Anton Joseph "Tony" or "A. J." Eckstein (May 29, 1923 - April 13, 2009) 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 A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

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 ...

from southwestern Minnesota. First elected in 1970, Eckstein was re-elected in 1972, 1974 and 1976. He represented the old District 17B and, later, 28B, which included all or portions of

Brown Brown is a color. It can be considered a composite color, but it is mainly a darker shade of orange. In the CMYK color model used in printing or painting, brown is usually made by combining the colors orange and black. In the RGB color model used ...

, Cottonwood and Nicollet counties, changing somewhat through redistricting in 1970.

Early years and service to New Ulm

From the city of New Ulm, "Doc" Eckstein was a

veterinarian A veterinarian (vet), also known as a veterinary surgeon or veterinary physician, is a medical professional who practices veterinary medicine. They manage a wide range of health conditions and injuries in non-human animals. Along with this, vet ...

in the New Ulm and Sleepy Eye areas. He served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

for two years during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, participating in the Specialized Training Program. Prior to being elected to the

, he was a member and later president of the New Ulm

City Council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...

for six years, and also served as the city's mayor for four years.

Legislative service and beyond

While in the legislature, Eckstein earned a reputation as an advocate for farmers, and as a leader on issues relevant to agriculture and local government. He allied with the Liberal Caucus at a time when the legislature was still officially

nonpartisan Nonpartisanism is a lack of affiliation with, and a lack of bias towards, a political party. While an Oxford English Dictionary definition of ''partisan'' includes adherents of a party, cause, person, etc., in most cases, nonpartisan refers sp ...

, and later identified as 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 ...

when party affiliation became required of candidates. He served on the House Agriculture, Appropriations, General Legislation & Veterans Affairs, Labor Relations, Local Government and Transportation committees, and on various subcommittees during his time in office. Eckstein was appointed by Governor Wendell Anderson to serve as an advisory board member of the Minnesota Experimental Authority, an early 1970s project initiated, promoted and studied by the

Minnesota Legislature The Minnesota Legislature is the bicameral legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota consisting of two houses: the Senate and the House of Representatives. Senators are elected from 67 single-member districts. In order to account for decennia ...

with the potential for creating "from scratch" an experimental city in the state that would serve as a national model and implement new urban planning and development concepts. While, ultimately, the project never materialized, it demonstrated the creative, progressive thinking that was taking shape in Minnesota at the time. In 1982, Eckstein ran unsuccessfully for the

Minnesota Senate The Minnesota Senate is the upper house of the Legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota. At 67 members, half as many as the Minnesota House of Representatives, it is the largest upper house of any U.S. state legislature. Floor sessions are hel ...

in the old District 28 against incumbent Senator

Dennis Frederickson Dennis R. Frederickson (born July 27, 1939) is a Republican politician from Minnesota and a former Minnesota State Senator. He was first elected in 1980 when he ran for the seat being vacated by Senator Carl Jensen, who was appointed to the M ...

. He continued to be active in the community and in his veterinary work after concluding his legislative career, also serving several terms on the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board and on the Minnesota Ethical Practice Board. He was also president of the Minnesota State Board of Veterinary Medicine. Eckstein died on April 13, 2009, in Sleepy Eye, and was buried in the

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

cemetery in New Ulm with

full military honors A military funeral is a memorial or burial rite given by a country's military for a soldier, sailor, marine or airman who died in battle, a veteran, or other prominent military figures or heads of state. A military funeral may feature guards ...

.Anton "Tony" Eckstein
NUJournal.com. Retrieved 2011-03-21.

References

External links

* ttp://www.nujournal.com/page/content.detail/id/506304.html New Ulm Journal: Tony Eckstein Obituary 4/16/2009br>Minnesota Veterinary Medical Association Memorial for Tony Eckstein
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eckstein, Tony People from New Ulm, Minnesota 1923 births Democratic Party members of the Minnesota House of Representatives Mayors of places in Minnesota 2009 deaths 20th-century American politicians People from Sleepy Eye, Minnesota