Gen Olson
Encyclopedia
Gen Olson is a Minnesota
politician and a member of the Minnesota Senate
representing District 33, which includes portions of Hennepin
and Wright
counties in the western Twin Cities
metropolitan area. A Republican
, she was first elected to the Senate in 1982, and was re-elected in 1986, 1990, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2002, 2006 and 2010. She served as an assistant minority leader
from 1989 to 1990, and from 1993 to 2004. Prior to redistricting
in 1992, she represented the old District 43, and, prior to redistricting in 2002, she represented the old District 34.
in Wheaton, Illinois
from 1955 to 1956 before going on to the University of Minnesota
, from which she graduated with honors in 1959 with a B.S.Ed.
degree. She was a teacher at Annandale High School
in Annandale
and Osseo High School in Osseo
from 1959 to 1966. She earned her Ed.D. from the University of Minnesota in 1990. In addition to her professional work in vocational education administration, Olson has been active in public service for many years, working for the Minnesota Department of Education, and serving on the boards of several organizations and on various commissions in her home community of Minnetrista
, where she was also a member of the city council from 1979 to 1981, and mayor from 1981 to 1983.
Olson ran for the Republican endorsement for the U.S. Senate in 1994, but lost the nomination to future senator Rod Grams
at the party's state convention. She was later Senator Norm Coleman
's running mate when he ran for governor in 1998. They lost the general election to Jesse Ventura
. She was a member of the Minnesota Statehood Sesquicentennial Commission from 2006 to 2008. In 2007, Governor Tim Pawlenty
appointed her as a member of the Minnesota delegation to the Education Commission of the States
, an interstate compact created in 1965 to improve public education by facilitating the exchange of information, ideas and experiences among state policymakers and education leaders. The commission is headquartered in Denver, Colorado
. The Minnesota delegation consists of seven members, including the Governor himself.
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...
politician and a member of 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...
representing District 33, which includes portions of Hennepin
Hennepin County, Minnesota
Hennepin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota, named in honor of the 17th-century explorer Father Louis Hennepin. As of 2010 the population was 1,152,425. Its county seat is Minneapolis. It is by far the most populous county in Minnesota; more than one in five Minnesotans live...
and Wright
Wright County, Minnesota
Wright County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota, founded in 1855. As of 2010, the population was 124,700. Its county seat is Buffalo.-History:...
counties in the western Twin Cities
Twin cities
Twin cities are a special case of two cities or urban centres which are founded in close geographic proximity and then grow into each other over time...
metropolitan area. A Republican
Republican Party of Minnesota
The Republican Party of Minnesota is the Minnesota branch of the United States Republican Party. Elected by the party’s state central committee in June 2009, its chairman is Tony Sutton, and its deputy-chairman is Michael Brodkorb.-Early history:...
, she was first elected to the Senate in 1982, and was re-elected in 1986, 1990, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2002, 2006 and 2010. She served as an assistant minority leader
Minority leader
In U.S. politics, the minority leader is the floor leader of the second largest caucus in a legislative body. Given the two-party nature of the U.S. system, the minority leader is almost inevitably either a Republican or a Democrat, with their counterpart being of the opposite party. The position...
from 1989 to 1990, and from 1993 to 2004. Prior to redistricting
Redistricting
Redistricting is the process of drawing United States electoral district boundaries, often in response to population changes determined by the results of the decennial census. In 36 states, the state legislature has primary responsibility for creating a redistricting plan, in many cases subject to...
in 1992, she represented the old District 43, and, prior to redistricting in 2002, she represented the old District 34.
