Joseph R. "Joe" Gimse (born July 31, 1957) is a

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

politician and a former member of the

Minnesota Senate The Minnesota Senate is the upper house of the Minnesota Legislature, Legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota. At 67 members, half as many as the Minnesota House of Representatives, it is the largest upper house of any State legislature (Unite ...

who represented District 13, which included portions of Kandiyohi,

Pope The pope is the bishop of Rome and the Head of the Church#Catholic Church, visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the po ...

and Stearns counties in the west central part of the state. A Republican, he was first elected to the Senate in 2006, and was reelected in 2010. He also ran unsuccessfully for the seat in 2002 against former Senator Dean Johnson. He served as an assistant minority leader. Gimse ran for reelection in 2012 in the newly drawn 17th District, but was defeated by Clara City DFLer

Lyle Koenen Lyle J. Koenen (born June 16, 1956) is a Minnesota politician and former member of the Minnesota Senate. A member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), he represented District 17, which included portions of Chippewa, Kandiyo ...

. Gimse was a member of the Senate's Agriculture and Veterans Committee, the Business, Industry and Jobs Committee, the State and Local Government Operations and Oversight Committee, and the Transportation Committee. He also served on the Business, Industry and Jobs Subcommittee for Bioscience and Renewable Energy Development, on the Finance subcommittees for the Agriculture and Veterans Budget and Policy Division and the Transportation Budget and Policy Division, and on the State and Local Government Operations and Oversight Subcommittee for Elections. His special legislative concerns included education, health care, economic development, transportation, and business development. Gimse is a

home builder Home construction or residential construction is the process of constructing a house, apartment building, or similar residential building generally referred to as a 'home' when giving consideration to the people who might now or someday reside t ...

and

land developer Land development is the alteration of landscape in any number of ways, such as: * Changing landforms from a natural or semi-natural state for a purpose such as agriculture or housing * Subdividing real estate into lots, typically for the purpo ...

by profession. He attended Willmar High School in Willmar, then served as a specialist in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

from 1975 to 1979. He attended

Ridgewater College Ridgewater College is a public community college in Willmar and Hutchinson, Minnesota. It was founded in 1996 as part of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system or Minnesota ...

(formerly Willmar Technical College)in Willmar, earning an A.A.S. in automotive technology in 1981, and a Certificate in supervisory management in 1987. Gimse is an avid hunter and outdoorsman. He is a member of the

National Rifle Association of America The National Rifle Association of America (NRA) is a gun rights advocacy group based in the United States. Founded in 1871 to advance rifle marksmanship, the modern NRA has become a prominent Gun politics in the United States, gun rights ...

Ducks Unlimited Ducks Unlimited (DU) is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the conservation of wetlands and associated upland habitats for waterfowl, other wildlife, and people. History and profile In 1927, an offshoot of the Boone and ...

Pheasants Forever Pheasants Forever, Inc. (PF), a 501(c)(3) non-profit conservation organization, is dedicated to conserving wildlife habitat suitable for pheasants. Formed in 1982 as a response to the continuing decline of upland wildlife and habitat throughout ...

, and the Rocky Mountain Elks Association. He is also a member of the

Experimental Aircraft Association The Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) is an international organization of aviation enthusiasts based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Since its inception, it has grown internationally with over 300,000 members and nearly 1,000 chapters worldwide. ...

, the

Fraternal Order of Eagles Fraternal Order of Eagles (F.O.E.) is a fraternal organization that was founded on February 6, 1898, in Seattle, Washington, by a group of six theater-owners including John Cort (impresario), John Cort (the first president), brothers John Considin ...

, and the

Knights of Columbus The Knights of Columbus (K of C) is a global Catholic Church, Catholic Fraternal and service organizations, fraternal service order founded by Michael J. McGivney, Blessed Michael J. McGivney. Membership is limited to practicing Catholic men. ...

. In Minnesota, he is a member of the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association and the Minnesota Turkey Hunters Association. He has been a member of and active in the Kandiyohi County Republican Party since 1981.

References

External links

Senator Gimse Web PageMinnesota Public Radio Votetracker: Senator Joseph GimseProject Vote Smart - Senator Joseph Gimse ProfileJoseph Gimse Campaign Web Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gimse, Joseph 1957 births Living people People from Stearns County, Minnesota Republican Party Minnesota state senators People from Willmar, Minnesota 21st-century members of the Minnesota Legislature