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Minnesota Index: House members’ hometowns

The State Capitol pictured May 3. House Photography file photo
The State Capitol pictured May 3. House Photography file photo

House members, from Territorial House of 1849 to today              4,359

Of 3,849 with listed birth countries, House members born outside of the United States  885

Number born in Norway               225

                Canada 139

                Germany 136

                Sweden 111

                Ireland 85

                England 48

                Scotland 30

                Prussia 24

                Denmark 18

                Wales 12

                Austria, Switzerland, each            8

                Poland, Bohemia, each  5

                France, Iceland, Luxembourg, Saxony, each        3

                Bavaria, Netherlands, each          2

                Australia, Austria, Colombia, Finland, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Laos, Prussian Poland, Russian (federation), Russian Poland, Thailand, United Kingdom (Isle of Jersey), each     1

Current House members born in other countries                              4 (Rep. Eric Lucero, Germany; Rep. Ilhan Omar, Somalia; Rep. Fue Lee, Thailand; Rep. Jon Koznick, Colombia)

Last year House had a member born in Sweden, Norway or Denmark     1966

                Laos                      2010

                England                2000

                Canada                1972

                Poland                  1970

                Bohemia              1935

                Ireland                 1922

                Scotland               1904

Of 2,949 U.S.-born House members with states listed, number born in Minnesota            1,208

                New York: 405

                Vermont: 127

                Maine: 126

                Pennsylvania: 124

                Ohio: 122

Members born in four neighboring states (Iowa, Wisconsin, North Dakota and South Dakota), combined              290

States no House member is listed as having been born in              4 (Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada)

Last year House had a member who resided, when first elected, in Yucatan, MN: 1890

                Moscow, MN: 1874

                Berlin, MN: 1884

                Warsaw, MN: 1886

                Sparta, MN: 1908

                Geneva, MN: 1912

                Ceylon, MN: 1914

                Santiago, MN: 1932

                London, MN: 1936

                Oslo, MN: 1952

In years, longest drought for a city between terms of House members who lived there when first elected (Greenfield, 1862-2013)                151

                Eagan (1848-1993)           135

                Little Canada (1849-1979)             130

                Chanhassen (1856-1983)               127

                Corcoran (1878-1993):    125

Current legislators living in Vernon Center (pop. 320): 2 (Rep. Tony Cornish and Sen. Julie Rosen)

                Past House members listed as living, when first elected, in Vernon Center (all in 19th century): 3

Places with a resident currently serving in the House that have not been home, when first elected, to a previous House member (East Bethel, Elko New Market*, Ghent, Hermantown, Nisswa, Pennington, Rockville, Ramsey, Rogers) 9

*Before they merged in 2006, the cities of Elko and New Market had been the hometown for previous House members when first elected.

Sources: Minnesota Legislators Past & Present, Legislative Reference Library


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