Dee Long (born April 1939) is a

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

politician, a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, and a former member of the

Minnesota House of Representatives The Minnesota House of Representatives is the lower house of the Legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota. There are 134 members, twice as many as the Minnesota Senate. Floor sessions are held in the north wing of the State Capitol in Saint Pa ...

, representing part of

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

. Long was the first woman to serve as Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives, a position she held from 1992 to 1993. Long attended

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

before transferring to the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...

, where she graduated

magna cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some So ...

with a degree in

Psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...

. She first won election to the House of Representatives in 1978, and served in the body until 1998. Long was elected as the first female Speaker of the House in 1992. Her tenure in that position was cut short due to the "Phonegate" scandal, in which members of the House of Representatives were found to be using state toll-free access codes for personal use. Long resigned the speakership in September 1993, but continued to serve until 1998, becoming the first woman to chair the House Tax Committee. After leaving the legislature, Long lobbied for

energy independence Energy independence is independence or autarky regarding energy resources, energy supply and/or energy generation by the energy industry. Energy dependence, in general, refers to mankind's general dependence on either primary or secondary energ ...

, before retiring in 2007. She lives in

Minnetonka, Minnesota Minnetonka ( ) is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States. A western suburb of the Twin Cities, Minnetonka is located about west of downtown Minneapolis. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Long, Dee Speakers of the Minnesota House of Representatives Democratic Party members of the Minnesota House of Representatives 1939 births Living people University of Minnesota College of Liberal Arts alumni Harvard University alumni American Congregationalists Women state legislators in Minnesota 2012 United States presidential electors 21st-century American women politicians 21st-century American politicians

See also

References