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. Established by the Dakota Territory legislature in 1862, 27 years before the establishment of the state of South Dakota, USD is the flagship univ ...

. He later graduated from

John F. Kennedy School of Government The Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), officially the John F. Kennedy School of Government, is the school of public policy and government of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school offers master's degrees in public policy, public ...

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 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 ...

nomination for the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

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 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 :''92nd Legislature (2019)'' Officers Li ...

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 Kristi Noem, a member of the Republican Party who t ...

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 Hand County is a county in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,145. Its county seat is Miller. History Hand County was named for George A. Hand, territorial secretary. It was created in 1873 by the Dak ...

*''A Fair Chance for a Free People'', Leader Printing Company (1988), a biography of

Karl E. Mundt Karl Earl Mundt (June 3, 1900August 16, 1974) was an American educator and a Republican member of the United States Congress, representing South Dakota in the United States House of Representatives (1939–48) and in the United States Senate (19 ...

Publications

"Tort Reform in South Dakota - The Plaintiff's Perspective," co-authored with

Nancy Turbak Berry Nancy J. Turbak Berry (born September 17, 1956) is a former Democratic member of the South Dakota Senate, representing the 5th district from 2006 to 2010. Early life and education Nancy Turbak was born in Watertown, South Dakota. She started sc ...

, 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