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Milton, John Watson

Sessions Served    Other Information

Senate 1973-77 (District 49)

Party when first elected:  Nonpartisan Election-Democratic-Farmer-Labor Caucus

Counties Served:  Anoka, Ramsey

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

Date of Birth: 8/19/1935
Birth Place: Saint Paul, Minnesota
Birth County: Ramsey
Birth Country: United States
Date of Death: 7/3/2023
Gender: Male
Religion: Unitarian, Catholic
Reported Minority: None Reported
Other Names:
City of Residence (when first elected): White Bear Lake
Occupation (when first elected): Management Consultant/Health Planner

EDUCATION

St. Paul Academy, St. Paul, Minnesota; Secondary; Graduate, 1953
Princeton University; B.A.; Magna Cum Laude, 1957

OTHER GOVERNMENT SERVICE

State Board/Commission/Council: Minnesota Supreme Court Juvenile Justice Study Commission; 19?? to 19??
State Board/Commission/Council: Minnesota Commission on the Economic Status of Women; 19?? to 19??
Municipal Board/Commission: White Bear, Minnesota (Advisory Committee for Aging); 19?? to 19??
State Board/Commission/Council: Commission on Minnesota's Future; 197? to 197?
County Board/Commissioner: Ramsey County, Minnesota (County Commissioner, Vice-Chair); 1971 to 1973 [Elected]

FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS

Spouse: Judith (when first elected); Maureen Acosta (after he left office)
Children: Five children and two stepchildren
Family Members Who Have Served in the Minnesota Legislature:

GENERAL NOTES

Special Legislative Concerns: health, welfare and aging; legislative reform.

He was of Irish, Czech, Welsh, and German ancestry.

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

Religion provided by the Catholic Bulletin, 3/21/1975. John Milton indicated that he converted to Catholicism after he left office.

Most recent term photo
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Total Days Served: 1766

SESSIONS SERVED

70th Legislative Session (1977-1978)

  Session Details   Convened Date: 1/4/1977
Body: Senate
District: 49
Elected: 11/2/1976
Residence: White Bear Lake
Term of Office: 1/3/1977 to 11/1/1977 (unfinished term)
Oath Date: 1/4/1977
Counties Represented: Anoka, Ramsey
Occupation: Management Consultant
Party: Democratic-Farmer-Labor
Committees:
  • Employment
  • Employment: Economic Development (Chair)
  • Finance
  • Finance: Health, Welfare and Corrections
  • Health, Welfare and Corrections
Reason for unfinished term: Resigned
term photo
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69th Legislative Session (1975-1976) (second half of Senate term)

  Session Details   Convened Date: 1/7/1975
Body: Senate
District: 49
Elected: 11/7/1972
Residence: White Bear Lake
Term of Office: 1/1/1973 to 1/2/1977
Oath Date: 1/2/1973
Counties Represented: Anoka, Ramsey
Occupation: Management Consultant
Party: Nonpartisan Election-Democratic-Farmer-Labor Caucus
Committees:
  • Governmental Operations
  • Governmental Operations: Government Structure
  • Governmental Operations: State Boards and Commissions
  • Health, Welfare and Corrections
  • Health, Welfare and Corrections: Adult Corrections
  • Health, Welfare and Corrections: Health (Chair)
  • Metropolitan and Urban Affairs
  • Metropolitan and Urban Affairs: Land Use and Physical Development

68th Legislative Session (1973-1974)

  Session Details   Convened Date: 1/2/1973
Body: Senate
District: 49
Elected: 11/7/1972
Residence: White Bear Lake
Term of Office: 1/1/1973 to 1/2/1977
Oath Date: 1/2/1973
Counties Represented: Anoka, Ramsey
Occupation: Management Consultant/Health Planner
Party: Nonpartisan Election-Democratic-Farmer-Labor Caucus
Committees:
  • Governmental Operations
  • Governmental Operations: Government Structure
  • Governmental Operations: State Boards and Commissions
  • Health, Welfare and Corrections
  • Health, Welfare and Corrections: Health (Chair)
  • Metropolitan and Urban Affairs
term photo
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OTHER INFORMATION

Articles & Books About

Articles & Books By

  • Milton, John Watson. For the Good of the Order, Nick Coleman and the High Tide of Liberal Politics in Minnesota, 1971-1981. Ramsey County Historical Society, 2012.
  • Spear, Allan H. Crossing the Barriers: The Autobiography of Allan H. Spear. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2010; Afterword by John Milton.
  • Milton, John W. Time to Choose. 2008.
  • Milton, John W. The Fallen Nightingale: A Novel. Edina, Minnesota: Beaver's Pond Press, Incorporated, 2004.

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.
Senator John Milton listens to testimony during a committee hearing, St. Paul, Minnesota.
Senator John Milton, right, in his office with an unidentified man, St. Paul, Minnesota.
Portrait of John Watson Milton.

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