Pat Kronebusch
Encyclopedia
Patricia Louise "Pat" Kronebusch (March 17, 1927 – April 3, 2004) was a Minnesota
politician and a member of the Minnesota Senate
who represented District 34, which included portions of Houston
, Olmsted
, Wabash
and Winona
counties in the southeastern part of the state. A Republican
, she was first elected to the Senate in 1980, and was re-elected in 1982.
Kronebusch had lunch at the White House
with President Ronald Reagan
while she was in office, and authored a bill that would allow minors to donate their organs with the permission of their parents. She was also an active opponent of the state’s elimination of the Council of the Economic Status of Women in 1983 in favor of a commission. The reorganization as a joint legislative advisory commission eliminated all public members from the decision-making process. In 2005, the commission was renamed the Office on the Economic Status of Women and aligned under the Legislative Coordinating Commission.
in Winona County, Kronebusch attended the College of Saint Teresa
in Winona, earning her B.A.
degree in 1948. She later received her M.A.
from Winona State University
in 1969. She was a teacher and homemaker when she decided to run for the District 34 Senate seat, unseating incumbent Senator Roger Laufenburger
, who had defeated her father, Senator James "J.R." Keller
, for the same seat (then called District 2) in 1962. After taking office, she even received her father's old desk in the senate chamber.
Prior to being elected to the senate, Kronebusch was elected to the Winona District 861 School Board three times. She also served on the Winona State University Foundation Board of Directors and was involved in many state and local organizations including Birthright
, the State of Minnesota Hospital Auxiliary Association, the State Rheumatoid Arthritis Advisory Board, and the National Federation of Business and Professional Women.
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 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 34, which included portions of Houston
Houston County, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 19,718 people, 7,633 households, and 5,411 families residing in the county. The population density was 35 people per square mile . There were 8,168 housing units at an average density of 15 per square mile...
, Olmsted
Olmsted County, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 124,277 people, 47,807 households, and 32,317 families residing in the county. The population density was 190 people per square mile . There were 49,422 housing units at an average density of 76 per square mile...
, Wabash
Wabasha County, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 21,610 people, 8,277 households, and 5,876 families residing in the county. The population density was 41 people per square mile . There were 9,066 housing units at an average density of 17 per square mile...
and Winona
Winona County, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 49,985 people, 18,744 households, and 11,696 families residing in the county. The population density was 80 people per square mile . There were 19,551 housing units at an average density of 31 per square mile...
counties in the southeastern part of the state. A 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:...
, she was first elected to the Senate in 1980, and was re-elected in 1982.
Service in the Minnesota Senate
While in the Senate, Kronebusch served on the Economic Development and Commerce, Energy and Housing, Finance, General Legislation and Administrative Rules, Transportation, and Veterans and General Legislation committees during her time in office. She was also a member of the Economic Development and Commerce subcommittees for Banking and for Consumer Protection, the Energy and Housing Subcommittee for Energy, the Finance Subcommittee for Agriculture/Transportation/Semi-States, the Transportation subcommittees for Highway Safety, for Rural and Commercial Transportation, and for Transit, and the Veterans and General Legislation Subcommittee for General Legislation. Her special legislative concerns included education, small business, transportation, veterans, banking, and agriculture.Kronebusch had lunch at the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
with President Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
while she was in office, and authored a bill that would allow minors to donate their organs with the permission of their parents. She was also an active opponent of the state’s elimination of the Council of the Economic Status of Women in 1983 in favor of a commission. The reorganization as a joint legislative advisory commission eliminated all public members from the decision-making process. In 2005, the commission was renamed the Office on the Economic Status of Women and aligned under the Legislative Coordinating Commission.
Background and community leadership
From the small town of RollingstoneRollingstone, Minnesota
Rollingstone is a city in Winona County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 664 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land.-Demographics:...
in Winona County, Kronebusch attended the College of Saint Teresa
College of Saint Teresa
The College of Saint Teresa was a Catholic women's college in Winona, Minnesota. Previously a seminary, it became a college in 1907 and was operated by the Sisters of Saint Francis of Rochester, Minnesota until its closing in 1989.-History:...
in Winona, earning her 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...
degree in 1948. She later received her M.A.
Master of Science
A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...
from Winona State University
Winona State University
Winona State University is a comprehensive public university in Winona, Minnesota, United States, a college and river town located in picturesque bluff country on the Mississippi River, with around 8,900 enrolled undergraduate and graduate students...
in 1969. She was a teacher and homemaker when she decided to run for the District 34 Senate seat, unseating incumbent Senator Roger Laufenburger
Roger Laufenburger
Roger A. Laufenburger was a Minnesota politician and a member of the Minnesota Senate who represented the old District 2 and, after the 1972 redistricting, District 34, which included portions of Olmsted, Wabash and Winona counties in the southeastern part of the state...
, who had defeated her father, Senator James "J.R." Keller
James Keller (Minnesota politician)
James "Jim" or "J.R." Keller was a Minnesota politician and a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives and the Minnesota Senate from southeastern Minnesota.-Service in the Minnesota House and Senate:...
, for the same seat (then called District 2) in 1962. After taking office, she even received her father's old desk in the senate chamber.
Prior to being elected to the senate, Kronebusch was elected to the Winona District 861 School Board three times. She also served on the Winona State University Foundation Board of Directors and was involved in many state and local organizations including Birthright
Birthright International
Birthright International is an international organization of crisis pregnancy centers. It offers a range of services designed to "help support a woman's desire not to have an abortion," including referrals to legal, medical and psychological services, as well as a range of community support...
, the State of Minnesota Hospital Auxiliary Association, the State Rheumatoid Arthritis Advisory Board, and the National Federation of Business and Professional Women.