Elaine Rupp Harder (December 27, 1947 – September 24, 2013) was an American politician and businesswoman. She 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 1995 until 2004 as a member of the Republican Party.

Early life and education

Born in

Windom, Minnesota Windom is a city in and the county seat of Cottonwood County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 4,798 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Cottonwood County and is situated in the Coteau des Prairies. Although a mostly s ...

, Harder pursued her higher education at

Minnesota State University, Mankato Minnesota State University, Mankato (MNSU, MSU, or Minnesota State) is a public university in Mankato, Minnesota, United States. It is Minnesota's second-largest university and has over 145,000 living alumni worldwide. Founded in 1868, it is t ...

, where she received her bachelor's degree.

Career

Harder worked in various roles including a home economics teacher, a sales representative for a printing and office supplies company, and a sales and marketing agent for a family cattle company. Additionally, she served as a

4-H 4-H is a U.S.-based network of youth organizations whose mission is "engaging youth to reach their fullest potential while advancing the field of youth development". Its name is a reference to the occurrence of the initial letter H four times ...

youth development agent with the University of Minnesota Extension Service in Cottonwood County, where she has been involved since her youth.

Political career

In 1995, Harder embarked on her political career when she was elected to the

, where she served until 2004. As a representative, she was known for her contributions to the state legislature as a member of the Republican Party.

Personal life

Harder lived in

Jackson, Minnesota Jackson is a city in and the county seat of Jackson County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 3,323 at the 2020 census. History For centuries, many indigenous peoples called this area home, including the Cheyenne, Ioway, and D ...

where she and her husband, who ran unsuccessfully for the state Senate in 1990, owned and operated an insurance agency. She was a

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

and sang in her church choir.

Death

Harder died on September 24, 2013, in St. Anthony, Minnesota.

References

1947 births 2013 deaths People from Windom, Minnesota Minnesota State University, Mankato alumni Businesspeople from Minnesota Women state legislators in Minnesota Republican Party members of the Minnesota House of Representatives 21st-century American women politicians People from Jackson, Minnesota 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American women Lutherans from Minnesota 21st-century members of the Minnesota Legislature {{Minnesota-MNRepresentative-Republican-stub