Joseph R. "Joe" Gimse (born July 31, 1957) 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 and a former member of the

Minnesota Senate The Minnesota Senate is the upper house of the Legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota. At 67 members, half as many as the Minnesota House of Representatives, it is the largest upper house of any U.S. state legislature. Floor sessions are hel ...

who represented District 13, which included portions of Kandiyohi,

Pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

and Stearns counties in the west central part of the state. A

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

, he was first elected to the Senate in 2006, and was reelected in 2010. He also ran unsuccessfully for the seat in 2002 against former Senator Dean Johnson. He served as an

assistant minority leader A whip is an official of a political party whose task is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. This means ensuring that members of the party vote according to the party platform, rather than according to their own individual ideology o ...

. Gimse ran for reelection in 2012 in the newly drawn 17th District, but was defeated by Clara City DFLer

Lyle Koenen Lyle J. Koenen (born June 16, 1956) is a Minnesota politician and former member of the Minnesota Senate. A member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), he represented District 17, which included portions of Chippewa, Kandiyo ...

. Gimse was a member of the Senate's Agriculture and Veterans Committee, the Business, Industry and Jobs Committee, the State and Local Government Operations and Oversight Committee, and the Transportation Committee. He also served on the Business, Industry and Jobs Subcommittee for Bioscience and Renewable Energy Development, on the Finance subcommittees for the Agriculture and Veterans Budget and Policy Division and the Transportation Budget and Policy Division, and on the State and Local Government Operations and Oversight Subcommittee for Elections. His special legislative concerns included education, health care, economic development, transportation, and business development. Gimse is a

home builder A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or many humans, and sometimes various companion animals. It is a fully or semi sheltered space and can have both interior and exterior aspects to it. H ...

and

land developer Land development is the alteration of landscape in any number of ways such as: * Changing landforms from a natural or semi-natural state for a purpose such as agriculture or housing * Subdividing real estate into lots, typically for the purpose ...

by profession. He attended Willmar High School in Willmar, then served as a specialist in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

from 1975 to 1979. He attended

Ridgewater College Ridgewater College is a public community college in Willmar and Hutchinson, Minnesota Hutchinson is the largest city in McLeod County, Minnesota, United States. It lies along the South Fork of the Crow River. The population was 14,599 at the ...

(formerly Willmar Technical College)in Willmar, earning an

A.A.S. An associate degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of qualification above a high school diploma, GED, or matriculation, and below a bachelor's degree. The f ...

in automotive technology in 1981, and a Certificate in supervisory management in 1987. Gimse is an avid hunter and outdoorsman. He is a member of the

National Rifle Association of America The National Rifle Association of America (NRA) is a gun rights advocacy group based in the United States. Founded in 1871 to advance rifle marksmanship, the modern NRA has become a prominent gun rights lobbying organization while cont ...

Ducks Unlimited Ducks Unlimited (DU) is an American nonprofit organization 501(c) dedicated to the conservation of wetlands and associated upland habitats for waterfowl, other wildlife, and people. It has had a membership of around 700,000 since January 2013. ...

Pheasants Forever Pheasants Forever, Inc. (PF), a 501(c)(3) non-profit conservation organization, is dedicated to conserving wildlife habitat suitable for pheasants. Formed in 1982 as a response to the continuing decline of upland wildlife and habitat throughout t ...

, and the Rocky Mountain Elks Association. He is also a member of the

Experimental Aircraft Association The Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) is an international organization of aviation enthusiasts based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, United States. Since its inception, it has grown internationally with over 200,000 members and nearly 1,000 chapt ...

, the

Fraternal Order of Eagles Fraternal Order of Eagles (F.O.E.) is a fraternal organization that was founded on February 6, 1898, in Seattle, Washington, by a group of six theater owners including John Cort (the first president), brothers John W. and Tim J. Considine, Harry ...

, and the

Knights of Columbus The Knights of Columbus (K of C) is a global Catholic fraternal service order founded by Michael J. McGivney on March 29, 1882. Membership is limited to practicing Catholic men. It is led by Patrick E. Kelly, the order's 14th Supreme Knight. ...

. In Minnesota, he is a member of the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association and the Minnesota Turkey Hunters Association. He has been a member of and active in the Kandiyohi County Republican Party since 1981.

References

External links

Senator Gimse Web PageMinnesota Public Radio Votetracker: Senator Joseph GimseProject Vote Smart - Senator Joseph Gimse ProfileJoseph Gimse Campaign Web Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gimse, Joseph 1957 births Living people People from Stearns County, Minnesota Republican Party Minnesota state senators People from Willmar, Minnesota 21st-century American legislators 21st-century Minnesota politicians