Dennis R. Frederickson (born July 27, 1939) is a

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politician from

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 ...

and a former Minnesota State Senator. He was first elected in 1980 when he ran for the seat being vacated by Senator Carl Jensen, who was appointed to the Minnesota Tax Court and did not seek re-election. He was re-elected in 1982, 1986, 1990, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2002 and 2006, receiving only one serious challenge for the position back in 1982 from former New Ulm mayor and

state representative A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United Sta ...

Tony Eckstein. In recent campaigns, his re-election committee was chaired by former state senator

Earl Renneke Earl W. Renneke (March 10, 1928 – March 3, 2021) was a former Minnesota politician and a former member of the Minnesota Senate from southern Minnesota. Life and career He was first elected in a March 25, 1969, special election to fill the ...

. Frederickson most recently represented District 21. Prior to legislative

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in 1990 and 2000, the area was known as District 28 and District 23, respectively. Through the years, he represented all or portions of Blue Earth,

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, Cottonwood, Le Sueur,

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, McLeod,

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, Nicollet,

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Renville Renville may refer to: ;Places In the United States: * Renville, Minnesota * Renville County, Minnesota * Renville County, North Dakota ;People *Joseph Renville *Gabriel Renville Gabriel Renville (April 1825 – August 26, 1892), also known a ...

, Sibley, and Watonwan counties.

Rural roots and family background

Frederickson was born and raised on a farm in Redwood County near Morgan. He graduated from Morgan High School in 1957 and the

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in 1961 with a B.S. degree in

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. After graduation, he spent five years on active duty in the

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as a pilot. Following active duty, he flew in the Naval Air Reserve for three years, being honorably discharged with the rank of Lieutenant Commander. Frederickson returned to the family farm in 1967 and was first elected to public office in 1972 as a Redwood County Commissioner, serving eight years. He served five years on the Redwood County Nursing Home Board, four as chairman, and is a former adult

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leader, Sunday school teacher, local

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member and past president, and State Home Economics Advisory Council member. He also served on the Redwood Electric Cooperative Board of Directors for 20 years. He has since retired from farming and moved to New Ulm.

Senate representation and leadership

As senator, Frederickson earned a reputation as a leader in issues relevant to environment and natural resources, and has received many awards for his service, noted in the following table. His special legislative concerns also included local government, finance and agriculture. Over the years, Frederickson served on the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources, Capital Investment, Elections and Ethics, Finance, Gaming Regulation, Governmental Operations, Jobs, Energy & Community Development, Local Government and Urban Affairs, Public Employees & Pensions, Rules & Administration, and Telecommunications, Energy & Utilities committees, and on various relevant subcommittees. Of those committees, he was a member of the Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee for 26 years and of the Environment Budget Division for 24 years. He was

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of the Senate from January 2007 until his retirement. He also served on the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR), which made recommendations to the

Minnesota Legislature The Minnesota Legislature is the bicameral legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota consisting of two houses: the Senate and the House of Representatives. Senators are elected from 67 single-member districts. In order to account for decennia ...

on how to spend money from the Environmental Trust Fund, and on the Legislative Commission on Planning and Fiscal Policy. On March 30, 2010, Frederickson announced that he would not seek a tenth term in the Minnesota Senate.

References

External links

Senator Dennis R. Frederickson
''official Minnesota Legislature site''
Minnesota State Senator Dennis Frederickson
''official campaign site'' *
Voting record
at Minnesota Public Radio Votetracker {{DEFAULTSORT:Frederickson, Dennis 1939 births Living people People from Redwood County, Minnesota County commissioners in Minnesota Republican Party Minnesota state senators University of Minnesota College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences alumni 21st-century American politicians People from New Ulm, Minnesota United States Navy officers United States Navy reservists United States Naval Aviators Military personnel from Minnesota Farmers from Minnesota