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Laufenburger, Roger A.

Sessions Served

Other Information

Senate 1963-72 (District 2); Senate 1973-80 (District 34)

Party when first elected: Nonpartisan Election-Liberal Caucus

Counties Served: Olmsted, Wabasha, Winona

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

Date of Birth: 9/5/1921

Birth Place: Winona, Minnesota

Birth County: Winona

Birth Country: United States

Date of Death: 9/20/2001

Gender: Male

Religion: Presbyterian

Reported Minority: None Reported

Other Names:

City of Residence (when first elected): Lewiston

Occupation (when first elected): Insurance Agency Owner/Daily Radio Show Announcer, Roger's Rumpus Room

EDUCATION

Winona High School; Secondary; Graduate
Vocational-Technical School; Insurance Training Courses

OTHER GOVERNMENT SERVICE

Judge: Lewiston, Minnesota (Justice of the Peace); 1951 to 1953 [Elected]

Municipal Council/Aldermen: Lewiston, Minnesota (Village Council); 1956 to 1962 [Elected]

State Board/Commission/Council: Minnesota State Transportation Regulation Board (Chair, Appointed by Governor Rudy Perpich); 08/1983 to 08/1989 [Appointed]

Municipal Council/Aldermen: Lewiston, Minnesota (City Council); 12/1989 to 199?

Municipal Mayor: Lewiston, Minnesota (City Mayor); 1992 to 2001

FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS

Spouse: Selma
Children: Four children: Bruce (son); (3 daughters)
Family Members Who Have Served in the Minnesota Legislature:

GENERAL NOTES

Special Legislative Concerns: transportation, business, agriculture, labor-employment.

He ran unsuccessfully for the Minnesota Senate in the 1958 election.

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

He had a stroke and died at St. Anne's Hospice in Lewiston, Minnesota. His funeral was held at First Presbyterian Church in Lewiston, Minnesota.

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

Click to view

Total Days Served: 6573

SESSIONS SERVED

71st Legislative Session (1979-1980) (second half of Senate term)

Session Details Convened Date: 1/3/1979

Body: Senate

District: 34

Elected: 11/2/1976

Residence: Lewiston

Term of Office: 1/3/1977 to 1/4/1981
Oath Date: 1/4/1977

Counties Represented: Olmsted, Wabasha, Winona

Occupation: Insurance Agency Owner

Party: Democratic-Farmer-Labor

Committees:

Commerce
Commerce: Banking
Employment (Chair)
Rules and Administration
Transportation
Transportation: Highways and Bridges
Transportation: Transportation Policy (Chair) [He was the Chair in 1979 only.]

Ran in next election? Yes. Defeated in general election

70th Legislative Session (1977-1978)

Session Details Convened Date: 1/4/1977

Body: Senate

District: 34

Elected: 11/2/1976

Residence: Lewiston

Term of Office: 1/3/1977 to 1/4/1981
Oath Date: 1/4/1977

Counties Represented: Olmsted, Wabasha, Winona

Occupation: Insurance Agency Owner

Party: Democratic-Farmer-Labor

Committees:

Commerce
Commerce: Banking
Employment (Chair)
Rules and Administration
Transportation
Transportation: Public Transportation

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

Session Details Convened Date: 1/7/1975

Body: Senate

District: 34

Elected: 11/7/1972

Residence: Lewiston

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

Counties Represented: Olmsted, Wabasha, Winona

Occupation: Insurance Agency Owner

Party: Nonpartisan Election-Democratic-Farmer-Labor Caucus

Committees:

Labor and Commerce
Labor and Commerce: Commerce and Insurance
Rules and Administration
Rules and Administration: Interim Commissions
Rules and Administration: Joint Rule 20 (Deadlines)
Taxes and Tax Laws
Transportation and General Legislation (Chair)
Transportation and General Legislation: Highways

68th Legislative Session (1973-1974)

