Rick Nolan represented Minnesota as a Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1975 to 1981 and again from 2013 to 2019.
- Died: October 2024
- Details of death: Died of a heart condition at his home in Nisswa, Minnesota at the age of 80.
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Rick Nolan’s legacy
Nolan got an early taste of politics as a young staff assistant to then-Senator Walter Mondale (1928–2021) in the 1960s. In 1968, he was elected to Minnesota’s House of Representatives, serving two terms there before pursuing national office. After an unsuccessful initial run for the U.S. House, Nolan was elected in 1974. He represented his state’s 6th District for three terms, then decided not to run again and stepped away from Capitol Hill, working in the business world for many years.
When Nolan returned to politics, it was after a 32-year break, the second longest in U.S. Congressional history. He ran again in 2012, this time in Minnesota’s 8th District, and he won. When he returned to the House after his long absence, he retained the seniority he had gained previously, including as a member of the House Agriculture Committee, on which he had served in his earlier years in politics. In Nolan’s later time in the House, he also served on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and he focused on such issues as the environment, health care, and campaign finance reform. Among the bills he championed was one that would withhold pay from members of Congress during a government shutdown.
After serving an additional two terms in the House in the 2010s, Nolan joined Lori Swanson’s 2018 gubernatorial ticket, running for lieutenant governor. They lost the primary to current Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan.
Tributes to Rick Nolan
Full obituary: The Minnesota Star Tribune
