Jerome Richard "Dick, Jerry" Dempsey (April 21, 1933 – January 14, 2015) was an American businessman, educator, and politician.

Career

Born in

Henderson, Minnesota Henderson is a city in Sibley County, Minnesota, United States. The population in was 886 at the 2010 census. History Henderson was founded in August 1852 by Joseph R. Brown, and was named for his mother's maiden name. By 1855, Henderson ha ...

, Dempsey served in the United States Army from 1955 to 1957. He received his bachelor's degree from the

University of St. Thomas St. Thomas University or University of St. Thomas may refer to: *Saint Thomas Aquinas University, Colombia *Saint Thomas Aquinas University of the North, Tucumán province, Argentina *St. Thomas University (Canada), Fredericton, New Brunswick *St. ...

, his master's degree from the

University of Wisconsin–River Falls The University of Wisconsin–River Falls (UW–River Falls or UWRF) is a public university in River Falls, Wisconsin. It is part of the University of Wisconsin System. The campus is situated on the Kinnickinnic River in the St. Croix River ...

, and his Specialist Degree in Education Administration from Winona State University. He began his teaching career teaching social studies at Goodhue High School,

Goodhue, Minnesota Goodhue is a city in Goodhue County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 1,176 at the 2010 census. History Goodhue was incorporated in 1889. Goodhue formerly had a rail line running through the eastern edge of the incorporated area, ...

, in 1959 and at Hastings High School,

Hastings, Minnesota Hastings is a city mostly in Dakota County, Minnesota, of which it is the county seat, with a portion in Washington County, Minnesota. It is near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi, Vermillion, and St. Croix River (Wisconsin-M ...

, from 1960 to 1973. In 1974, Dempsey served as an assistant principal at Hastings Junior High School (later renamed Hastings Middle School) until his retirement from education in 1993. He was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 1992 and served seven terms, from 1993 until 2006. He was a member of the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

. His brother

Terry Dempsey Terence M. "Terry" Dempsey (February 17, 1932 - September 2, 2023) was an American politician and a former member of the Minnesota House of Representatives who represented the old House districts 23A and 28B, which included all or portions of Bro ...

also served in the Minnesota Legislature from 1979 to 1992. Dempsey was also in the banking business and served on the board of directors for First Federal Bank.

Death

Dempsey died on January 14, 2015, in Hastings, Minnesota, where he had lived since 1960.Minnesota Legislators Past and Present-Jerry Dempsey
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Notes

1933 births 2015 deaths People from Hastings, Minnesota People from Henderson, Minnesota University of St. Thomas (Minnesota) alumni University of Wisconsin–River Falls alumni Winona State University alumni Educators from Minnesota Businesspeople from Minnesota Republican Party members of the Minnesota House of Representatives 21st-century American politicians 20th-century American businesspeople {{Minnesota-politician-stub