Clair L. Nelson (April 22, 1940 – January 13, 2019) was an American politician, businessman, and educator. Nelson was born in Elk Lake Township,

Grant County, Minnesota Grant County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,074. Its county seat is Elbow Lake. History The county was created on March 6, 1868. It was named for Civil War General and US President U ...

and graduated from Barrett High School in Barrett, Minnesota. He lived in Barrett, Minnesota with his wife and family. Nelson served in the

Minnesota National Guard The Minnesota National Guard is a state-based military force of more than 13,000 soldiers and airmen, serving in 61 communities across the state. Operated in the U.S. state of Minnesota, it is a reserve component of the National Guard (United ...

and graduated from

Minnesota State University Moorhead Minnesota State University Moorhead (MSUM) is a public university in Moorhead, Minnesota, across the Red River of the North from Fargo, North Dakota. The school has an enrollment of 7,534 students in 2019 and 266 full-time faculty members. MSUM ...

with a bachelor's degree in physical education and mathematics. Nelson served in the

Minnesota House of Representatives The Minnesota House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the U.S. state of Minnesota's Minnesota Legislature, legislature. It operates in conjunction with the Minnesota Senate, the state's upper chamber, to write and pass legislation, whic ...

from 1987 to 1990 and was a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

. He was a farmer, builder, and a school teacher. Nelson died at

Sanford Health Sanford Health is a nonprofit, integrated health care delivery system headquartered in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, with additional offices in Fargo and Bismarck, North Dakota, and Bemidji, Minnesota. History Sanford Health has its roots in ...

Bismarck, North Dakota Bismarck (; from 1872 to 1873: Edwinton) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat, seat of Burleigh County, North Dakota, Burleigh County. It is the state's List of cities i ...

.Clair L. Smith-obituary
/ref>

References

1940 births 2019 deaths People from Grant County, Minnesota Minnesota State University Moorhead alumni Minnesota National Guard personnel Businesspeople from Minnesota Farmers from Minnesota Schoolteachers from Minnesota Democratic Party members of the Minnesota House of Representatives 20th-century members of the Minnesota Legislature {{Minnesota-MNRepresentative-Democratic-stub