Mary Elizabeth Anderson Pawlenty (born January 13, 1961) is a former American
state court judge who served on
Minnesota's First Judicial District from 1994 to 2007. The wife of Governor
Tim Pawlenty
Timothy James Pawlenty (; born November 27, 1960) is an American attorney, businessman, and politician who served as the 39th governor of Minnesota from 2003 to 2011. A member of the Republican Party, Pawlenty served in the Minnesota House o ...
, she was
First Lady of Minnesota from 2003 to 2011. She previously worked as a private-practice attorney and in 2009 became director at a medical
nonprofit. She has been a mediator with Gilbert Mediation since 2007.
Early life and education
Mary Anderson was raised in
Edina, Minnesota
Edina ( ) is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States and a first-ring suburb of Minneapolis. The population was 53,494 at the 2020 census, making it the 18th most populous city in Minnesota.
Edina began as a small farming and mil ...
. In 1979, she graduated from
Edina-East High School. In 1983, she graduated from
Bethel University, earning a
bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...
in
political science
Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...
, summa cum laude. She received her
Juris Doctor, cum laude, from the
University of Minnesota Law School
The University of Minnesota Law School is the law school of the University of Minnesota, located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The school confers four law degrees: a Juris Doctor (J.D.), a Master of Laws (LL.M.), a Master of Science in Patent L ...
—where she met
Tim Pawlenty
Timothy James Pawlenty (; born November 27, 1960) is an American attorney, businessman, and politician who served as the 39th governor of Minnesota from 2003 to 2011. A member of the Republican Party, Pawlenty served in the Minnesota House o ...
—in 1986.
Legal career
Following graduation, Anderson practiced law in
Houston, Texas for one year. She then returned to Minnesota to marry Tim Pawlenty. They settled in
Eagan, Minnesota
Eagan ( ) is a city in Dakota County, Minnesota, Dakota County, Minnesota. It is south of Saint Paul, Minnesota, Saint Paul and lies on the south bank of the Minnesota River, upstream from the confluence with the Mississippi River. Eagan and the ...
.
In 1994, Mary was appointed as a Judge of the
District Court of Minnesota
The District Court of Minnesota is the state trial court of general jurisdiction in the U.S. state of Minnesota.
Jurisdiction of the court
The Minnesota Constitution provides that the district court has original jurisdiction in civil and crimina ...
for
Dakota County Dakota County may refer to:
*Dakota County, Minnesota in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area of east-central Minnesota
*Dakota County, Nebraska
Dakota County is a county in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of th2020 United States Census the populati ...
in
Hastings, Minnesota by Governor
Arne Carlson
Arne Helge Carlson (born September 24, 1934) is an American politician who served as the 37th Governor of Minnesota. A Republican, Carlson's viewpoints are considered to be moderate. He first won election to the governors office in 1990. Carlso ...
. She and her husband began raising their two daughters, Anna (born 1993) and Mara.
First Lady of Minnesota
The family remained at their Eagan home instead of taking the Governor's Residence after Tim Pawlenty was elected
Governor of Minnesota
The governor of Minnesota is the head of government of the U.S. state of Minnesota, leading the state's executive branch. Forty people have been governor of Minnesota, though historically there were also three governors of Minnesota Territory. ...
in 2002 due to Mary's requirement to stay in her judicial district.
As First Lady of Minnesota, Mary Pawlenty established a web-based program that facilitated the connection between community-based organizations willing to volunteer their time and services and the families of deployed servicemen and women - an initiative that is continued by the Minnesota National Guard as a nationally recognized model for web-based and community support for military families, known as Beyond the Yellow Ribbon.
Leaving the judicial bench
In January 2007, after her husband was sworn into his second term as governor, Judge Pawlenty announced that she was leaving the bench on February 12, 2007. She began work at the
National Arbitration Forum
Forum, formerly known as the National Arbitration Forum (NAF) is an American organization that provides arbitration and mediation services to businesses, based at its Minneapolis headquarters and offices in New Jersey. The organization was founde ...
shortly thereafter as its
general counsel
A general counsel, also known as chief counsel or chief legal officer (CLO), is the chief in-house lawyer for a company or a governmental department.
In a company, the person holding the position typically reports directly to the CEO, and their ...
in charge of the National Arbitration Forum's legal affairs. However, she quit her position with National Arbitration Forum and in September, 2007 Pawlenty became a mediator with the Gilbert Mediation Center, where she assists parties in settling disputes, both before and during civil litigation. From January 2009 to January 2010, she was the director of medical diplomacy at Children's HeartLink, an international medical nonprofit organisation.
References
External links
Mary Pawlenty biography and photosThe Sacrifices of Mary Pawlenty in ''The Atlantic''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pawlenty, Mary
1961 births
Living people
People from Edina, Minnesota
Bethel University (Minnesota) alumni
University of Minnesota Law School alumni
Texas lawyers
People from Eagan, Minnesota
Minnesota lawyers
Women in Minnesota politics
First Ladies and Gentlemen of Minnesota
American women judges
Minnesota state court judges
People from Hastings, Minnesota
Dispute resolution
Minnesota Republicans
Edina High School alumni