Michael O. Freeman
Encyclopedia
Michael O. "Mike" Freeman (born May 7, 1948) is an attorney and politician from the state of Minnesota
. He is currently the county attorney
for Hennepin County
, the most populous county in the state, of which the county seat is Minneapolis
. He is the son of Orville Freeman
, who was a former Minnesota governor
and Secretary of Agriculture under presidents John F. Kennedy
and Lyndon B. Johnson
.
A Democrat
, Freeman was elected to the Minnesota Senate
in 1982, representing the old District 40, which included the cities of Richfield
and East Bloomington
in Hennepin County. He was re-elected in 1986, serving as Majority Whip during his second term (1987 – 1991). He was also vice chair of the Finance Committee from 1987 to 1991, and of the Economic Development and Commerce Committee from 1983 to 1986. He also chaired the Economic Development Subcommittee from 1983 to 1986.
Freeman was elected Hennepin County Attorney in 1990, serving until 1999. He again ran for and was elected county attorney by a wide margin in 2006, after incumbent Amy Klobuchar
opted to run for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Mark Dayton
.
Freeman ran twice for governor of Minnesota. In 1994 he lost the DFL Party endorsement to John Marty
. Marty was later defeated in the general election by incumbent Governor Arne Carlson
. In 1998 he won the DFL Party endorsement but lost the primary election to Skip Humphrey
, who went on to lose the general election to Jesse Ventura
.
Freeman received a B.A. from Rutgers University
in 1970 and a J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School
in 1974.
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...
. He is currently the county attorney
County attorney
A county attorney in many areas of the United States is the chief legal officer for a county or local judicial district. It is usually an elected position...
for Hennepin County
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...
, the most populous county in the state, of which the county seat is Minneapolis
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
. He is the son of Orville Freeman
Orville Freeman
Orville Lothrop Freeman was an American Democratic politician who served as the 29th Governor of Minnesota from January 5, 1955 to January 2, 1961, and as the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture from 1961 to 1969 under Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson...
, who was a former Minnesota governor
Governor of Minnesota
The Governor of Minnesota is the chief executive of the U.S. state of Minnesota, leading the state's executive branch. Forty different people have been governors of the state, though historically there were also three governors of Minnesota Territory. Alexander Ramsey, the first territorial...
and Secretary of Agriculture under presidents John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
and Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...
.
A Democrat
Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party
The Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party is a major political party in the state of Minnesota and the state affiliate of the Democratic Party. It was created on April 15, 1944, with the merger of the Minnesota Democratic Party and the Farmer–Labor Party...
, Freeman was elected to 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...
in 1982, representing the old District 40, which included the cities of Richfield
Richfield, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 34,439 people, 15,073 households, and 8,727 families residing in the city. The population density was 4,993.9 people per square mile . There were 15,357 housing units at an average density of 2,226.9 per square mile...
and East Bloomington
Bloomington, Minnesota
Bloomington is the fifth largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota in Hennepin County. Located on the north bank of the Minnesota River above its confluence with the Mississippi River, Bloomington lies at the heart of the southern...
in Hennepin County. He was re-elected in 1986, serving as Majority Whip during his second term (1987 – 1991). He was also vice chair of the Finance Committee from 1987 to 1991, and of the Economic Development and Commerce Committee from 1983 to 1986. He also chaired the Economic Development Subcommittee from 1983 to 1986.
Freeman was elected Hennepin County Attorney in 1990, serving until 1999. He again ran for and was elected county attorney by a wide margin in 2006, after incumbent Amy Klobuchar
Amy Klobuchar
Amy Jean Klobuchar is the senior United States Senator from Minnesota. She is a member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, an affiliate of the Democratic Party...
opted to run for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Mark Dayton
Mark Dayton
Mark Brandt Dayton is an American politician, the 40th and current Governor of the state of Minnesota. Dayton previously served as United States Senator from Minnesota from 2001 to 2007 in the 107th, 108th, and 109th Congresses...
.
Freeman ran twice for governor of Minnesota. In 1994 he lost the DFL Party endorsement to John Marty
John Marty
This is the article about the State Senator from Minnesota. For the singer known as John Marty, see Marty StuartJohn J. Marty is a member of the Minnesota Senate, representing District 54, which includes portions of Hennepin and Ramsey counties in the northern Twin Cities metropolitan area. As a...
. Marty was later defeated in the general election by incumbent Governor Arne Carlson
Arne Carlson
Arne Helge Carlson, Sr. is an American politician and the 37th Governor of the state of Minnesota.-Early years, education and family:...
. In 1998 he won the DFL Party endorsement but lost the primary election to Skip Humphrey
Skip Humphrey
Hubert Horatio "Skip" Humphrey III is a former Minnesota politician who served as attorney general of the state from 1983 to 1999. Prior to that, he was a state senator from 1973 to 1983...
, who went on to lose 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...
.
Freeman received a B.A. from Rutgers University
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
in 1970 and a J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School
University of Minnesota Law School
The University of Minnesota Law School, located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, is a professional school of the University of Minnesota. The school offers a Juris Doctor , Masters of Law for Foreign Lawyers, and joint degrees with J.D./M.B.A., J.D./M.P.A, J.D./M.A., J.D./M.S., J.D./Ph.D.,...
in 1974.