Allan Spear
Encyclopedia
Allan Henry Spear was an American politician
and educator from Minnesota
who served almost thirty years in the Minnesota Senate
, including nearly a decade as President of the Senate.
(B.A., 1958), he went on to earn an M.A.
and a PhD from Yale University
(1960 and 1965 respectively). Decades later, Oberlin would also award him an honorary LL.D.
He was first elected to the Minnesota Senate in 1972, representing a liberal Minneapolis district centered on the University of Minnesota
. He served a total of 28 years in the senate, retiring in 2000. He was President of the Senate from 1992 to 2000.
He served in the Minnesota Senate representing 2 Senate Districts in Minneapolis. From 1972 to 1982, he represented District 57, the southeast part of Minneapolis, including the University of Minnesota main campus. In 1982, he moved to District 59, the southwest part of Minneapolis, (renamed to District 60 after the 1992 redistricting) and was elected Senator from there, and was reelected until his retirement in 2000.
Having come out of the closet
on December 9, 1974, he was one of the first openly gay Americans serving in elected office. His coming out drew national attention, being featured in the New York Times amongst others.
Spear was instrumental in passing the 1993 Minnesota Human Rights Act, which guaranteed protection from discrimination in education, employment, and housing to GLBT Minnesotans. He had been working on this for nearly 20 years, and later called it his "proudest legislative achievement". His personal connections with other Senators during his years in office were important in gaining the votes of Republican colleagues. He gained the public support of the leader of the Senate Republicans, Lutheran minister Dean E. Johnson, who gave a speech supporting the bill on the Senate floor (and was later "censured" by his local Republican party officials, and eventually forced out of the Republican party). At the time, many people believed that gays and lesbians "chose" their sexual orientation. During the debate on this bill, Spear humorously said to his colleagues "I'm 55 years old – this is not a phase I'm going through."
In 2008, as part of Minnesota's Sesquicentennial celebration, the Minnesota Historical Society
named him as one of the 150 people and groups that helped shape the state.
Spear died October 11, 2008 from complications following heart surgery earlier that week. He is survived by his partner of 20-plus years, Junjiro Tsuji.
He had partially completed an autobiography (Crossing the Barriers) at his death; a colleague of his in the Minnesota Senate, John Milton provided an afterword listing the accomplishments of his later years. This book was published in 2010.
Politics of the United States
The United States is a federal constitutional republic, in which the President of the United States , Congress, and judiciary share powers reserved to the national government, and the federal government shares sovereignty with the state governments.The executive branch is headed by the President...
and educator from Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
who served almost thirty years in the Minnesota Senate
Minnesota Senate
The Minnesota Senate is the upper house in the Minnesota Legislature. There are 67 members, half as many as are in the Minnesota House of Representatives. In terms of membership, it is the largest upper house of any state legislature. Each Senate district in the state includes an A and B House...
, including nearly a decade as President of the Senate.
Biography
A graduate of Oberlin CollegeOberlin College
Oberlin College is a private liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio, noteworthy for having been the first American institution of higher learning to regularly admit female and black students. Connected to the college is the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the oldest continuously operating...
(B.A., 1958), he went on to earn an M.A.
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
and a PhD from Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
(1960 and 1965 respectively). Decades later, Oberlin would also award him an honorary LL.D.
He was first elected to the Minnesota Senate in 1972, representing a liberal Minneapolis district centered on the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
. He served a total of 28 years in the senate, retiring in 2000. He was President of the Senate from 1992 to 2000.
He served in the Minnesota Senate representing 2 Senate Districts in Minneapolis. From 1972 to 1982, he represented District 57, the southeast part of Minneapolis, including the University of Minnesota main campus. In 1982, he moved to District 59, the southwest part of Minneapolis, (renamed to District 60 after the 1992 redistricting) and was elected Senator from there, and was reelected until his retirement in 2000.
Having come out of the closet
Coming out
Coming out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....
on December 9, 1974, he was one of the first openly gay Americans serving in elected office. His coming out drew national attention, being featured in the New York Times amongst others.
Spear was instrumental in passing the 1993 Minnesota Human Rights Act, which guaranteed protection from discrimination in education, employment, and housing to GLBT Minnesotans. He had been working on this for nearly 20 years, and later called it his "proudest legislative achievement". His personal connections with other Senators during his years in office were important in gaining the votes of Republican colleagues. He gained the public support of the leader of the Senate Republicans, Lutheran minister Dean E. Johnson, who gave a speech supporting the bill on the Senate floor (and was later "censured" by his local Republican party officials, and eventually forced out of the Republican party). At the time, many people believed that gays and lesbians "chose" their sexual orientation. During the debate on this bill, Spear humorously said to his colleagues "I'm 55 years old – this is not a phase I'm going through."
In 2008, as part of Minnesota's Sesquicentennial celebration, the Minnesota Historical Society
Minnesota Historical Society
The Minnesota Historical Society is a private, non-profit educational and cultural institution dedicated to preserving the history of the U.S. state of Minnesota. It was founded by the territorial legislature in 1849, almost a decade before statehood. The Society is named in the Minnesota...
named him as one of the 150 people and groups that helped shape the state.
Spear died October 11, 2008 from complications following heart surgery earlier that week. He is survived by his partner of 20-plus years, Junjiro Tsuji.
He had partially completed an autobiography (Crossing the Barriers) at his death; a colleague of his in the Minnesota Senate, John Milton provided an afterword listing the accomplishments of his later years. This book was published in 2010.
External links
- Biographical entry at the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library
- Allan Spear Papers are available for research use at the Minnesota Historical Society.