Gerald F. "Jerry" Newton (born September 15, 1937) 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 t ...

politician and member of the Minnesota State Senate. A member of the

Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party The Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL) is the Minnesota affiliate of the U.S. Democratic Party. As of 2022, it controls four of Minnesota's eight U.S. House seats, both of its U.S. Senate seats, the Minnesota House of Repr ...

(DFL), he represents District 37, which includes portions of

Anoka County Anoka County ( ) is the fourth-most-populous county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 363,887. The county seat and namesake of the county is the city of Anoka, which is derived from the Dakota word '' ...

in the northern

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 sta ...

metropolitan area. He is also a former grocery store owner, college professor, and career soldier.

Early life, education, and career

Newton graduated from Osseo High School in Osseo, Minnesota, then earned his B.A. in government from the

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of ...

in 1973. He received his MA in international relations in 1975 from

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original cam ...

, and studied political science at the doctoral level at the

Catholic University of Leuven University of Leuven or University of Louvain (french: Université de Louvain, link=no; nl, Universiteit Leuven, link=no) may refer to: * Old University of Leuven (1425–1797) * State University of Leuven (1817–1835) * Catholic University of L ...

in Leuven, Belgium, and at 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 land-grant research university in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. ...

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 origin ...

. Newton served on active duty 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, ...

from 1955–1978, retiring as a

sergeant major Sergeant major is a senior non-commissioned rank or appointment in many militaries around the world. History In 16th century Spain, the ("sergeant major") was a general officer. He commanded an army's infantry, and ranked about third in th ...

, having been deployed overseas for 18 of his 23 years of service, including serving in

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making ...

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 ...

, and seven years in the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...

. The

Bronze Star The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. W ...

and the Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm are among his 23 awards of medals, battle stars, services ribbons, and decorations. He taught courses in political science at the Overseas Division of the University of Maryland from 1975-1976, University of Minnesota, 1979-1980, and Anoka Ramsey Community College, 2012-2014. He owned and managed the Blaine Dairy Store, Inc and Liberty Park Grocery from 1980-2001.

Minnesota State Senate

Newton was first elected to the Senate in 2016, succeeding the retiring Alice Johnson. He was a member of the following committees and commissions: *Energy and Utilities Finance and Policy *Ranking Minority Chair of Veterans and Military Affairs Finance and Policy *Chair, Legislative Permanent School Fund Commission *Minnesota Amateur Sports Commission

Minnesota House of Representatives

Newton was first elected to the house in 2008, succeeding six-term Representative Kathy Tingelstad, who did not seek re-election. He was unseated by

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

Branden Petersen Branden Petersen (born February 4, 1986) is a Minnesota politician and former member of the Minnesota Senate. A member of the Republican Party of Minnesota, he represented District 35, which includes portions of Anoka County in the northern Twin ...

in the 2010 general election. He ran again and was elected in 2012. During his first term, he was a member of the House K-12 Finance Committee, House K-12 Policy Committee, the House Transportation Fiance Committee and was Vice Chair of the Veterans Affairs Division of the House Agriculture, Rural Economies and Veterans Affairs Committee. He was the Minnesota School Board Association 2009 Legislator of the Year for his leadership on hearings and legislation relating to special education. In 2009 Newton was also appointed by the Speaker of the House Paul Thissen to perform an in-depth study of veterans homes. In 2010 he was appointed by the Speaker of the House to Co-Chair the Coon Rapids Dam Legislative Commission to provide a barrier for invasive species of fish from gaining access to northeastern Minnesota waterways.

Personal life

Active in his local community and government, Newton was a member of the Coon Rapids City Council from 1994–2000, and served as acting mayor from 1999-2000. He was a member of the

Anoka-Hennepin School District 11 The Anoka-Hennepin School District 11 is a school district in Minnesota, northwest of Minneapolis and Saint Paul. The district serves 13 communities: All of Anoka, Champlin and Coon Rapids, and parts of Andover, Blaine, Brooklyn Center, Bro ...

School Board from 2000-2008. Through the years, he chaired the Anoka Human Rights Council, served on the Anoka County Affordable Housing Coalition, the Coon Rapids Economic Development Authority, the

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, macro ...

Housing and Re-Development Authority, the Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Committee of the

National League of Cities The National League of Cities (NLC) is an advocacy organization in the United States that represents the country's 19,495 cities, towns, and villages along with 49 state municipal leagues. Created in 1924, it has evolved into a leading membership ...

(1995–2000), the

Metropolitan Council The Metropolitan Council, commonly abbreviated Met Council or Metro Council, is the regional governmental agency and metropolitan planning organization in Minnesota serving the Twin Cities seven-county metropolitan area, accounting for over 55 pe ...

Transportation Advisory Board (1996–2000), the Association of Metropolitan Municipalities, and the Northstar Corridor Development Authority. Newton was a founding board member, president and emeritus director of Free2 Be, Inc. and is a former member of the Metro North Chamber of Commerce and the Coon Rapids Rotary, where he was honored as a Paul Harris Fellow. He is a life member of the VFW and is a member of Disabled American Veterans (DAV) and the Coon Rapids American Legion. Newton was best known locally for creating unique rail crossing quiet zones which set a national standard for enhanced rail crossing safety while silencing train horns. He initiated the local school district's first high school Science, Technology, Engineering and Math program at Blaine High School, the Baccalaureate program at Champlin Park High School and the Compass program to insure expelled students received continuing hands-on education.

References

External links

Official MN House Page for Rep. Newton

Campaign Web Page

Project Votesmart - Rep. Jerry Newton Profile

Session Weekly 1/23/2009: "No shortcut to service: Newton relishes opportunity to make tough decisions"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Newton, Jerry 1937 births Living people University of Minnesota College of Liberal Arts alumni People from Coon Rapids, Minnesota Democratic Party members of the Minnesota House of Representatives Officers of the Order of Merit of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg 21st-century American politicians