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    Keith, Alexander MacDonald "Sandy, A.M."

    Sessions Served    Other Information

    Senate 1959-62 (District 4)

    Party when first elected:  Nonpartisan Election-Liberal Caucus

    Counties Served:  Olmsted

    BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

    Date of Birth: 11/22/1928
    Birth Place: Rochester, Minnesota
    Birth County: Olmsted
    Birth Country: United States
    Date of Death: 10/3/2020
    Gender: Male
    Religion: Unitarian Universalist
    Reported Minority: None Reported
    Other Names: Sandy, A.M.
    City of Residence (when first elected): Rochester
    Occupation (when first elected): Attorney, Section of Administration, Mayo Clinic

    EDUCATION

    Rochester Public Schools; Secondary; Graduate
    Amherst College, Massachusetts; College Graduate; Political Science, Magna Cum Laude, 1950
    Yale Law School; LL.B.; 1953

    OTHER GOVERNMENT SERVICE

    State Board/Commission/Council: Minnesota Human Rights and Fair Employment Practices Commission; [Dates Unknown]
    Military: United States Marine Corps (Korea, Officer/1st Lieutenant); 1953 to 1955
    State Lieutenant Governor: Minnesota; 01/08/1963 to 01/02/1967 [Elected]
    Judge: Minnesota Supreme Court (Associate Justice); 02/01/1989 to 1990 [Appointed]
    Judge: Minnesota Supreme Court (Chief Justice); 1990 to 1998 [Appointed]

    FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS

    Spouse: Marion Sanford
    Children: Two children: Ian and Douglas (sons)
    Family Members Who Have Served in the Minnesota Legislature:

    GENERAL NOTES

    He is believed to be the first person to serve in all three branches of Minnesota state government. (Star Tribune 7/7/1990)

    He sought and lost the Democratic-Farmer-Labor primary endorsement for Governor of Minnesota in 1966.

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

    He received the Rochester Junior Chamber of Commerce award as Outstanding Man of 1959.

    He was a member of Phi Beta Kappa.

    He was a star football player and New England wrestling champ while at Amherst College in Massachusetts.

    Religion provided by the Star Tribune, July 7, 1990.

    Total Days Served: 1463

    SESSIONS SERVED

    62nd Legislative Session (1961-1962) (second half of Senate term)

      Session Details
    Body: Senate
    District: 04
    Elected: 11/4/1958
    Residence: Rochester
    Term of Office: 1/6/1959 to 1/7/1963
    Counties Represented: Olmsted
    Occupation: Attorney, Law Firm of Eustis and Keith
    Party: Nonpartisan Election-Liberal Caucus
    Committees:
    • Agriculture
    • Game and Fish
    • Judiciary
    • Public Welfare
    Leadership Position: Assistant Minority Leader

    61st Legislative Session (1959-1960)

      Session Details
    Body: Senate
    District: 04
    Elected: 11/4/1958
    Residence: Rochester
    Term of Office: 1/6/1959 to 1/7/1963
    Counties Represented: Olmsted
    Occupation: Attorney, Section of Administration, Mayo Clinic
    Party: Nonpartisan Election-Liberal Caucus
    Committees:
    • Game and Fish
    • Judiciary
    • Public Welfare

    OTHER INFORMATION

    Articles & Books About
    "Keith, Alexander Macdonald." Star Tribune, October 7, 2020, p. B4.

    Featherly, Kevin. "Remembering former Chief Justice 'Sandy' Keith." Minnesota Lawyer, October 7, 2020.

    Klecker, Mara. "Sandy Keith: Minnesota Statesman: He Served Minnesota in All Branches of State Government." Star Tribune, October 6, 2020, p. B4.

    Minnesota Supreme Court. "Alexander M. Keith." Biographical Sketches of Justices of the Minnesota Supreme Court and Judges of the Minnesota Court of Appeals from Territorial Days to 1990, St. Paul, Minnesota: West Publishing Company, 1990, p. 33.

    A. M. "Sandy" (Alexander MacDonald) Keith. Biographical Information from the Minnesota Historical Society's Governors of Minnesota.


    These files are available in the Legislative Reference Library.

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