Sandra E. (Espeseth) Peterson (January 1936 – October 24, 2015) was 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 member of the Minnesota House of Representatives representing District 45A, which included all or portions of the cities of New Hope,

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...

and

Crystal A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituents (such as atoms, molecules, or ions) are arranged in a highly ordered microscopic structure, forming a crystal lattice that extends in all directions. In addition, macros ...

in western Hennepin County, which is part of the

Twin Cities Twin cities are a special case of two neighboring cities or urban centres that grow into a single conurbation – or narrowly separated urban areas – over time. There are no formal criteria, but twin cities are generally comparable in statu ...

metropolitan area. A

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

, she was also a retired teacher.

Legislative service

Peterson was first elected in 2004 and reelected in 2006, 2008 and 2010. She was a member of the House's K-12 Education Policy and Oversight Committee and Rules and Legislative Administration Committee. She also served on the Finance subcommittees for the Early Childhood Finance and Policy Division and the Health Care and Human Services Finance Division.

Education and professional background

Peterson attended Macalester College in

Saint Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

, receiving her

B.S. A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

in Education in 1967. She also attended the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...

, earning an Emotional-Behavioral Disability (E.B.D.) graduate license and a Learning Disability (L.D.) graduate license. She was a teacher for the Robbinsdale School District from 1970 to 2004.

Education organization and community leadership

Active in education organizations through the years, Peterson was president of the Robbinsdale Federation of Teachers from 1977 to 1987, president of the

Minnesota Federation of Teachers Education Minnesota is an American trade union representing pre-K to 12 education teachers, school support staff and higher education faculty in Minnesota. It is affiliated with both the National Education Association (NEA) and the American Fede ...

from 1987 to 1998, co-president of Education Minnesota from 1998 to 2001, and vice president of Education Minnesota from 2001 to 2004. She was also a member of the board of directors of the American Education Finance Association, vice president of the American Federation of Teachers, and a member of the A.F.T.'s Program and Policy Council and Merger Advisory Team. Peterson was also active in her community and on several government and public service committees. She was vice president of the Minnesota Chapter of the

American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

(A.F.L.-C.I.O.). She was vice chair of the board of directors of the Minnesota Job Skills Partnership, a founding member of the Minnesota Mental Health Legislative Caucus, chair of the Career Advancement Committee of the Governor's Workforce Development Council, and a member of the

Federal Reserve Bank A Federal Reserve Bank is a regional bank of the Federal Reserve System, the central banking system of the United States. There are twelve in total, one for each of the twelve Federal Reserve Districts that were created by the Federal Reserve A ...

Advisory Board. She served as a board member of the Northwest

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams in London, originally ...

and was a member of the local

League of Women Voters The League of Women Voters (LWV or the League) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan political organization in the United States. Founded in 1920, its ongoing major activities include registering voters, providing voter information, and advocating for vot ...

. She died of ovarian cancer on October 24, 2015, at the age of 79.

References

External links

Rep. Peterson Web Page

Project Votesmart - Rep. Sandra Peterson Profile

Minnesota Public Radio Votetracker: Rep. Sandra Peterson

Sandra Peterson Campaign Web Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Peterson, Sandra 1936 births 2015 deaths Macalester College alumni University of Minnesota alumni People from New Hope, Minnesota Democratic Party members of the Minnesota House of Representatives Women state legislators in Minnesota American Federation of Teachers people Leaders of organizations 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians People from Benson, Minnesota