Ernest Gilbert "Ernie" Leidiger (born August 7, 1953) is from Wisconsin. He entered the U.S. Navy in 1971 and was stationed at several facilities and ships throughout his career. He retired as a Naval Officer and established businesses in California and Minnesota. He was a former member of 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 ...

and a member of the

Republican Party of Minnesota The Republican Party of Minnesota is the state affiliate of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party in Minnesota and the oldest active political party in the state. Founded in 1855, the party is headquartered in Edina, Minnesota, E ...

. He represented District 47A, and subsequently 34A, which includes central and western Carver County in the southern part of the state. He was a former general manager and owner of Brothers Office Furniture, President of Leidiger & Associates, Inc., a media rep firm, and CEO of Operation Homefront, a national non-profit serving Military Families.

Early life, education, and career

Leidiger graduated from Oconomowoc High School in Southern Wisconsin. He joined the U.S. Navy in 1971 and graduated from the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (USNA, Navy, or Annapolis) is a United States Service academies, federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as United States Secre ...

Annapolis, Maryland Annapolis ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland. It is the county seat of Anne Arundel County and its only incorporated city. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east ...

with a B.S. in General Engineering. He subsequently received a

M.S. A Master of Science (; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree. In contrast to the Master of Arts degree, the Master of Science degree is typically granted for studies in sciences, engineering and medicine ...

in Management from

Salve Regina College Salve Regina University is a private coeducational Roman Catholic university in Newport, Rhode Island, United States. It was founded in 1934 by the Sisters of Mercy and is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education. The univers ...

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is a seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Rhode Island, United States. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, and nort ...

, then went on to the

Naval War College The Naval War College (NWC or NAVWARCOL) is the staff college and "Home of Thought" for the United States Navy at Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island. The NWC educates and develops leaders, supports defining the future Navy and associa ...

, also in Newport, where he earned his

M.A. A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

in National Security and Strategic Planning. He served on several Navy ships as a Surface Warfare Officer, and served on the staff of Central Command during the

Persian Gulf War , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...

Operation Desert Storm Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Man ...

. He was co-founder of

Operation Homefront Operation Homefront is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization founded in 2002 to serve ill or injured veterans and their families. It is headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, and Arlington, Virginia. The organization's stated mission is to "build stro ...

, a nonprofit organization serving military families of deployed service members. He moved to Minnesota in 2005.

Minnesota House of Representatives

Leidiger served on the Transportation, State Government, Jobs, and Public Safety Committees in the Minnesota House of Representatives. He was active in calling for holding the line on excessive spending in government. Leidiger was recognized by several organizations for his promotion of small businesses, and private sector job creation. He was a member of several transportation corridor working groups. Leidiger was a leader in promoting jobs in the state, and promoted the second chance coalition for former inmates. He also carried the E-Verify bill to help businesses to quickly establish a perspective workers eligibility to work in the United States. This bill was vetoed by the Democratic Governor. In May 2011, Leidiger invited Bradlee Dean, head of

You Can Run But You Cannot Hide International You Can Run But You Cannot Hide International (YCRBYCHI) was a United States Christian youth ministry that held assemblies (including music concerts and discussions with students) in public schools. YCRBYCHI's mission statement stated its goa ...

, to deliver a prayer in front of the

. Dean was subsequently criticized by members of both parties for his divisive prayer; Leidiger apologized for inviting Dean, stating that it was an "honest mistake" and comparing his position on homosexuality to that of

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

. Leidiger was first elected to the House in 2010. In 2012 redistricting reduced the geographical size of the district, removing Scott County and renumbering the district to 47A. On May 15, 2012 Leidiger was endorsed for re-election by the Carver County GOP by acclamation without an opponent being nominated against him. On November 6, 2012, Leidiger was re-elected for a second term with 64% of the vote. He announced on February 5, 2014 that he would not run for re-election in 2014.

References

External links

Rep. Ernie Leidiger
''official Minnesota House of Representatives website
Ernie Leidiger
''official campaign website''
Project Votesmart - Rep. Ernie Leidiger Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leidiger, Ernie 1953 births Living people People from Carver County, Minnesota Politicians from Wausau, Wisconsin Military personnel from Minnesota Military personnel from Wisconsin United States Naval Academy alumni Salve Regina University alumni Naval Postgraduate School alumni Naval War College alumni Republican Party members of the Minnesota House of Representatives 21st-century members of the Minnesota Legislature