Gary W. Laidig (born August 15, 1948) is 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 a former member of the Minnesota Senate and the Minnesota House of Representatives. A Republican, he was first elected to the House in 1972, and represented the old District 51A for five terms. In 1982 he ran successfully for the Senate, and represented the old District 55 and, after the 1992 legislative

redistricting Redistribution (re-districting in the United States and in the Philippines) is the process by which electoral districts are added, removed, or otherwise changed. Redistribution is a form of boundary delimitation that changes electoral dist ...

, the old District 56 until 2001. While in office, he resided in Bayport and Stillwater. The various configurations of his district included portions of Washington County in the eastern

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. He was not endorsed for re-election in 2000, and was succeeded by Michele Bachmann.

Service in the Minnesota House (1973–1983)

While in the House, Laidig served on the Agriculture, Appropriations, Criminal Justice, Education, General Legislation and Veterans Affairs, Health and Welfare, Local and Urban Affairs, Reapportionment and Elections, and Rules and Legislative Administration committees, and of various subcommittees relevant to each. He was chair of the Criminal Justice Subcommittee for Law Enforcement and Corrections during the 1979-1980 biennium.

Service in the Minnesota Senate (1983–2001)

While in the Senate, Laidig served on the Agriculture, Crime Prevention, Economic Development and Commerce, Ethics and Campaign Reform, Environment and Natural Resources, Judiciary, Metropolitan Affairs, Rules and Administration, Taxes and Tax Laws, Transportation, and Veterans and Military Affairs committees, and of various subcommittees relevant to each. His special legislative concerns while in office included taxes, the environment, economic development, and small business.

Education and community service

Laidig graduated from Minnetonka High School in Minnetonka in 1966. He 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 ...

, and was deployed in

South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam ( vi, Việt Nam Cộng hòa), was a state in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975, the period when the southern portion of Vietnam was a member of the Western Bloc during part of th ...

from 1968 to 1970 during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

. He 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 ...

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

, Morningside College in

Sioux City, Iowa Sioux City () is a city in Woodbury and Plymouth counties in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 85,797 in the 2020 census, making it the fourth-largest city in Iowa. The bulk of the city is in Woodbury County, ...

, and the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

in River Falls, Wisconsin, where he majored in pre-Law. Prior to running for public office, he served on the Washington County Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee. He is currently a lobbyist for the Ramsey County Sheriff's Department, and resides in

Woodbury Woodbury may refer to: Geography Antarctica *Woodbury Glacier, a glacier on Graham Land, British Antarctic Territory Australia * Woodbury, Tasmania, a locality in Australia England * Woodbury, Bournemouth, an area in Dorset *Woodbury, East Devo ...

References

External links

Rep. Gary Laidig Papers 1973-1982
{{DEFAULTSORT:Laidig, Gary W. 1948 births Living people Republican Party Minnesota state senators Republican Party members of the Minnesota House of Representatives People from Woodbury, Minnesota Politicians from York, Pennsylvania Methodists from Minnesota Morningside University alumni United States Marines University of Minnesota alumni University of Wisconsin–River Falls alumni