Dean Urdahl | |
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Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives from the 18B district |
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Incumbent | |
Assumed office 2003 |
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Preceded by | Bob Ness |
Personal details | |
Born | August 18, 1949 |
Political party | Republican Party of Minnesota |
Spouse(s) | Karen |
Children | 3 |
Residence | Grove City, Minnesota |
Alma mater | St. Cloud State University |
Profession | educator, author, legislator |
Religion | Lutheran |
Dean L. Urdahl (born August 18, 1949) is a Minnesota politician and a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives representing District 18B, which includes portions of Meeker and Wright counties in the central part of the state just west of the Twin Cities metropolitan area. A Republican, he is also a retired teacher and coach.[1]
Urdahl was first elected in 2002, and has been re-elected every two years since then. He is currently a member of the House Agriculture, Rural Economies and Veterans Affairs, and also serves on the Finance subcommittees for the Capital Investment Finance Division, the Cultural and Outdoor Resources Finance Division, and the Transportation and Transit Policy and Oversight Division, on which he is the ranking minority party member.[2]
Urdahl graduated from Litchfield High School in Litchfield. His roots run deep in the area, as his ancestors helped to settle Litchfield Township in 1856. He attended St. Cloud State University in St. Cloud, earning a B.S. in Social Studies.[1] He got his start in politics working on U.S. Representative John Zwach's campaign staff in 1970.[3]
Urdahl was an American History teacher and coach for the New London-Spicer School District from 1971-2006. He has served on the Minnesota Education in Agriculture Leadership Council, the Minnesota Commission on Public Service Reform, and on the Minnesota State Board of Nursing. In July 2008, he was appointed as the Minnesota representative to the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission.[1][4]
Also an author, Urdahl has written a book about former members of the Minnesota Twins baseball team[5] and about famous Minnesotans.[6] His two latest books have been historical fiction set in Minnesota during the Dakota War of 1862[7][8]