Samuel Mark Aanestad (July 16, 1946 – May 6, 2018) was an American physician, surgeon, and politician. 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 served in the

California State Assembly The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature, the upper house being the California State Senate. The Assembly convenes, along with the State Senate, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The A ...

from the 3rd District from 1998 to 2002 and a member of the

California State Senate The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature, the lower house being the California State Assembly. The State Senate convenes, along with the State Assembly, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento, Cal ...

from the

4th district Fourth or the fourth may refer to: * the ordinal form of the number 4 * ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971 * Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision * Fourth (music), a musical interval * ''The Fourth'' (1972 film), a Sovie ...

from 2002 to 2010. He was an unsuccessful candidate for California's 1st Congressional District, which was being vacated by retiring Congressman

Wally Herger Walter William Herger Jr. (born May 20, 1945) is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for California's 2nd congressional district from 1987 to 2013. A member of the Republican Party, his district was the state's largest c ...

Education and early career

Aanestad was born in

Bismarck, North Dakota Bismarck () is the capital of the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Burleigh County. It is the state's second-most populous city, after Fargo. The city's population was 73,622 in the 2020 census, while its metropolitan popula ...

. He received both his Bachelor of Arts and Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) degrees from the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

. He then did a four-year Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery residency at ''Highland Hospital'' in

Oakland Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the Bay A ...

. Aanestad received a Master in Public Administration degree from

Golden Gate University Golden Gate University (GGU or Golden Gate) is a private university in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1901, GGU specializes in educating professionals through its schools of law, business, taxation, and accounting. The university offers s ...

in 1991. He was honored by the

UCLA School of Dentistry The UCLA School of Dentistry is the dental school of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) located in the Center for Health Sciences building in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States. The school has seve ...

as their "Alumnus of the Year" in November 1998. Aanestad was a practicing dentist in

Grass Valley A grass valley (also vega and valle) is a meadow located within a forested and relatively small drainage basin such as a headwater. Grass valleys are common in North America, where they are created and maintained principally by the work of b ...

, and served as the Vice-Chief of Surgery at Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital. He served three terms on the California Dental Association Council on Legislation, including three years as chairman, and he served two terms as president of the Butte-Sierra District Dental Society. He was also a member of the California and

American Dental Association The American Dental Association (ADA) is an American professional association established in 1859 which has more than 161,000 members. Based in the American Dental Association Building in the Near North Side of Chicago, the ADA is the world's ...

. Aanestad served 11 years on the Grass Valley School District Board of Trustees. He was a member of the

Rotary Club Rotary International is one of the largest service organizations in the world. Its stated mission is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through hefellowship of business, profe ...

of Grass Valley, a youth soccer, football, and baseball coach, and as a member of the KNCO radio broadcast team for

Nevada Union High School Nevada Union High School (NU) is located in the Sierra Nevada foothills northeast of California's capital, Sacramento. Situated between Nevada City and Grass Valley, the school serves those two incorporated cities and a large surrounding communit ...

football.

State legislature

Aanestad was elected to the

in 1998 to represent the 3rd District. In 2002, Aanestad was elected to the

, where he served for two terms. In the State Senate, Aanestad's top priorities included rural health care, protecting North State water, and constituent services.

Lieutenant governor campaign

Aanestad ran in the Republican primary for Lieutenant Governor of California in 2010. He was defeated by

Abel Maldonado Abel O. Maldonado Jr. (born August 21, 1967) is an American politician who served as the 48th lieutenant governor of California from April 27, 2010 to January 10, 2011. As of 2022, he is the last Republican to serve as lieutenant governor of Cal ...

, coming in second place with 31% of the vote.

Congressional campaign

On February 9, 2012, Aanestad announced that he is officially running for the open 1st Congressional District in California being vacated by retiring Congressman Wally Herger. Aanestad, who has represented most of this 1st Congressional District over the past twelve years, was endorsed by Rep.

Tom McClintock Thomas Miller McClintock II (; born July 10, 1956) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2009. His district stretches from the Sacramento suburbs to the outer suburbs of Fresno; it includes Yosemite National P ...

, a longtime friend and mentor who served with Aanestad in the Assembly and Senate. Aanestad came third in the

open primary Primary elections, or direct primary are a voting process by which voters can indicate their preference for their party's candidate, or a candidate in general, in an upcoming general election, local election, or by-election. Depending on the ...

losing to fellow Republican State Sen.

Doug LaMalfa Douglas Lee LaMalfa (born July 2, 1960) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for California's 1st congressional district since 2013. A member of the Republican Party, his district, the second-largest in the state after th ...

and Democrat Jim Reed. The top two vote-getters faced off in the general election on Nov. 6, 2012.

Personal life

Aanestad and his wife Susan lived in the 4th Senate District since 1980. The couple had three children. Aanestad died in Nevada County on May 6, 2018 after a long illness.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aanestad, Sam 1946 births 2018 deaths Republican Party California state senators People from Grass Valley, California Republican Party members of the California State Assembly School board members in California Politicians from Bismarck, North Dakota Golden Gate University alumni UCLA School of Dentistry alumni 21st-century American politicians 20th-century American dentists 21st-century American dentists