Yvonne Prettner Solon
Encyclopedia
Yvonne Prettner Solon is the 47th and current Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota
. She is the sixth consecutive woman to serve in that capacity and is a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party.
and a M.A.
from the University of Minnesota Duluth
.
representing District 7, which includes portions of St. Louis County
in the northeastern part of the state. She was first elected in a January 2002 special election held after the death of her husband, Senator Sam Solon
, on December 28, 2001. She was re-elected in the 2002 and 2006 general elections. Her special legislative concerns included economic development, education, health care, the environment, transportation and jobs.
candidate and former U.S. Senator Mark Dayton
announced that Prettner Solon would be his lieutenant governor running mate
in the 2010 election. In choosing her, Dayton said that "her thoughtful, sensitive and visionary leadership and public service are further informed by her life experiences, which have forged a woman I deeply respect and admire." The selection of Prettner Solon was seen as bringing balance to the Dayton Campaign.
On August 10, 2010, the Dayton-Prettner Solon ticket narrowly defeated Margaret Anderson Kelliher
to earn the DFL nomination and a spot in the November general election. After a close election that included a recount, Dayton and Prettner Solon defeated the ticket of Tom Emmer
and Annette Meeks
in the November general election.
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...
. She is the sixth consecutive woman to serve in that capacity and is a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party.
Education
Prettner Solon completed her secondary education at Stanbrook Hall Preparatory School and received a B.S.D.Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
and a M.A.
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
from the University of Minnesota Duluth
University of Minnesota Duluth
The University of Minnesota Duluth is a regional branch of the University of Minnesota system located in Duluth, Minnesota, USA. As Duluth's public research university, UMD offers 13 bachelor's degrees in 74 majors, graduate programs in 24 different fields, a two-year program at the School of...
.
State Senate
Prettner Solon was a member of the Minnesota SenateMinnesota 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...
representing District 7, which includes portions of St. Louis County
St. Louis County, Minnesota
St. Louis County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of 2010, the population was 200,226. Its county seat is Duluth. It is the largest county by total area in Minnesota, and the second largest in the United States east of the Mississippi River; in land area alone, after Aroostook...
in the northeastern part of the state. She was first elected in a January 2002 special election held after the death of her husband, Senator Sam Solon
Sam Solon
Sam George Solon was a Minnesota politician, and a member of the Minnesota Senate and the Minnesota House of Representatives. A Democrat, he served in the legislature for over 30 years, 28 of those years in the senate. He died of malignant melanoma in 2001.-Early years and education:Solon was born...
, on December 28, 2001. She was re-elected in the 2002 and 2006 general elections. Her special legislative concerns included economic development, education, health care, the environment, transportation and jobs.
Committees
Solon was a member of the Senate's Capital Investment Committee, the Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee, the Energy, Utilities, Technology and Communications Committee (which she chairs), and the Health, Housing and Family Security Committee. She also served on the Finance Subcommittee for the Health and Human Services Budget Division.Lieutenant Governor
On May 24, 2010, gubernatorialMinnesota gubernatorial election, 2010
The 2010 Minnesota gubernatorial election was held on Tuesday, November 2, 2010 to elect the 40th Governor of the U.S. state of Minnesota for a four-year term to begin in January 2011. The general election was contested by the major party candidates State Representative Tom Emmer , former Senator...
candidate and former U.S. Senator Mark Dayton
Mark Dayton
Mark Brandt Dayton is an American politician, the 40th and current Governor of the state of Minnesota. Dayton previously served as United States Senator from Minnesota from 2001 to 2007 in the 107th, 108th, and 109th Congresses...
announced that Prettner Solon would be his lieutenant governor running mate
Running mate
A running mate is a person running together with another person on a joint ticket during an election. The term is most often used in reference to the person in the subordinate position but can also properly be used when referring to both candidates, such as "Michael Dukakis and Lloyd Bentsen were...
in the 2010 election. In choosing her, Dayton said that "her thoughtful, sensitive and visionary leadership and public service are further informed by her life experiences, which have forged a woman I deeply respect and admire." The selection of Prettner Solon was seen as bringing balance to the Dayton Campaign.
On August 10, 2010, the Dayton-Prettner Solon ticket narrowly defeated Margaret Anderson Kelliher
Margaret Anderson Kelliher
Margaret Anderson Kelliher is a Minnesota politician and a former member of the Minnesota House of Representatives. A Democrat, she represented District 60A, which includes portions of the city of Minneapolis in Hennepin County, located in the Twin Cities metropolitan area...
to earn the DFL nomination and a spot in the November general election. After a close election that included a recount, Dayton and Prettner Solon defeated the ticket of Tom Emmer
Tom Emmer
Thomas Earl "Tom" Emmer, Jr. was a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives from 2005 until 2011 and the Republican nominee for governor in the 2010 election. He represented District 19B, which includes portions of Wright and Hennepin Counties and the cities of Otsego, Albertville, St....
and Annette Meeks
Annette Meeks
Annette Meeks is a Minnesota Republican politician, a member of the state's Metropolitan Council, and was the 2010 endorsed Republican candidate for lieutenant governor, running with gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer.-Biography:...
in the November general election.