Patricia "Pat" (née Wright) Pariseau (August 10, 1936 – November 13, 2020) was an American nurse, 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 36, which includes portions of

Dakota Dakota may refer to: * Dakota people, a sub-tribe of the Sioux ** Dakota language, their language Dakota may also refer to: Places United States * Dakota, Georgia, an unincorporated community * Dakota, Illinois, a town * Dakota, Minnesota ...

, Goodhue,

Scott Scott may refer to: Places Canada * Scott, Quebec, municipality in the Nouvelle-Beauce regional municipality in Quebec * Scott, Saskatchewan, a town in the Rural Municipality of Tramping Lake No. 380 * Rural Municipality of Scott No. 98, Sas ...

and

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

counties in the southern

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, she was first elected to the Senate in a 1988 special election held after the resignation of Senator Darril Wegscheid. She was re-elected in 1990, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2002 and 2006. Prior to the 1992 legislative

redistricting Redistricting in the United States is the process of drawing electoral district boundaries. For the United States House of Representatives, and state legislatures, redistricting occurs after each ten-year census. The U.S. Constitution in Art ...

, she represented the old District 37. On February 22, 2010, she announced that she would not seek an eighth term. Pariseau was a member of the Senate's Environment and Natural Resources Committee, the Finance Committee, and the Judiciary Committee. She also served on the Environment and Natural Resources Subcommittee for Public Lands and Waters, and on the Finance subcommittees for the Economic Development and Housing Budget Division, the Environment, Energy and Natural Resources Budget Division, and the Environment, Energy and Natural Resources Budget Division-Natural Resources. Her special legislative concerns included taxes, health issues, agriculture, business and jobs, environment and sporting issues, airport planning, natural resources, and corrections. She was an assistant minority leader from 1991 to 1994. Pariseau was born in

Saint Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (often abbreviated St. Paul) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County, Minnesota, Ramsey County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, ...

. She was a retired

registered nurse A registered nurse (RN) is a healthcare professional who has graduated or successfully passed a nursing program from a recognized nursing school and met the requirements outlined by a country, state, province or similar government-authorized ...

. She graduated from Ravenswood Hospital School of Nursing in

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. She and her late husband, Ken, farmed near Farmington, and parented six children. Before running for the Senate, she served on the Farmington School Board and also worked as an aide to

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

Rudy Boschwitz Rudolph Ely “Rudy” Boschwitz (born November 7, 1930) is an American politician and businessman from the state of Minnesota. A member of the Republican Party, he served as a member of the United States Senate from 1978 to 1991. From 1987 to ...

in his

Saint Paul Paul, also named Saul of Tarsus, commonly known as Paul the Apostle and Saint Paul, was a Christian apostle ( AD) who spread the teachings of Jesus in the first-century world. For his contributions towards the New Testament, he is generally ...

office. Pariseau died in

Farmington, Minnesota Farmington is a city in Dakota County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 23,632 at the 2020 census. It is a part of the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. History Settlers began arriving in Empire Township, in which Farming ...

and had suffered from dementia.Patricia Pariseau-obituary
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References

External links

Senator Pariseau Web PageMinnesota Public Radio Votetracker: Senator Pat PariseauProject Vote Smart - Senator Pat Pariseau Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pariseau, Patricia 1936 births 2020 deaths American women nurses Farmers from Minnesota School board members in Minnesota Republican Party Minnesota state senators People from Farmington, Minnesota Politicians from Saint Paul, Minnesota Women state legislators in Minnesota 21st-century American women politicians Deaths from dementia in Minnesota 21st-century members of the Minnesota Legislature