Daniel J. Knuth (July 3, 1945 – October 5, 2020) was an American politician, educator, and environmental consultant.

Early life and education

Knuth was born in

Mabel, Minnesota Mabel is a city in Fillmore County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 780 at the 2010 census. History A post office called Mabel has been in operation since 1880. The city was named for the daughter of a railroad official. Transport ...

and graduated from Mabel High School. He received his bachelor's degree in physical geography from

Minnesota State University, Mankato Minnesota State University, Mankato (MNSU, MSU, or Minnesota State) is a public university in Mankato, Minnesota, United States. It is Minnesota's second-largest university and has over 123,000 living alumni worldwide. Founded in 1868, it is t ...

and his master's and doctorate degrees in physical geography from

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universit ...

Career

He worked as a hydrologist, as an environmental consultant and taught at

Macalester College Macalester College () is a private liberal arts college in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Founded in 1874, Macalester is exclusively an undergraduate four-year institution and enrolled 2,174 students in the fall of 2018 from 50 U.S. states, four U.S te ...

. Knuth served in 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 ...

from 1985 to 1988 and was a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

. Knuth lived in

New Brighton, Minnesota New Brighton is a city in Ramsey County, Minnesota, United States. It is a suburb of the Twin Cities. The population was 22,753 at the 2020 census. History In the mid 18th century, Mdewakanton Dakota tribes lived in the vicinity of New Brighto ...

with his wife and family. His daughter

Kate Knuth Kate Knuth (born May 15, 1981) is an American politician who served as a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives for District 50B from 2007 to 2013. She was a Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party candidate for mayor of Minneapolis ...

and his brother-in-law

Gordon Backlund Gordon Backlund (born November 11, 1940) is an American politician and former engineer who served as a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives from 1985 to 1986. Early life and education Backlund was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota. He ...

also served in 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 ...

Death

Knuth died from Alzheimer's disease in New Brighton, Minnesota.Dan Knuth-obituary
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Notes

1945 births 2020 deaths People from Mabel, Minnesota People from New Brighton, Minnesota Indiana University alumni Minnesota State University, Mankato alumni Macalester College faculty American environmentalists Democratic Party members of the Minnesota House of Representatives Neurological disease deaths in Minnesota Deaths from Alzheimer's disease {{Minnesota-politician-stub