Alexander MacDonald "Sandy" Keith (November 22, 1928 – October 3, 2020) was an American politician and jurist who was the first person to hold office in each of the three branches 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 ...

state government, serving as

state senator A state senator is a member of a state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. Description A state senator is a member of an upper house in the bicameral legislatures of 49 U ...

, the 37th Lieutenant Governor, and as an associate justice and later chief justice of the

Minnesota Supreme Court The Minnesota Supreme Court is the Supreme court, highest court in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The court hears cases in the Supreme Court chamber in the Minnesota State Capitol or in the nearby Minnesota Judicial Center. History The court wa ...

Early life

Keith was born in

Rochester, Minnesota Rochester is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Olmsted County. Located on rolling bluffs on the Zumbro River's south fork in Southeast Minnesota, the city is the home and birthplace of the renowned Mayo Clinic. Acco ...

, to Norman M. Keith and Edna (Alexander) Keith. His father was a physician who practiced medicine at the

Mayo Clinic The Mayo Clinic () is a nonprofit American academic medical center focused on integrated health care, education, and research. It employs over 4,500 physicians and scientists, along with another 58,400 administrative and allied health staff, ...

. He married Marion E. Sanford on April 29, 1955. Keith graduated ''

magna cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some So ...

'' from

Amherst College Amherst College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. Founded in 1821 as an attempt to relocate Williams College by its then-president Zephaniah Swift Moore, Amherst is the third oldest institution of higher educatio ...

in 1950, and from

Yale Law School Yale Law School (Yale Law or YLS) is the law school of Yale University, a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was established in 1824 and has been ranked as the best law school in the United States by ''U ...

in 1953. He then served in the

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 ...

during the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

Career

After returning to his hometown of Rochester, Keith took a job as counsel with the

, where he worked with future U.S. Supreme Court Justice

Harry Blackmun Harry Andrew Blackmun (November 12, 1908 – March 4, 1999) was an American lawyer and jurist who served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1970 to 1994. Appointed by Republican President Richard Nixon, Blac ...

. In 1959, he was elected to the Minnesota State Senate as a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL). During his tenure as a state senator, Keith served as a delegate to the

1960 Democratic National Convention The 1960 Democratic National Convention was held in Los Angeles, California, on July 11–15, 1960. It nominated Senator John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts for president and Senate Majority Leader Lyndon B. Johnson of Texas for vice president. In ...

. He was Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota under Governor

Karl Rolvaag Karl Fritjof Rolvaag (July 18, 1913 – December 20, 1990) was an American diplomat and politician who served as the 31st Governor of Minnesota from March 25, 1963, to January 2, 1967, as a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party. H ...

from 1963 until 1967. He challenged Rolvaag for the nomination to be the DFL's candidate for governor in the 1966 general election, but was defeated by Rolvaag in the primary election. In 1989, Keith began serving as a justice of the

. He became chief justice in 1990 and served in that capacity until 1998.Minnesota Legislative Reference Library-Minnesota Lieutenant Governors, 1858-present
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Death

Keith died at his home on October 3, 2020. He was 91 years old.

References

External links

at Political Graveyard

* ttp://www.thecrimson.com/article/1966/11/1/how-to-get-mangled-in-minnesota/ The Harvard Crimson 11/1/1966: "How to Get Mangled in Minnesota Politics: Sandy Keith Succumbs to Sympathy Vote" {{DEFAULTSORT:Keith, Sandy 1928 births 2020 deaths Politicians from Rochester, Minnesota Military personnel from Minnesota Lieutenant Governors of Minnesota Democratic Party Minnesota state senators Amherst College alumni Yale Law School alumni Chief Justices of the Minnesota Supreme Court Minnesota state court judges