Jim Ramstad
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James Marvin Ramstad (May 6, 1946 – November 5, 2020) was an American lawyer and politician who represented Minnesota's 3rd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1991 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Ramstad served in the Minnesota Senate from 1981 to 1991.
Ramstad was first elected to the Minnesota Senate in 1981 and was reelected until 1990, when he was elected to represent Minnesota’s 3rd congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives. Ramstad won reelection in the suburban congressional district eight times, all by landslide margins.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He had a reputation as a moderate Republican.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Ramstad chose to retire and not seek reelection in 2008. He was succeeded by Republican State Representative Erik Paulsen. Throughout his legislative career and later life, Ramstad, empowered by his prior struggles with alcoholism, was a notable advocate for addiction recovery.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In 2020, Ramstad died from Parkinson's disease at the age of 74.
Early life and education
Ramstad was born in Jamestown, North Dakota on May 6, 1946.<ref name=name-birthdate>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He was educated at the University of Minnesota and the George Washington University Law School. He was an officer in the United States Army Reserve from 1968 to 1974.<ref name="navyleague">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He also worked as a private practice attorney and as a legislative aide to the Minnesota House of Representatives.
Career
He served on the Wayzata-Plymouth Chemical Health Commission, Plymouth Human Rights Commission, and the Minnesota State Human Rights Advisory Committee from 1979 to 1980.
Ramstad was a Republican member of the Minnesota State Senate from 1981 to 1990 before entering the U.S. Congress. He served in the 102nd, 103rd, 104th, 105th, 106th, 107th, 108th, 109th, and 110th congresses, beginning on January 3, 1991. He first defeated former Minneapolis city councilman Lou DeMars in the 1990 election.
Tenure
Ramstad was a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1991 until 2009, representing Minnesota's 3rd congressional district, one of eight congressional districts in Minnesota. On September 17, 2007 Ramstad announced he would not seek reelection in 2008.<ref name="retirement">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He reiterated his statement on December 19, 2007.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Ramstad considered ending discrimination against those suffering from mental health and addiction problems a major part of his legacy. He worked under both Republican and Democratic majorities to pass a Mental Health Parity Bill. Mental Health Parity was eventually passed and signed into law in December, 2008.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Ramstad was mentioned as a possible candidate for Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy in the administration of President Barack Obama.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> However, the position eventually went to former Seattle police chief Gil Kerlikowske.
Ramstad considered running for Governor of Minnesota in the 2010 election,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> but decided not to.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
At the time of his death, Ramstad was a resident fellow at the Harvard Institute of Politics where he was leading a study group titled The Policy and Politics of Addiction.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Political positions
Ramstad was a member of The Republican Main Street Partnership. He was pro-choice and supported embryonic stem cell research. He was opposed to gay marriage.<ref>Jim Ramstad on the Issues Retrieved October 24, 2006</ref> He voted in favor of an amendment to a whistleblower protection bill that would have allowed the government to influence stem-cell research.<ref>Clerk of the House: Final Vote Results for Roll Call 150</ref>
He was considered to be the most moderate Republican member of the Minnesota delegation in the 109th Congress, scoring 68 percent conservative by a conservative group<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and 21% progressive by a liberal group.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Personal life
Ramstad was a recovering alcoholic. For a time, he was Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy's Alcoholics Anonymous sponsor.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He was a long-time advocate for addiction treatment and recovery services, and at the time of his death he had been sober for 39 years.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
He married Kathryn Mitchell Ramstad in 2005 and they had one daughter, Christen.
Ramstad's sister, Sheryl Ramstad, is a Tax Court judge in Minnesota. Ramstad was a member of the United Church of Christ.
On February 25, 2008, it was announced that Ramstad had been elected to the board of directors of the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In 2010, Ramstad joined alliantgroup as a senior advisor on their Strategic Advisory Board.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
He died of Parkinson's disease on November 5, 2020, aged 74, at his home in Wayzata, Minnesota.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In 2022, to honor Jim's legacy and further his ideals with the next generation of leaders, his widow Kathryn Ramstad established the Jim Ramstad Institute for Civility and Youth Leadership in the YMCA Center for Youth Voice. The Ramstad Institute exists to perpetuate the ideals Jim embraced in his political leadership: Bipartisanship and Bridge-Building; Ethics and Integrity; Constituent-Centered Leadership; Compassion and Resilience in Leadership; and Legislative Process and Civic Literacy. Each year, the Institute will help train more than 200 young people to be effective servant leaders - leaders like Jim, who encourage others to work together, to trust each other, to listen to each other and to see a vision of what they could achieve together. The Institute will also help fund professional development workshops for secondary teachers and students focusing on the Y’s Respectful Conversations in Schools model.
Committee assignments
- Ways and Means Committee
- Subcommittee on Oversight (Ranking Member)
- Subcommittee on Health
- Co-chair of the Addiction Treatment and Recovery Caucus
- Co-chair of the Disabilities Caucus
- Co-chair of the Law Enforcement Caucus
- Co-chair of the Medical Technology Caucus
Electoral history
Template:RefbeginWrite-in and minor candidate notes: In 1996, write-ins received 417 votes. In 1998, write-ins received 250 votes. In 2002, write-ins received 309 votes. In 2004, write-ins received 356 votes. In 2006, write-ins received 323 votes. Template:Refend
References
External links
- Template:CongLinks
- Template:C-SPAN
- MPR – Campaign 2006: Jim Ramstad profile from Minnesota Public Radio
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- 1946 births
- 2020 deaths
- Republican Party Minnesota state senators
- George Washington University Law School alumni
- University of Minnesota alumni
- People from Jamestown, North Dakota
- Military personnel from North Dakota
- United Church of Christ members
- People from Minnetonka, Minnesota
- Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Minnesota
- Deaths from Parkinson's disease in Minnesota
- Harvard Fellows
- 21st-century Minnesota politicians
- Phi Delta Theta members
- 21st-century United States representatives
- 20th-century members of the Minnesota Legislature