Robert Ecklund (born May 23, 1958) 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 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 ...

. A member of the

Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party The Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL) is the Minnesota affiliate of the U.S. Democratic Party. As of 2022, it controls four of Minnesota's eight U.S. House seats, both of its U.S. Senate seats, the Minnesota House of Represen ...

(DFL), he formerly represented District 3A in northeastern Minnesota.

Early life and career

Ecklund was born on May 23, 1958. He is a former

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

serviceman, serving from 1976 to 1979. He attended Rainy River Community College and

Bemidji State University Bemidji State University (BSU) is a public university in Bemidji, Minnesota. Founded as a preparatory institution for teachers in 1919, it provides higher education to north-central Minnesota. It is part of the Minnesota State Colleges and Univ ...

from 1980 to 1983. He has worked at the Boise Paper mill in

International Falls, Minnesota International Falls (sometimes referred to as I-Falls) is a city in and the county seat of Koochiching County, Minnesota. The population was 5,802 at the time of the 2020 census. International Falls is located on the Rainy River directly acro ...

as a

paper machine A paper machine (or paper-making machine) is an industrial machine which is used in the pulp and paper industry to create paper in large quantities at high speed. Modern paper-making machines are based on the principles of the Fourdrinier Machin ...

tender since 1989, previously served as president of the

United Steelworkers The United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union, commonly known as the United Steelworkers (USW), is a general trade union with members across North America. Headquar ...

Local 159 for nine years, and served on the

Koochiching County Koochiching County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 12,062. Its county seat is International Falls. A portion of the Bois Forte Indian Reservation is in the county. A small part of Voya ...

Board of Commissioners A county commission (or a board of county commissioners) is a group of elected officials (county commissioners) collectively charged with administering the county government in some states of the United States; such commissions usually comprise ...

, first elected in 2010 and re-elected in 2014.

Minnesota House of Representatives

Ecklund was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in a

special election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-larges ...

on December 8, 2015. He was elected following the death of prior representative David Dill, also a member of the DFL party. He represents district 3A, serving Cook, Koochiching, Lake, and St. Louis counties. During the 2017-2018 session, Ecklund served as an assistant minority leader for the DFL party. 2021-2022 Committee Assignments * Labor, Industry, Veterans and Military Affairs Finance and Policy (Chair) * Agriculture Finance and Policy * Environment and Natural Resources Finance and Policy * Ways and Means 2019-2020 Committee Assignments * Veterans and Military Affairs Finance & Policy Division (Chair) * Agriculture and Food Finance and Policy * Environment and Natural Resources Finance Division * Jobs and Economic Development Finance Division * Labor * Ways & Means 2017-2018 Committee Assignments * Agriculture Finance * Capital Investment * Environment & Natural Resources Policy and Finance * Environment & Natural Resources Policy and Finance: Subcommittee on Mining, Forestry & Tourism 2015-2016 Committee Assignments (Ecklund only served in 2016) * Agriculture Finance * Environment & Natural Resources Policy & Finance * Greater Minnesota Economic & Workforce Development Policy * Mining & Outdoor Recreation Policy

Electoral History

Personal life

Ecklund and his wife, Joan, have three children—Nick, Jared, and Cory. They reside in

References

External links

Official House of Representatives website

Minnesota Secretary of State Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ecklund, Rob Living people People from International Falls, Minnesota Bemidji State University alumni County commissioners in Minnesota Democratic Party members of the Minnesota House of Representatives 21st-century American politicians 1958 births United States Marines