Rodney N. Searle
Encyclopedia
Rodney Newell "Rod" Searle, Sr. (born July 17, 1920, in Camden, New Jersey
) is a Minnesota
Republican
politician and a former Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives. Searle served in the Minnesota House for 24 years.
Searle was first elected to represent Waseca, Minnesota
in 1956. He was a part of the Conservative caucus during the period in which Minnesota's legislature was nonpartisan
, becoming officially a Republican representative in 1973. He rose to chair the Higher Education committee, and eventually was named Assistant Minority Leader
by his caucus in 1975.
After the election of 1978, the house was divided equally between Independent-Republicans and the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. Searle was chosen as speaker in a compromise between the two parties. In May, Democrats gained a seat, giving the party a majority in the body. Searle was named Minority Leader by his caucus, and was replaced by Fred C. Norton
.
Searle retired from the House after the 1980 election. He later served as president of the Minnesota State University Board.
Camden, New Jersey
The city of Camden is the county seat of Camden County, New Jersey. It is located across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 77,344...
) is a 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...
Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
politician and a former Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives. Searle served in the Minnesota House for 24 years.
Searle was first elected to represent Waseca, Minnesota
Waseca, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 8,493 people, 3,388 households, and 2,219 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,215.6 people per square mile . There were 3,563 housing units at an average density of 929.5 per square mile...
in 1956. He was a part of the Conservative caucus during the period in which Minnesota's legislature was nonpartisan
Nonpartisan
In political science, nonpartisan denotes an election, event, organization or person in which there is no formally declared association with a political party affiliation....
, becoming officially a Republican representative in 1973. He rose to chair the Higher Education committee, and eventually was named 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...
by his caucus in 1975.
After the election of 1978, the house was divided equally between Independent-Republicans and the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. Searle was chosen as speaker in a compromise between the two parties. In May, Democrats gained a seat, giving the party a majority in the body. Searle was named Minority Leader by his caucus, and was replaced by Fred C. Norton
Fred C. Norton
Fred C. Norton was a Minnesota politician, a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, a Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives, and a judge of the Minnesota Court of Appeals....
.
Searle retired from the House after the 1980 election. He later served as president of the Minnesota State University Board.