Lynn D. Wardlow (born November 11, 1943) is an American politician who served as a 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 ...

, where he represented District 38B from 2003 to 2009. The district includes over half of the city of

Eagan Eagan may refer to: People * Charles Eagan (1921-2010), Canadian scientist * Daisy Eagan (born 1979), American actress * Dennis Eagan (1926–2012), British field hockey player * Eddie Eagan (1897–1967), American sportsman * Edmund Eagan, Canadia ...

in Dakota County, which is in the southeastern part of the

Twin Cities Twin cities are a special case of two neighboring cities or urban centres that grow into a single conurbation – or narrowly separated urban areas – over time. There are no formal criteria, but twin cities are generally comparable in stat ...

metropolitan area. A Republican, he was elected to the open seat vacated by Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty in 2002.

Early life and education

Before running for political office, Wardlow was a middle school and high school mathematics teacher and coach for over 30 years in the Rosemount-Eagan-Apple Valley School District. He also served in

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

in 1969 as a lieutenant in the

U.S. Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionary ...

, earning two

Navy Commendation Medal The Commendation Medal is a mid-level United States military decoration presented for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service. Each branch of the United States Armed Forces issues its own version of the Commendation Medal, with a fift ...

s with one a Combat V. He retired from the

Marine Corps Reserve The Marine Forces Reserve (MARFORRES or MFR), also known as the United States Marine Corps Reserve (USMCR) and the U.S. Marine Corps Forces Reserve, is the reserve force of the United States Marine Corps. The Marine Corps Reserve is an expedi ...

in 1995 at the rank of lieutenant colonel. He holds a

B.A. 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 degree ...

from Augustana College in

Sioux Falls, South Dakota Sioux Falls ( ) is the List of cities in South Dakota, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Dakota and the List of United States cities by population, 117th-most populous city in the United States. It is the county seat of Minnehaha Coun ...

, and 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 Mathematics from

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 ...

Mankato Mankato ( ) is a city in Blue Earth, Nicollet, and Le Sueur counties in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It is the county seat of Blue Earth County, Minnesota. The population was 44,488 at the 2020 census, making it the 21st-largest city in Mi ...

Career

As a legislator, he focused on the issues of education, transportation, tax reduction, small business promotion, and health care reform. While in office, Wardlow served on the following House committees: E-12 Education, Early Childhood Learning Finance Division, Education Finance and Economic Competitiveness Finance Division, Mental Health Division, and Veterans Affairs Division. In the November 2008 general election, Wardlow was unseated by

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 ...

Mike Obermueller in his bid for a fourth term.

Personal life

His son,

Doug Wardlow Douglas G. Wardlow (born July 3, 1978) is an American attorney and politician who served as a Minnesota state representative from district 38B. Wardlow was the unsuccessful Republican nominee in the 2018 Minnesota Attorney General election. E ...

, subsequently ran for the same seat in the 2010 general election, unseating Obermueller.

References

External links

Rep. Wardlow's Legislative "News and Views"

Minnesota Public Radio Votetracker: Rep. Lynn Wardlow
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wardlow, Lynn Living people 1943 births People from Eagan, Minnesota Republican Party members of the Minnesota House of Representatives Augustana University alumni Minnesota State University, Mankato alumni American Lutherans People from Spencer, Iowa 21st-century members of the Minnesota Legislature