Joanell M. Dyrstad (born October 15, 1942) is an American politician from
Minnesota was the
43rd lieutenant governor of
Minnesota, serving from January 7, 1991, to January 3, 1995. She was elected with Governor
Arne Carlson. In 1994, Dyrstad ran for the
U.S. Senate but lost the
Independent Republican primary to
Rod Grams.
Biography
Born and raised in
St. James, Minnesota, Dyrstad (née Sletta) spent most of her adult life in
Red Wing, where she served as mayor from 1985 to 1991. While mayor, Dyrstad served on the local
United Way chapter's board and was a member of the Minnesota League of Cities board. She also operated a local drugstore with her husband, Marvin. She is often credited with leading efforts to revitalize the historic riverfront of downtown Red Wing.
Though not Minnesota's first female lieutenant governor, Dyrstad was the first lieutenant governor in the state, and perhaps the nation, to deliver part of a State of the State address when she spoke for Governor Carlson in 1991.
In
1994
File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...
, Dyrstad ran an aggressive campaign in the Independent Republican primary for U.S. Senate against Congressman
Rod Grams. She compared Grams, a former news reporter, to bumbling fictional TV anchor
Ted Baxter from the Minnesota-based TV program ''
The Mary Tyler Moore Show''.
In the
2006 gubernatorial election, Dyrstad endorsed Independence Party nominee
Peter Hutchinson
Peter Hutchinson (born December 17, 1949) is an Politics of the United States, American politician, businessperson, businessman and philanthropy, philanthropy executive from the U.S. state of Minnesota. He ran as the Independence Party of Minnes ...
over the more conservative Republican incumbent,
Tim Pawlenty.
Star Tribune
Joanell and Marvin Dyrstad have been married since 1965. They have two children, Troy and Anika.
Electoral history
*1994 Race for U.S. Senate (Republican Primary)
** Rod Grams (R), 58%
**Joanell Dyrstad (R), 35%
** Harold Stassen (R), 5%
*1990 Race for Governor/Lieutenant Governor
** Carlson/Dyrstad (R), 50%
**Perpich Perpich is a surname, an anglicization of Prpić. Notable people with the surname include:
* Anthony J. Perpich (1932–1917), American politician
*George Perpich (American football) (1920–1993), American football player
* George F. Perpich (1933 ...
/Johnson (D), 47%
See also
* List of female lieutenant governors in the United States
References
Minnesota Historical Society
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dyrstad Joanell
Lieutenant Governors of Minnesota
Mayors of places in Minnesota
Minnesota Republicans
1942 births
Living people
People from Red Wing, Minnesota
People from St. James, Minnesota
Gustavus Adolphus College alumni
Women mayors of places in Minnesota
20th-century American politicians
20th-century American women politicians
Candidates in the 1994 United States elections