Yvonne Prettner Solon (born February 3, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 47th

lieutenant governor of Minnesota The lieutenant governor of Minnesota is a constitutional officer in the executive branch of the U.S. State of Minnesota. Fifty individuals have held the office of lieutenant governor since statehood. The incumbent is Peggy Flanagan, a DFLer and ...

, from 2011 to 2015. She is the sixth consecutive woman to serve in that capacity and is a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. She served with Governor

Mark Dayton Mark Brandt Dayton (born January 26, 1947) is an American politician who served as the 40th governor of Minnesota from 2011 to 2019. He was a United States Senator for Minnesota from 2001 to 2007, and the Minnesota State Auditor from 1991 to 1 ...

, who successfully ran for reelection, while she chose to retire at the end of her term.

Education

Prettner Solon completed her secondary education at Stanbrook Hall Preparatory School, a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

school for girls in

Duluth, Minnesota , settlement_type = City , nicknames = Twin Ports (with Superior), Zenith City , motto = , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top: urban Duluth skyline; Minnesota ...

. She received a B.S.D. and a

M.A. A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

from the

University of Minnesota Duluth The University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) is a public university in Duluth, Minnesota. It is part of the University of Minnesota system and offers 16 bachelor's degrees in 88 majors, graduate programs in 25 different fields, and a two-year progr ...

State Senate

Prettner Solon was a member of 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 ...

representing District 7, which includes portions of St. Louis County in the northeastern part of the state. She was first elected in a January 2002 special election held after the death of her husband, Senator

Sam Solon Sam George Solon (June 25, 1931 – December 28, 2001) was a Minnesota politician, and a member of the Minnesota Senate and the Minnesota House of Representatives. A Democrat, he served in the legislature for over 30 years, 28 of those years ...

, on December 28, 2001. She was reelected in 2002 and 2006. Her special legislative concerns included economic development, education, health care, the environment, transportation, and jobs.

Committees

Prettner Solon was a member of the Senate's Capital Investment Committee, the Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee, the Energy, Utilities, Technology and Communications Committee (which she chairs), and the Health, Housing and Family Security Committee. She also served on the Finance Subcommittee for the Health and Human Services Budget Division.

Lieutenant Governor

On May 24, 2010,

gubernatorial A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political_regions, political region, ranking under the Head of State, head of state and in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of ...

candidate and former

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

Mark Dayton announced that Prettner Solon would be his

lieutenant governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

running mate A running mate is a person running together with another person on a joint Ticket (election), ticket during an election. The term is most often used in reference to the person in the subordinate position (such as the vice presidential candidate ...

in the 2010 election. In choosing her, Dayton said that "her thoughtful, sensitive and visionary leadership and public service are further informed by her life experiences, which have forged a woman I deeply respect and admire." Her selection was seen as bringing

balance Balance or balancing may refer to: Common meanings * Balance (ability) in biomechanics * Balance (accounting) * Balance or weighing scale * Balance as in equality or equilibrium Arts and entertainment Film * ''Balance'' (1983 film), a Bulgarian ...

to the Dayton campaign. On August 10, 2010, the Dayton-Prettner Solon ticket narrowly defeated

Margaret Anderson Kelliher Margaret Anderson Kelliher (born March 11, 1968) is an American politician, Director of the Minneapolis Department of Public Works, former Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Transportation, and a former member of the Minnesota House of R ...

to earn the DFL nomination and a spot in the November general election. After a close election that included a recount, Dayton and Prettner Solon defeated Republican nominees

Tom Emmer Thomas Earl Emmer Jr.Helgeson, Baird, ''Star Tribune'', July 11, 2010. (born March 3, 1961) is an American attorney and politician who has been the U.S. representative for since 2015. The district includes most of the Twin Cities' far northern s ...

and

Annette Meeks Annette Meeks (born April 12, 1960) is a Minnesota Republican politician and a member of the state's Metropolitan Council. She was the 2010 endorsed Republican candidate for lieutenant governor, running with gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer. Bi ...

in the November general election.

Electoral history

References

External links

Senator Prettner Solon Web PageMinnesota Public Radio Votetracker: Senator Prettner SolonIron Range Resources Board Profile: Yvonne Prettner Solon - Fall 2008 p.7
1946 births Living people Politicians from Minneapolis American people of German descent Lieutenant Governors of Minnesota Politicians from Duluth, Minnesota Democratic Party Minnesota state senators Women state legislators in Minnesota 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians University of Minnesota Duluth alumni {{Minnesota-politician-stub