 1/5/1965

Body: House

District: 67

Elected: 11/3/1964

Residence: Argyle

Term of Office: 1/4/1965 to 1/1/1967
Oath Date: 1/5/1965

Counties Represented: Marshall

Occupation: Grain Farmer

Party: Nonpartisan Election-Conservative Caucus

Committees:

Agriculture and Cooperatives
Appropriations (Chair)
Reapportionment
Rules

63rd Legislative Session (1963-1964)

Session Details Convened Date: 1/8/1963

Body: House

District: 67

Elected: 11/6/1962

Residence: Argyle

Term of Office: 1/7/1963 to 1/3/1965
Oath Date: 1/8/1963

Counties Represented: Marshall

Occupation: Grain Farmer

Party: Nonpartisan Election-Conservative Caucus

Committees:

Agriculture
Appropriations (Chair)
Elections and Reapportionment
Forestry and Public Domain
Rules

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62nd Legislative Session (1961-1962)

Session Details Convened Date: 1/3/1961

Body: House

District: 67

Elected: 11/8/1960

Residence: Argyle

Term of Office: 1/2/1961 to 1/6/1963
Oath Date: 1/3/1961

Counties Represented: Marshall

Occupation: Grain Farmer

Party: Nonpartisan Election-Conservative Caucus

Committees:

Appropriations
Cooperatives and Marketing
Game and Fish
Towns and Counties
Veterans and Military Affairs

61st Legislative Session (1959-1960)

Session Details Convened Date: 1/6/1959

Body: House

District: 67

Elected: 11/4/1958

Residence: Argyle

Term of Office: 1/5/1959 to 1/1/1961
Oath Date: 1/6/1959

Counties Represented: Marshall

Occupation: Farmer

Party: Nonpartisan Election-Conservative Caucus

Committees:

Agriculture
Appropriations
Banking
Cooperatives and Marketing
Veterans and Military Affairs

60th Legislative Session (1957-1958)

Session Details Convened Date: 1/8/1957

Body: House

District: 67

Elected: 11/6/1956

Residence: Argyle

Term of Office: 1/7/1957 to 1/4/1959
Oath Date: 1/8/1957

Counties Represented: Marshall

Occupation: Farmer

Party: Nonpartisan Election-Conservative Caucus

Committees:

Appropriations
Compute Mileage Special
Drainage and Soil Conservation
General Legislation
Veterans and Military Affairs
Welfare

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59th Legislative Session (1955-1956)

Session Details Convened Date: 1/4/1955

Body: House

District: 67

Elected: 11/2/1954

Residence: Argyle

Term of Office: 1/3/1955 to 1/6/1957
Oath Date: 1/4/1955

Counties Represented: Marshall

Occupation: Farmer

Party: Nonpartisan Election-Conservative Caucus

Committees:

Appropriations
Claims
Markets and Marketing
Reforestation
Veterans and Military Affairs

58th Legislative Session (1953-1954)

Session Details Convened Date: 1/6/1953

Body: House

District: 67

Elected: 11/5/1952

Residence: Argyle

Term of Office: 1/5/1953 to 1/2/1955
Oath Date: 1/6/1953

Counties Represented: Marshall

Occupation: Farmer

Party: Nonpartisan Election-Conservative Caucus

Committees:

Agriculture
Cooperatives
Drainage and Soil Conservation
General Legislation
State and County Fairs

OTHER INFORMATION

Articles & Books About

"Richard W. Fitzsimons, 68, Long Time Co. Politician, Dead (Obituary)." Warren Sheaf, January 16, 1991.
"Former Legislator Richard W. Fitzsimons Dead at 68 (Obituary)." St. Paul Pioneer Press, January 11, 1991.
"Former State Legislator Fitzsimons Dies at 68 (Obituary)." Brainerd Daily Dispatch, January 10, 1991.
"Richard W. Fitzsimons Dies; was Representative, Senator (Obituary)." Star Tribune, January 10, 1991, p. 6B.
Mattson, Neil. "Sheaves, Kernels, and Some Chaff." Warren Sheaf, December 14, 1983.
"Rep. Fitzsimons is Satisfactory After Mishap." Minneapolis Tribune, August 10, 1969/Rep. Fitzsimons Transferring to U Hospitals." Minneapolis Tribune, August 18, 1969.
"Severe Burns Put Fitzsimons in Hospital." Minneapolis Tribune, August 9, 1969/"Severe Burns Put Legislator in Hospital." Minneapolis Star, August 9, 1969.

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

Richard W. Fitzsimons Papers, 1953-1978 (Available at the Minnesota Historical Society in the manuscripts collections.)

Photographs

Senator Earl Renneke and Senator Richard Fitzsimons in a committee hearing, St. Paul, Minnesota. c. 1976. Photo credit: Senate Media ServicesThis image was scanned from the files of the Minnesota Senate Photographer with the generous help of the Minnesota Digital Library..

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