Women in Minnesota Government
Women have held a variety of positions within the government of Minnesota but still remain underrepresented. For instance, Minnesota has never had a woman as governor.
Executive Branch[edit]
18 women have served in the executive branch in Minnesota. Their roles in the executive branch have included Lt. Governor, Auditor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, and Treasurer.[1] The first woman elected to the executive branch was Virginia Holm in 1952 as Secretary of State.[1] Eight women have served as Lt. Governor, five as Auditor, one as Attorney General, three as Secretary of State, and one as Treasurer.[1]
Legislative Branch[edit]
There have been 281 women elected to the legislative branch.[2] The first time women were elected to the state legislature was in 1922. Four women were elected: Myrtle Agnes Cain, Sue Metzger Hough, Hannah Jensen Kempfer, and Mabeth Hurd Paige. They were all elected to the House.[2] The first woman elected to the state Senate was Laura Emelia Naplin in 1927.[2] Neva Walker was the first woman of color to be elected to the Minnesota state legislature.[3]
Judicial Branch[edit]
The first woman to serve on the Supreme Court was Rosalie E. Wahl in 1977.[4] Since then, 10 other women have served on the Court.[5] The first woman to become Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Minnesota was Kathleen Blatz in 1998.[3][6] The appointment of Justice Sandra Gardebring in 1991 made Minnesota have the first female majority state Supreme Court in the country.[7] Wilhelmina M. Wright was the first woman of color appointed to the court in 2012.[8][3]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c "Minnesota". cawp.rutgers.edu. Retrieved 2022-11-03.
- ^ a b c "Women in the Minnesota Legislature by Years Elected". www.lrl.mn.gov. Retrieved 2022-11-03.
- ^ a b c "Minnesota Firsts for Women". League of Women Voters Minnesota (LWVMN). Retrieved 2022-11-03.
- ^ EHN, Reference Desk. "Library Research Guides: Rosalie E. Wahl, Associate Justice 1977-1994: Biography". mncourts.libguides.com. Retrieved 2022-11-03.
- ^ "Biographies of Minnesota Supreme Court Justices". Retrieved November 21, 2022.
- ^ EHN, Reference Desk. "Library Research Guides: Kathleen A. Blatz, Associate Justice, 1996-1998; Chief Justice 1998-2006: Biography". mncourts.libguides.com. Retrieved 2022-11-03.
- ^ EHN, Reference Desk. "Library Research Guides: Sandra S. Gardebring, Associate Justice, 1991-1998: Biography". mncourts.libguides.com. Retrieved 2022-11-21.
- ^ EHN, Reference Desk. "Library Research Guides: Wilhelmina M. Wright, Associate Justice 2012-2016: Biography". mncourts.libguides.com. Retrieved 2022-11-22.