Senate leadership
Olson is currently a member of the Senate's Education Committee (on which she is the ranking minority party member), the Environment and Natural Resources Committee, the Finance Committee, the Rules and Administration Committee, and the Transportation Committee. She also serves on the Finance subcommittees for the E-12 Education Budget and Policy Division, for the Transportation Budget and Policy Division, and for the Transportation Budget and Policy Division-Transit Subdivision, and on the Rules and Administration Subcommittee for Committees. Her special legislative concerns include education, property tax reform, cost of government, environment and natural resources, tax policy, agriculture, economic development, and local government.Education and public service
Olson graduated from Minnehaha Academy High School, then attended Wheaton CollegeWheaton College (Illinois)
Wheaton College is a private, evangelical Protestant liberal arts college in Wheaton, Illinois, a suburb west of Chicago in the United States...
in Wheaton, Illinois
Wheaton, Illinois
Wheaton is an affluent community located in DuPage County, Illinois, approximately west of Chicago and Lake Michigan. Wheaton is the county seat of DuPage County...
from 1955 to 1956 before going on to 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...
, from which she graduated with honors in 1959 with a B.S.Ed.
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
degree. She was a teacher at Annandale High School
Annandale High School
Annandale High School is an International Baccalaureate high school in Annandale, Virginia, United States. It is part of the Fairfax County Public Schools system....
in Annandale
Annandale, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,684 people, 1,098 households, and 698 families residing in the city. The population density was 990.3 people per square mile . There were 1,163 housing units at an average density of 429.1 per square mile...
and Osseo High School in Osseo
Osseo, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,434 people, 1,035 households, and 606 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,179.7 people per square mile . There were 1,060 housing units at an average density of 1,384.7 per square mile...
from 1959 to 1966. She earned her Ed.D. from the University of Minnesota in 1990. In addition to her professional work in vocational education administration, Olson has been active in public service for many years, working for the Minnesota Department of Education, and serving on the boards of several organizations and on various commissions in her home community of Minnetrista
Minnetrista, Minnesota
Minnetrista is a settlement mainly in Hennepin County, Minnesota. A very small part of Minnetrista Extends into Carver County. The name Minnetrista is said to owe its origin to the Dakota language, in which minne means "water" and trista means "crooked." The city is generally rural and still has...
, where she was also a member of the city council from 1979 to 1981, and mayor from 1981 to 1983.
Olson ran for the Republican endorsement for the U.S. Senate in 1994, but lost the nomination to future senator Rod Grams
Rod Grams
Rodney Dwight "Rod" Grams served the state of Minnesota in both the United States House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate.- Early life :...
at the party's state convention. She was later Senator Norm Coleman
Norm Coleman
Norman Bertram Coleman, Jr. is an American attorney and politician. He was a United States senator from Minnesota from 2003 to 2009. Coleman was elected in 2002 and served in the 108th, 109th, and 110th Congresses. Before becoming a senator, he was mayor of Saint Paul, Minnesota, from 1994 to 2002...
's running mate when he ran for governor in 1998. They lost the general election to Jesse Ventura
Jesse Ventura
James George Janos , better known as Jesse Ventura, is an American politician, the 38th Governor of Minnesota from 1999 to 2003, Navy UDT veteran, former SEAL reservist, actor, and former radio and television talk show host...
. She was a member of the Minnesota Statehood Sesquicentennial Commission from 2006 to 2008. In 2007, Governor Tim Pawlenty
Tim Pawlenty
Timothy James "Tim" Pawlenty , also known affectionately among supporters as T-Paw, is an American politician who served as the 39th Governor of Minnesota . He was a Republican candidate for President of the United States in the 2012 election from May to August 2011...
appointed her as a member of the Minnesota delegation to the Education Commission of the States
Education Commission of the States
The Education Commission of the States was founded as a result of the creation of the Compact for Education, an interstate compact approved by Congress in 1965 and currently entered by 49 U.S...
, an interstate compact created in 1965 to improve public education by facilitating the exchange of information, ideas and experiences among state policymakers and education leaders. The commission is headquartered in Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
. The Minnesota delegation consists of seven members, including the Governor himself.
External links
- Senator Olson Web Page
- Minnesota Public Radio Votetracker: Senator Gen Olson
- Project Vote Smart - Senator Gen Olson Profile