Preceded by Tom A. Nelson | Preceded by Leo J. Reding Name Pat Piper | |
 | ||
Political party | ||
Patricia Kathryn "Pat" Piper (July 16, 1934 – January 31, 2016) was a Minnesota politician and former member of the Minnesota Senate and the Minnesota House of Representatives. A member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), she represented District 27 in the Senate and 31B in the House, which includes portions of Freeborn and Mower counties in the southeastern part of Minnesota. She was a Religious Education Director, Ecumenical Resource Center/Consultant/Teacher and Workshop Leader.
Contents
- Early Life Education and Career
- Elections
- Committee Assignments
- Tenure
- Post Legislative Career
- Personal life
- References
Early Life, Education and Career
Born in Delavan, Minnesota, Piper was one of nine children. Her father fought in World War II. Piper grew up in Blue Earth, Minnesota. Piper received an B.A. in Elementary Education from College of Saint Teresa and a B.A. in Religious Education from The Catholic University of America. Piper was a Roman Catholic Nun who worked as a Religious Education Director, Ecumenical Resource Center/Consultant/Teacher and Workshop Leader at Christian Education Center.
Elections
Piper was first elected in 1982 and re-elected in 1984. She decided to run for State Senate instead of seeking re-election in 1986.
Committee Assignments
For the 74th Legislative Session, Piper was a part of:
For the 73rd Legislative Session, Piper was a part of:
Tenure
Piper represented District 31A in the Minnesota House of Representatives from January 4, 1983 to January 6, 1987(73rd and 74th Legislative Sessions).
Elections
Piper was first elected to the Minnesota Senate in 1986, and was re-elected in 1990, 1992 and 1996. She lost re-election in 2000 to Grace Schwab.
Committee Assignments
For the 80th and 81st Legislative Sessions, Piper was a part of:
For the 79th Legislative Session, Piper was a part of:
For the 78th Legislative Session, Piper was a part of:
For the 77th Legislative Session, Piper was a part of:
For the 76th Legislative Session, Piper was a part of:
For the 75th Legislative Session, Piper was a part of:
Tenure
Piper was sworn in on January 6, 1987, serving in the 75th, 76th, 77th, 78th 79th, 80th, and 81st Legislative Sessions. Piper championed issues such as: family support, children, health, human services, and education. She was part of the "Gang of Seven" (Linda Berglin, Paul Ogren, Duane Benson, Dave Gruenes, Brad Stanius, Rep. Lee Greenfield, and Piper) that worked to pass bipartisan Minnesota Care. She also pushed legislation to help the Exol Ethanol plant in Glenville, Minnesota. Piper convinced a Senate committee to join her in singing the "Itsy Bitsy Spider" song, when children visited the state Capitol to testify about welfare issues. Piper authored legislation that would require insurance companies to pay for bone marrow transplants as an experimental procedure for women with breast cancer.
Post-Legislative Career
Piper suggested that she'd apply for the position of chaplain of the Senate, where she could give her numerous original prayers an appropriate audience. Piper also suggested she would be the appropriate candidate to become the director of a child-care center in the state Capitol. Piper stayed involved in the Austin Community, running the Senate Campaign for KAAL TV 6 Anchor Terry Kelley and attending public events. She also became a board member for Minnesota Partnership for Action Against Tobacco.
Personal life
Piper was single and lived in Austin, Minnesota. She died at Cottagewood Senior Community in Rochester, Minnesota.