Sandy Keith

Alexander MacDonald "Sandy" Keith (November 22, 1928 – October 3, 2020) was an American politician and jurist who was the first person to hold office in each of the three branches of Minnesota state government, serving as state senator, the 37th Lieutenant Governor, and as an associate justice and later chief justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court.[1][2]

This article is about a politician. For other uses, see Alexander Keith (disambiguation).

Sandy Keith
Chief Justice of the
Minnesota Supreme Court
In office
December 1, 1990 – January 29, 1998
Appointed byRudy Perpich
Preceded byPeter S. Popovich
Succeeded byKathleen A. Blatz
Associate Justice of the
Minnesota Supreme Court
In office
February 1, 1989 – December 1, 1990
Appointed byRudy Perpich
37th Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota
In office
January 8, 1963 – January 2, 1967
GovernorElmer L. Andersen
Karl Rolvaag
Preceded byKarl Rolvaag
Succeeded byJames B. Goetz
Member of the Minnesota Senate
from the 4th district
In office
January 6, 1959 – January 7, 1963
Preceded byWalter Burdick
Succeeded byHarold G. Krieger
Personal details
Born
Alexander MacDonald Keith

November 22, 1928
Rochester, Minnesota
DiedOctober 3, 2020 (aged 91)
NationalityAmerican
Political partyDemocratic-Farmer-Labor Party
SpouseMarion E. Sanford
Alma materAmherst College
Yale Law School

Early life

Keith was born in Rochester, Minnesota, to Norman M. Keith and Edna (Alexander) Keith. His father was a physician who practiced medicine at the Mayo Clinic. He married Marion E. Sanford on April 29, 1955. Keith graduated magna cum laude from Amherst College in 1950, and from Yale Law School in 1953. He then served in the United States Marine Corps during the Korean War.[3]

Career

After returning to his hometown of Rochester, Keith took a job as counsel with the Mayo Clinic, where he worked with future U.S. Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun.

In 1959, he was elected to the Minnesota State Senate as a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL). During his tenure as a state senator, Keith served as a delegate to the 1960 Democratic National Convention. He was Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota under Governor Karl Rolvaag from 1963 until 1967. He challenged Rolvaag for the nomination to be the DFL's candidate for governor in the 1966 general election, but was defeated by Rolvaag in the primary election.

In 1989, Keith began serving as a justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court. He became chief justice in 1990 and served in that capacity until 1998.[4][5]

Death

Keith died at his home on October 3, 2020. He was 91 years old.[2]

References
  1. Klecker, Mara (October 5, 2020). "Former Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Sandy Keith dies". Star Tribune. Minneapolis. Alexander MacDonald "Sandy" Keith dedicated his life to public service and is believed to be the first person to work in roles across all three branches of Minnesota government.
  2. "Sandy"-Keith "A.M. "Sandy" Keith (obituary)". Post-Bulletin. Rochester, Minnesota. October 5, 2020. Sandy was a public man—the only person in Minnesota's history to have served in all three branches of state government.
  3. Minnesota Legislators Past & Present-Alexander MacDonald "Sandy" Keith
  4. Minnesota Legislators Past & Present[Alexander MacDonald "Sandy" Keith
  5. Minnesota Legislative Reference Library-Minnesota Lieutenant Governors, 1858-present
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