Sharon Erickson Ropes
Encyclopedia
Sharon L. Erickson Ropes (born January 23, 1954) is a Minnesota
politician and a former member of the Minnesota Senate
who represented District 31, which includes portions of Fillmore
, Houston
, and Winona
counties in the southeastern part of the state. A Democrat
, she was first elected to the Senate in 2006. She was subsequently unseated by Republican
Jeremy Miller
in the 2010 general election.
Erickson Ropes was a member and vice chair of the Senate's Agriculture and Veterans Committee. She served on the Health, Housing and Family Security Committee, and on the Higher Education Committee. She also served on the Finance subcommittees for the Agriculture and Veterans Budget and Policy Division (serving as vice chair), the Health and Human Services Budget Division, and the Higher Education Budget and Policy Division. Her special legislative concerns included health care, education, and the environment.
Erickson Ropes is a registered nurse
by profession. She was born in Two Harbors
and graduated from Two Harbors High School in 1972. She went on to the College of Saint Teresa
in Winona
, where she received a B.A.
in French and a B.S.
in Nursing in 1976. She then served as a commissioned officer in the United States Navy Nurse Corps
in North Carolina
and Virginia
from 1977 to 1982.
Erickson Ropes has served on various government and community boards and organizations. She was a member of the Minnesota Attorney General's Task Force on Consumer Rights and Health Care. She was a member of the Winona School Board, serving as chair from 2000 to 2001, and a member and former president of the board of directors of the Minnesota State Parent-Teacher Association. She is a member of the state advisory board of Minnesota Master Gardeners.
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 former 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...
who represented District 31, which includes portions of Fillmore
Fillmore County, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 21,122 people, 8,228 households, and 5,718 families residing in the county. The population density was 24 people per square mile . There were 8,908 housing units at an average density of 10 per square mile...
, Houston
Houston County, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 19,718 people, 7,633 households, and 5,411 families residing in the county. The population density was 35 people per square mile . There were 8,168 housing units at an average density of 15 per square mile...
, and Winona
Winona County, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 49,985 people, 18,744 households, and 11,696 families residing in the county. The population density was 80 people per square mile . There were 19,551 housing units at an average density of 31 per square mile...
counties in the southeastern part of the state. 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...
, she was first elected to the Senate in 2006. She was subsequently unseated by 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:...
Jeremy Miller
Jeremy Miller (politician)
Jeremy R. Miller is a Minnesota politician and a member of the Minnesota Senate who represents District 31, which includes portions of Fillmore, Houston, and Winona counties in the southeastern part of the state...
in the 2010 general election.
Erickson Ropes was a member and vice chair of the Senate's Agriculture and Veterans Committee. She served on the Health, Housing and Family Security Committee, and on the Higher Education Committee. She also served on the Finance subcommittees for the Agriculture and Veterans Budget and Policy Division (serving as vice chair), the Health and Human Services Budget Division, and the Higher Education Budget and Policy Division. Her special legislative concerns included health care, education, and the environment.
Erickson Ropes is a registered nurse
Registered nurse
A registered nurse is a nurse who has graduated from a nursing program at a university or college and has passed a national licensing exam. A registered nurse helps individuals, families, and groups to achieve health and prevent disease...
by profession. She was born in Two Harbors
Two Harbors, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 3,613 people, 1,636 households, and 953 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,120.7 people per square mile . There were 1,631 housing units at an average density of 505.9 per square mile...
and graduated from Two Harbors High School in 1972. She went on to the College of Saint Teresa
College of Saint Teresa
The College of Saint Teresa was a Catholic women's college in Winona, Minnesota. Previously a seminary, it became a college in 1907 and was operated by the Sisters of Saint Francis of Rochester, Minnesota until its closing in 1989.-History:...
in Winona
Winona, Minnesota
Winona is a city in and the county seat of Winona County, in the U.S. State of Minnesota. Located in picturesque bluff country on the Mississippi River, its most noticeable physical landmark is Sugar Loaf....
, where she received a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in French and a B.S.
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...
in Nursing in 1976. She then served as a commissioned officer in the United States Navy Nurse Corps
United States Navy Nurse Corps
The United States Navy Nurse Corps was officially established by Congress in 1908; however, unofficially, women had been working as nurses aboard Navy ships and in Navy hospitals for nearly 100 years.-Pre-1908:...
in North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
and Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
from 1977 to 1982.
Erickson Ropes has served on various government and community boards and organizations. She was a member of the Minnesota Attorney General's Task Force on Consumer Rights and Health Care. She was a member of the Winona School Board, serving as chair from 2000 to 2001, and a member and former president of the board of directors of the Minnesota State Parent-Teacher Association. She is a member of the state advisory board of Minnesota Master Gardeners.