Richard Dean Mulder (May 8, 1938 – February 14, 2022) was an American politician and family physician in the state of

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 ...

. He served in the Minnesota House of Representatives from 1995 until 2002. In 2004, he served as a Minnesota state delegate at the

2004 Republican National Convention The 2004 Republican National Convention took place from August 30 to September 2, 2004 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. The convention is one of a series of historic quadrennial meetings at which the Republican candidates fo ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

Early life and education

Mulder was born and raised in Rock Valley, Iowa, along with four siblings. He graduated from Rock Valley Public High School in 1956, and then attended South Dakota State University, graduating with a Bachelor's in Pharmacy in 1960. He later received a Bachelor's in Medicine from University of South Dakota in 1966, and later graduated with a Doctor of Medicine from the University of Iowa in 1969.

Career

Mulder ran unsuccessfully as an Independent Republican candidate for the Minnesota House of Representatives in 1992. Running again with the party in 1994, Mulder won the District 21B election over Democratic incumbent

Andy Steensma Andrew Steensma (born September 29, 1942) is a Minnesota politician, a former member of the Minnesota House of Representatives from southwestern Minnesota, and the former mayor of the city of Luverne, Minnesota, Luverne. Steensma was first elect ...

, 7,198 votes to 6,261. In 1996, Mulder defended a state law supporting the practice of "drive-through" infant deliveries, saying "I made sure my wife stayed in the hospital five days, but then she told me it was a waste of money... I did some research and found that many mothers couldn't accord the longer stay and in most cases, it just wasn't necessary." In 1998, he was given a 100% rating by Gun Owners of America.

Death

Mulder died at his home in

Ivanhoe, Minnesota Ivanhoe is a city in Lincoln County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 559 at the 2010 census. Since 1902 it has been the county seat of Lincoln County and is now the least populous county seat in Minnesota. History Ivanhoe was plat ...

, on February 14, 2022, at the age of 83.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mulder, Richard 1938 births 2022 deaths Republican Party members of the Minnesota House of Representatives People from Lincoln County, Minnesota People from Rock Valley, Iowa Physicians from Iowa Physicians from Minnesota University of South Dakota alumni South Dakota State University alumni University of Iowa alumni