Session Details Convened Date: 1/2/1973

Body: Senate

District: 34

Elected: 11/7/1972

Residence: Lewiston

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

Counties Represented: Olmsted, Wabasha, Winona

Occupation: Insurance Agency Owner

Party: Nonpartisan Election-Democratic-Farmer-Labor Caucus

Committees:

Labor and Commerce
Labor and Commerce: Commerce and Insurance
Rules and Administration
Rules and Administration: Interim Commissions
Taxes and Tax Laws
Transportation and General Legislation (Chair)
Transportation and General Legislation: Joint Fuel Oil (Chair)

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67th Legislative Session (1971-1972)

Session Details Convened Date: 1/5/1971

Body: Senate

District: 02

Elected: 11/3/1970

Residence: Lewiston

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

Counties Represented: Wabasha, Winona

Occupation: Insurance Agency Owner

Party: Nonpartisan Election-Liberal Caucus

Committees:

Civil Administration
Commerce and Insurance
Labor Relations
Public Highways
Taxes and Tax Laws

66th Legislative Session (1969-1970) (second half of Senate term)

Session Details Convened Date: 1/7/1969

Body: Senate

District: 02

Elected: 11/8/1966

Residence: Lewiston

Term of Office: 1/2/1967 to 1/3/1971
Oath Date: 1/3/1967

Counties Represented: Wabasha, Winona

Occupation: Insurance Agency Owner

Party: Nonpartisan Election-Liberal Caucus

Committees:

Agriculture
General Legislation
Labor
Public Highways
Taxes and Tax Laws

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65th Legislative Session (1967-1968)

Session Details Convened Date: 1/3/1967

Body: Senate

District: 02

Elected: 11/8/1966

Residence: Lewiston

Term of Office: 1/2/1967 to 1/3/1971
Oath Date: 1/3/1967

Counties Represented: Wabasha, Winona

Occupation: Insurance Agency Owner

Party: Nonpartisan Election-Liberal Caucus

Committees:

Agriculture
General Legislation
Labor
Public Highways
Taxes and Tax Laws

64th Legislative Session (1965-1966) (second half of Senate term)

Session Details Convened Date: 1/5/1965

Body: Senate

District: 02

Elected: 11/6/1962

Residence: Lewiston

Term of Office: 1/7/1963 to 1/1/1967
Oath Date: 1/8/1963

Counties Represented: Winona

Occupation: Insurance Agency Owner

Party: Nonpartisan Election-Liberal Caucus

Committees:

Agriculture
Game and Fish
General Legislation
Military Affairs and Civil Defense
Municipal Affairs

63rd Legislative Session (1963-1964)

Session Details Convened Date: 1/8/1963

Body: Senate

District: 02

Elected: 11/6/1962

Residence: Lewiston

Term of Office: 1/7/1963 to 1/1/1967
Oath Date: 1/8/1963

Counties Represented: Winona

Occupation: Insurance Agency Owner/Daily Radio Show Announcer, Roger's Rumpus Room

Party: Nonpartisan Election-Liberal Caucus

Committees:

Agriculture
Game and Fish
General Legislation
Military Affairs and Civil Defense
Municipal Affairs

Click to view

OTHER INFORMATION

Articles & Books About

"Former State Senator Roger Laufenburger Dies at 80 (Obituary)." St. Paul Pioneer Press, September 23, 2001.
Collins, Terry. "Roger Laufenburger, 80, Dies; State Senator, Mayor (Obituary)." Star Tribune, September 22, 2001.
Woody, Laura. "Ties Pull Laufenburger Home." Rochester Post-Bulletin, January 17, 1990, p. 1B.
Sturdevant, Lori. "Job as Lobbyist Saved Him From Early Retirement." Minneapolis Tribune, February 23, 1981, p. 8B.

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

Roger A. Laufenburger Papers, 1969-1980 (Available in the Minnesota Historical Society's Collections)

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