Kerry Gauthier (born November 6, 1955) is an American politician who 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 2011 to 2013, representing portions of St. Louis County. 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 served as

Treasurer A treasurer is a person responsible for the financial operations of a government, business, or other organization. Government The treasury of a country is the department responsible for the country's economy, finance and revenue. The treasure ...

for the

Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party Minnesota ( ) is a 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 south, and No ...

from 2005 to 2006, and Democratic Chairman of the state's 8th Congressional District from 2000 to 2006. He had been an

alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law with similar officials existing in the Netherlands (wethouder) and Belgium (schepen). The term may be titular, denotin ...

for the

Duluth City Council The Duluth City Council is the legislative branch of the government of Duluth, Minnesota Duluth ( ) is a Port, port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of St. Louis County, Minnesota, St. Louis County. Located on Lake Su ...

and campaign consultant, notably for

Becky Lourey Becky Lourey (born September 24, 1943) is an American politician, a former Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL) state senator and state representative, and a former Minnesota gubernatorial candidate. Her son Matt served in the U.S. Arm ...

in the 2006 Minnesota gubernatorial election. He retired in 2013 in the wake of a sex scandal.

Education and political career

Born in Duluth, Gauthier graduated from Morgan Park High School and received his

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree at the College of St. Scholastica and his

Master of Science 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 medici ...

Counseling Counseling is the professional guidance of the individual by utilizing psychological methods especially in collecting case history data, using various techniques of the personal interview, and testing interests and aptitudes. This is a list of c ...

from the

University of Wisconsin–Superior The University of Wisconsin–Superior (UW–Superior or UWS) is a Public university, public liberal arts university in Superior, Wisconsin, United States. UW–Superior grants associate, bachelor's, master's and specialist's degrees. The univ ...

. Prior to entering politics, he was a social services case manager at Lake Superior Treatment Center. From 2000 to 2006, Gauthier succeeded and preceded party activist Don Bye as the chairman of Minnesota's 8th congressional district. In June 2006, he supported Becky Lourey's primary run in the

2006 Minnesota gubernatorial election The 2006 Minnesota gubernatorial election took place on November 7, 2006. Incumbent Tim Pawlenty was endorsed by the state Republican convention on June 2, 2006, while the state Democratic–Farmer–Labor convention endorsed Mike Hatch on Jun ...

against the party-endorsed candidate,

Mike Hatch Michael Alan Hatch (born November 12, 1948) is an American politician and lawyer. He was the Attorney General of Minnesota from 1999 to 2007, commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Commerce from 1983 to 1989, and chair of the Minnesota DF ...

. He resigned as treasurer of the state Democratic Party to assist her campaign. He was elected to the Duluth City Council in 2009 and served until his election to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2010. Gauthier was elected to the legislature filling the seat vacated by

Roger Reinert Roger Jonathon Reinert (born July 22, 1970) is an American politician, 40th mayor of Duluth, Minnesota, and member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL). He served in the Minnesota House of Representatives, Minnesota House from ...

who opted to run for 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 ...

. He served on the Public Safety and Crime Prevention Policy and Finance, the State Government Finance, and the Transportation Policy and Finance committees. He is also a member of the

Planned Parenthood The Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. (PPFA), or simply Planned Parenthood, is an American nonprofit organization

Regional Advisory Committee. In 2012, Gauthier endorsed

Rick Nolan Richard Michael Nolan (December 17, 1943 – October 18, 2024) was an American politician and businessman who served as the U.S. representative from Minnesota's 8th congressional district from 2013 to 2019. He previously served as the U.S. rep ...

for

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...

in Minnesota's 8th congressional district.

Personal life

Gauthier was one of four

openly gay Coming out of the closet, often shortened to coming out, is a metaphor used to describe LGBTQ people's self-disclosure of their sexual orientation, romantic orientation, or gender identity. This is often framed and debated as a privacy issue, ...

politicians serving in the

Minnesota Legislature The Minnesota Legislature is the bicameral legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota consisting of two houses: the Senate and the House of Representatives. Senators are elected from 67 single-member districts. In order to account for decenn ...

during his tenure. On August 15, 2012, Gauthier became embroiled in a

sex scandal A sex scandal is a public scandal involving allegations or information about possibly immoral sexual activities, often associated with the sexual affairs of film stars, politicians, famous athletes, or others in the public eye. Sex scandals r ...

after a liaison with a 17-year-old male at the Thompson Hill

rest stop A rest area is a public facility located next to a large thoroughfare such as a motorway, Limited-access road, expressway, or highway, at which drivers and passengers can rest, eat, or refuel without exiting onto secondary roads. Other names ...

near Duluth. The

age of consent The age of consent is the age at which a person is considered to be legally competent to consent to Human sexual activity, sexual acts. Consequently, an adult who engages in sexual activity with a person younger than the age of consent is un ...

is 16 under Minnesota law and Gauthier did not face any criminal wrongdoing. However, in light of the media controversy and proximity to Minnesota Amendment 1, legislative leaders called for him to step aside. Gauthier subsequently withdrew from the 2012 election stating, "I am a better person than this incident portrayed me." His final public statement discussed struggling to come to terms with his sexuality. The

Minnesota Supreme Court The Minnesota Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The court hears cases in the Supreme Court chamber in the Minnesota State Capitol or in the nearby Minnesota Judicial Center. History The court was first assemb ...

granted the Democratic Farmer-Labor Party permission to replace his name on the general election ballot. He was succeeded by Duluth firefighter and

labor activist A union organizer (or union organiser in Commonwealth spelling) is a specific type of trade union member (often elected) or an appointed union official. In some unions, the organizer's role is to recruit groups of workers under the organizing ...

Erik Simonson Erik Simonson (born May 26, 1968) is a Minnesota politician and former member of the Minnesota Senate. A member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), he represented District 7 which includes the city of Duluth in St. Louis C ...

References

External links

Rep. Gauthier Web Page

Project Votesmart - Rep. Kerry Gauthier Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gauthier, Kerry 1955 births Living people Politicians from Duluth, Minnesota Democratic Party members of the Minnesota House of Representatives American gay politicians LGBTQ state legislators in Minnesota 21st-century members of the Minnesota Legislature