Scott N. Heidepriem (born June 25, 1956) is an American attorney and former South Dakota state legislator.
Early life, education, and career
Heidepriem graduated with his bachelors, masters, and juris doctor from the
University of South Dakota
The University of South Dakota (USD) is a public research university in Vermillion, South Dakota, United States. Established by the Dakota Territory legislature in 1862, 27 years before the establishment of the state of South Dakota, USD is t ...
. He later graduated from
John F. Kennedy School of Government
The John F. Kennedy School of Government, commonly referred to as Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), is the school of public policy of Harvard University, a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Harvard Kennedy School offers master's de ...
with a masters in public administration.
Heidepriem is a past president of the South Dakota Trial Lawyers.
Political career
In 1986, Heidepriem ran for the
Republican nomination for the
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...
from
South Dakota's At-large congressional district
South Dakota's at-large congressional district is the sole congressional district for the state of South Dakota. Based on area, it is the fourth largest congressional district in the nation.
The district is currently represented by Dusty Johnson ...
, but he lost to Dale Bell.
In 2000, Heidepriem switched from the Republican party to the Democratic Party.
In 2006, Heidepriem successfully ran as a Democrat for the
South Dakota State Senate
The South Dakota Senate is the upper house of the South Dakota Legislature. It consists of 35 members, one representing each legislative district. It meets at the South Dakota State Capitol in Pierre.
Composition
:''99th Legislature (2025)' ...
and was re-elected in 2008 against State Representative Phyllis Heineman. While in state legislature, he was the Speaker of the House, Pro Tempore, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Senate Minority Leader for four years.
in 2010, Heidepriem was the Democratic nominee for
Governor of South Dakota
The governor of South Dakota is the head of government of South Dakota. The governor is elected to a four-year term in even years when there is no presidential election.
The current governor is Larry Rhoden, a member of the Republican Party ...
and attempted to run on an bi-partisan ticket. However,
Secretary of State Chris Nelson would not certify the nomination, due to a state law requiring all candidates of a particular political party to belong to that party. Polls indicated that Heidepriem would have a difficult time winning in such a conservative state; this was validated when he lost the election with only 38.49% of the vote.
Selected works
Books
*''Bring on the Pioneers!'', The State Publishing Co. (1978), a history of
Hand County
*''A Fair Chance for a Free People'', Leader Printing Company (1988), a biography of
Karl E. Mundt.
Publications
"Tort Reform in South Dakota - The Plaintiff's Perspective," co-authored with
Nancy Turbak Berry, Vol. 42, Issue 2, 1999
References
External links
Senator Scott Heidepriem, Minority Leader''official South Dakota Legislature site''
Scott Heidepriem for Governor''official campaign site''
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Heidepriem, Scott
1956 births
Harvard Kennedy School alumni
Living people
Democratic Party South Dakota state senators
University of South Dakota School of Law alumni
People from Miller, South Dakota
South Dakota lawyers
Writers from South Dakota
21st-century American lawyers
20th-century American lawyers
21st-century members of the South Dakota Legislature