Don Betzold
Encyclopedia
Donald "Don" Betzold is a Minnesota
politician and a former member of the Minnesota Senate
who represented District 51, which includes portions of Anoka
, Hennepin
and Ramsey
counties in the northern Twin Cities
metropolitan area. Prior to the 2002 redistricting
, the area was known as District 48. A Democrat
, he was first elected to the Senate in 1992, and was re-elected in 1996, 2000, 2002 and 2006. He was unseated by Republican
Pam Wolf in the 2010 general election.
Betzold was a member of the Senate's Finance Committee, the Judiciary Committee, and the State and Local Government Operations and Oversight Committee. He also served on the Finance subcommittees for the Judiciary Budget Division and for the State Government Budget Division (which he chaired), on the Judiciary Subcommittee for Data Practices, on the Rules and Administration Subcommittee for Permanent and Joint Rules, and on the State and Local Government Operations and Oversight Subcommittee for Gaming. His special legislative concerns included human services, environmental issues, local government operations, small business, civil law, mental health, military issues, and data practices.
Betzold is an attorney
in Brooklyn Center
. He is also a retired military veteran
, having served in the U.S. Army as a Signal Corps Officer for four years in the 1970s, and in the Army Reserves from 1976 to 2002 in the Judge Advocate General's Corps, from which he retired as a colonel
. He graduated from DeLaSalle High School
in Minneapolis
, then attended the University of Minnesota
, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude in 1972 with a B.A.
in Journalism
. He later attended Hamline University School of Law
, earning his J.D.
in 1979.
Prior to being elected to the senate, Betzold was chair of the Fridley
Planning Commission from 1986 to 1992, and also served on the Fridley City Charter Commission from 1983 to 1992. From 2006 to 2008 he served on the Minnesota Statehood Sesquicentennial Commission, to which he was appointed by Governor Tim Pawlenty
.
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
politician and a former member of the Minnesota Senate
Minnesota Senate
The Minnesota Senate is the upper house in the Minnesota Legislature. There are 67 members, half as many as are in the Minnesota House of Representatives. In terms of membership, it is the largest upper house of any state legislature. Each Senate district in the state includes an A and B House...
who represented District 51, which includes portions of Anoka
Anoka County, Minnesota
Anoka County is the fourth-most populous county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The county is bordered by the counties of Isanti on the north, Chisago and Washington on the east, Hennepin and Ramsey on the south, Sherburne on the west, and the Mississippi River on the southwest.As of 2010, Anoka...
, Hennepin
Hennepin County, Minnesota
Hennepin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota, named in honor of the 17th-century explorer Father Louis Hennepin. As of 2010 the population was 1,152,425. Its county seat is Minneapolis. It is by far the most populous county in Minnesota; more than one in five Minnesotans live...
and Ramsey
Ramsey County, Minnesota
Ramsey County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota, founded in 1849. As of 2010, the population was 508,640. Its county seat is St. Paul, which is also Minnesota's state capital. The county is named for Alexander Ramsey , the first governor of the Minnesota Territory...
counties in the northern Twin Cities
Twin cities
Twin cities are a special case of two cities or urban centres which are founded in close geographic proximity and then grow into each other over time...
metropolitan area. Prior to the 2002 redistricting
Redistricting
Redistricting is the process of drawing United States electoral district boundaries, often in response to population changes determined by the results of the decennial census. In 36 states, the state legislature has primary responsibility for creating a redistricting plan, in many cases subject to...
, the area was known as District 48. A Democrat
Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party
The Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party is a major political party in the state of Minnesota and the state affiliate of the Democratic Party. It was created on April 15, 1944, with the merger of the Minnesota Democratic Party and the Farmer–Labor Party...
, he was first elected to the Senate in 1992, and was re-elected in 1996, 2000, 2002 and 2006. He was unseated by Republican
Republican Party of Minnesota
The Republican Party of Minnesota is the Minnesota branch of the United States Republican Party. Elected by the party’s state central committee in June 2009, its chairman is Tony Sutton, and its deputy-chairman is Michael Brodkorb.-Early history:...
Pam Wolf in the 2010 general election.
Betzold was a member of the Senate's Finance Committee, the Judiciary Committee, and the State and Local Government Operations and Oversight Committee. He also served on the Finance subcommittees for the Judiciary Budget Division and for the State Government Budget Division (which he chaired), on the Judiciary Subcommittee for Data Practices, on the Rules and Administration Subcommittee for Permanent and Joint Rules, and on the State and Local Government Operations and Oversight Subcommittee for Gaming. His special legislative concerns included human services, environmental issues, local government operations, small business, civil law, mental health, military issues, and data practices.
Betzold is an attorney
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
in Brooklyn Center
Brooklyn Center, Minnesota
As of the census of 2010, there were 30,104 residents in Brooklyn Center. The racial makeup of the city was 49% White, 26% African American, 1% Native American, 14% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 5% from other races, and 4% from two or more races...
. He is also a retired military veteran
Veteran
A veteran is a person who has had long service or experience in a particular occupation or field; " A veteran of ..."...
, having served in the U.S. Army as a Signal Corps Officer for four years in the 1970s, and in the Army Reserves from 1976 to 2002 in the Judge Advocate General's Corps, from which he retired as a colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
. He graduated from DeLaSalle High School
DeLaSalle High School (Minneapolis)
DeLaSalle High School is a Catholic, college preparatory high school located for its entire 111-year history on Nicollet Island, adjacent to downtown Minneapolis, USA. Then-Archbishop John Ireland helped raise money to build the new Catholic secondary school in Minneapolis. Only a few months...
in Minneapolis
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
, then attended the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude in 1972 with a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in Journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
. He later attended Hamline University School of Law
Hamline University School of Law
Hamline University School of Law is a private law school affiliated with Hamline University in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The School of Law was founded in 1972 as the Midwestern School of Law by a group of legal professionals. In 1976, it was absorbed by Hamline University as its own School of Law,...
, earning his J.D.
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
in 1979.
Prior to being elected to the senate, Betzold was chair of the Fridley
Fridley, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 27,449 people, 11,328 households, and 7,317 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,701.3 people per square mile . There were 11,504 housing units at an average density of 1,132.1 per square mile...
Planning Commission from 1986 to 1992, and also served on the Fridley City Charter Commission from 1983 to 1992. From 2006 to 2008 he served on the Minnesota Statehood Sesquicentennial Commission, to which he was appointed by Governor Tim Pawlenty
Tim Pawlenty
Timothy James "Tim" Pawlenty , also known affectionately among supporters as T-Paw, is an American politician who served as the 39th Governor of Minnesota . He was a Republican candidate for President of the United States in the 2012 election from May to August 2011...
.