Nicholas Zerwas (born December 15, 1980) 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 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 ...

. A member of the

Republican Party of Minnesota The Republican Party of Minnesota is the oldest active political party in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The Minnesota Republican Party’s platform is relatively moderate. The party’s main issues are economic growth, education, healthcare, civi ...

, he represented District 30A in east-central Minnesota until his resignation on December 6, 2019.

Education and early career

Zerwas attended

Hamline University Hamline University is a private liberal arts college in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Founded in 1854, Hamline is known for its emphasis on experiential learning, service, and social justice. The university is named after Bishop Leonidas Lent Hamline ...

, graduating in 2003 with a

B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary i ...

and forensic science. He later received an

M.B.A. A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as account ...

from the

University of Phoenix University of Phoenix (UoPX) is a private for-profit university headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona. Founded in 1976, the university confers certificates and degrees at the certificate, associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree level ...

. He served in the Elk River City Council for six years.

Minnesota House of Representatives

Zerwas was first elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2012. On November 25, 2019, Zerwas announced his resignation, effective on December 6, 2019. In a statement, he cited "My recent heart surgery brought into focus the need to spend as much time as I can with my wife and three-year-old son and spend my prime working years providing the best possible life for my family." Governor

Tim Walz Timothy James Walz ( ; born April 6, 1964) is an American politician and retired educator. A member of the Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), he has served as the 41st governor of Minnesota since 2019. Born in West Point, Nebraska, Wal ...

called a

special election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...

for February 4, 2020, to fill the vacancy before the legislature reconvened.

Personal life

Zerwas is married, and resides in Elk River with his wife and son. Zerwas was born with a heart defect, and his right vocal chord was accidentally and permanently paralyzed during his third heart surgery at age 7. In 2014, Zerwas pled guilty to driving under the influence after he was found driving 80 mph in a 60 mph zone with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.13.

References

External links

Rep. Nick Zerwas
''official Minnesota House of Representatives website''
Rep. Nick Zerwas
''official campaign website'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Zerwas, Nick 1980 births Living people Members of the Minnesota House of Representatives 21st-century American politicians Hamline University alumni University of Phoenix alumni Minnesota politicians convicted of crimes