| Matt Dean | |
| Office: | Majority Leader of the Minnesota House of Representatives |
| Term Start: | January 4, 2011 |
| Term End: | January 7, 2013 |
| Predecessor: | Tony Sertich |
| Successor: | Erin Murphy |
| State House1: | Minnesota |
| District1: | 38B |
| Prior Term1: | 52B (2005–2013) |
| Term Start1: | January 4, 2005 |
| Term End1: | January 7, 2019 |
| Predecessor1: | Rebecca Otto |
| Successor1: | Ami Wazlawik |
| Birth Date: | April 15, 1966 |
| Birth Place: | Ely, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Party: | Republican |
| Alma Mater: | University of Minnesota, Twin Cities |
| Spouse: | Laura Anne Dean |
Matthew T. "Matt" Dean (born April 15, 1966) is an American politician. He served as the Majority Leader of the Minnesota House of Representatives from 2011 to 2013. A member of the Republican Party of Minnesota, he represented District 38B, which included portions of Ramsey and Washington counties in the eastern Twin Cities metropolitan area.[1] He is an architect and the owner of Dean Architects in Dellwood.[1] [2]
Born in the northeastern Minnesota city of Ely, Dean was raised in the Twin Cities suburb of Roseville. He graduated from the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis with a Bachelor of Architecture degree. Dean competed in track and cross country in high school and college.
Dean was first elected in 2004, and was reelected in 2006, 2008, 2010, and 2012. He served as the Majority Leader of the Minnesota House of Representatives from 2011 to 2013, having been selected by his caucus for the position on November 6, 2010.[1] [3]
In May 2011, author Neil Gaiman was invited to speak at the Stillwater Library in Minnesota. Gaiman has a fixed policy of charging very high speaking fees for his appearances, believing that such fees will discourage most people from requesting he speak, leaving him more time for writing.[4] Gaiman's fee was taken from a special fund established to bring authors in to speak at local libraries. Dean took issue with the expenditure, saying that Gaiman was an author he hated, and describing him as a "pencil-necked little weasel who stole $45,000 from the state of Minnesota." The actual fee was $40,000.[5] Gaiman pointed out that he had donated his speaking fee to charity long before Dean's comments.[6]
After some press coverage, at his mother's urging, Dean apologized for being a "name caller".[7] [8]
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