List of majority leaders of the Minnesota House of Representatives explained

This is a list of majority leaders of the Minnesota House of Representatives

Name Took office Left office Party/caucus
Winslow W. R Dunn19011903Republican
George W. Wilson19031905Republican
Anton J. Rockne19051909Republican
Henry Rines19091913Republican
William I. Nolan19131915Conservative
Thomas H. Girling19151917Conservatism in the United StatesConservative
Willis I. Norton19171933Conservatism in the United StatesConservative
John J. McDonough19331935Liberal
Roy E. Dunn19351937Conservative
Carl J. Eastvold19371939Liberal
Roy E. Dunn19391955Conservatism in the United StatesConservative
Fred A. Cina19551963Liberal
Aubrey W. Dirlam19631971Conservatism in the United StatesConservative
Ernest A. Lindstrom19711973Minnesota Republican PartyRepublican
Irv Anderson[1] 19731981Democratic-Farmer-Labor
Jerry Knickerbocker[2] 19791980Independent-Republican
Willis R. Eken19811984Democratic-Farmer-Labor
Harry Sieben[3] 19841985Democratic-Farmer-Labor
Connie Levi19851987Independent-Republican
Robert Vanasek19871987Democratic-Farmer-Labor
Ann Wynia19871989Democratic-Farmer-Labor
Dee Long19891992Democratic-Farmer-Labor
Alan Welle19921993Democratic-Farmer-Labor
Irv Anderson19931993Democratic-Farmer-Labor
Phil Carruthers19931997Democratic-Farmer-Labor
Ted Winter19971999Democratic-Farmer-Labor
Tim Pawlenty19992003Republican
Erik Paulsen20032007Republican
Tony Sertich20072011Democratic-Farmer-Labor
Matt Dean20112013Republican
Erin Murphy20132015Democratic-Farmer-Labor
Joyce Peppin20152018[4] Republican
Ryan Winkler20192023Democratic-Farmer-Labor
2023IncumbentDemocratic-Farmer-Labor

Notes on Minnesota political party names

On April 15, 1944 the state Democratic Party and the Minnesota Farmer-Labor Party merged and created the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL). It is affiliated with the national Democratic Party.

From November 15, 1975 to September 23, 1995 the name of the state Republican party was the Independent-Republican party (I-R). The party has always been affiliated with the national Republican Party.

In 1913, Minnesota legislators began to be elected on nonpartisan ballots. Nonpartisanship also was an historical accident that occurred in the 1913 session when a bill to provide for no party elections of judges and city and county officers was amended to include the Legislature in the belief that it would kill the bill. Legislators ran and caucused as "Liberals" or "Conservatives" roughly equivalent in most years to Democratic-Farmer-Labor and Republican, respectively. The law was changed in 1973, in 1974, House members again ran with party designation.

Notes

  1. From 1979 to 1980, the House was evenly divided. Irv Anderson served as leader of the DFL caucus.
  2. From 1979 to 1980, the House was evenly divided. Jerry Knickerbocker served as leader of the I-R caucus.
  3. Wilis R. Eken resigned as majority leader in 1984. Rather than elect a new majority leader, House Speaker Harry Sieben appointed himself majority leader as well.
  4. Joyce Peppin resigned in July 2018. As the House did not meet after that time, the position was vacant until the next session began in January 2019.