Sandy Keith - Misplaced Pages

American politician and jurist (1928–2020) 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 by	Rudy Perpich
Preceded by	Peter S. Popovich
Succeeded by	Kathleen A. Blatz
Associate Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court
In office February 1, 1989 – December 1, 1990
Appointed by	Rudy Perpich
37th Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota
In office January 8, 1963 – January 2, 1967
Governor	Elmer L. Andersen Karl Rolvaag
Preceded by	Karl Rolvaag
Succeeded by	James B. Goetz
Member of the Minnesota Senate from the 4th district
In office January 6, 1959 – January 7, 1963
Preceded by	Walter Burdick
Succeeded by	Harold G. Krieger

Personal details
Born	Alexander MacDonald Keith November 22, 1928 Rochester, Minnesota
Died	October 3, 2020 (aged 91)
Nationality	American
Political party	Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party
Spouse	Marion E. Sanford
Alma mater	Amherst College Yale Law School

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.

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.

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.

Death

Keith died at his home on October 3, 2020. He was 91 years old, just a month and a half shy of his 92nd birthday.

References

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.
^ "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.
Minnesota Legislators Past & Present-Alexander MacDonald "Sandy" Keith
Minnesota Legislators Past & Present[Alexander MacDonald "Sandy" Keith
Minnesota Legislative Reference Library-Minnesota Lieutenant Governors, 1858-present

External links

Political offices
Preceded byKarl Rolvaag	Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota 1963–1967	Succeeded byJames B. Goetz
Legal offices
Preceded byPeter S. Popovich	Chief Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court 1990–1998	Succeeded byKathleen A. Blatz
Party political offices
Preceded byKarl Rolvaag	Democratic nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota 1962	Succeeded byBob Short
Preceded byKarl Rolvaag	Endorsed Gubernatorial Candidate, Minnesota DFL State Convention 1966	Succeeded byWendell Anderson

v t e Chief justices of the Supreme Court of Minnesota
Emmett T. Wilson Gilfillan Ripley McMillan Gilfillan Start Brown S. Wilson Devaney Gallagher Loring Dell Knutson Sheran Amdahl Popovich Keith Blatz Anderson Magnuson Gildea Hudson

v t e Lieutenant governors of Minnesota
Holcombe Donnelly Swift Sherwood Armstrong Yale Barto Wakefield Gilman Rice Ives Clough Day Gibbs L. Smith Jones Eberhart E. Smith Gordon Burnquist Sullivan Frankson Collins Nolan Adams Arens Solberg Petersen Richardson (acting) Lindsten Anderson Thye Miller Anderson Nelsen Wright Rolvaag Keith Goetz Perpich Olson Wangberg Johnson Dyrstad Benson Schunk Molnau Prettner Solon T. Smith Fischbach Flanagan

v t e Minnesota Supreme Court justices
Territorial (1849–1858)	Goodrich Cooper Meeker Fuller Hayner Chatfield Sherburne Welch R. Nelson Flandrau
State (since 1858)	Flandrau Atwater Emmett T. Wilson McMillan Berry Gilfillan Ripley Young Cornell Mitchell Clark Dickinson Vanderburgh Collins Buck Canty Start C. Brown Lovely Lewis Douglas Jaggard Elliott O'Brien Simpson Bunn P. Brown Holt Hallam Schaller Quinn Dibell S. Wilson Stone Hilton Olsen Loring Devaney Olson H. Peterson H. Gallagher Streissguth Pirsig Youngdahl T. Gallagher Magney Matson W. Christianson F. Gallagher Knutson T. Christianson Dell M. Nelson Murphy Loevinger Otis Rogosheske Sheran C.D. Peterson F. Kelly Todd MacLaughlin Yetka Scott Wahl Amdahl Simonett G. Kelley Coyne Popovich Keith Tomljanovich Ogren Page P. Anderson Stringer Blatz Gilbert R. Anderson Ericksen Meyer Hanson G.B. Anderson Gildea Dietzen Magnuson Stras Wright Lillehaug Hudson Chutich McKeig Thissen Moore Procaccini Hennesy Gaïtas

Minnesota Supreme Court justices

Territorial (1849–1858)

State (since 1858)

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