Representative David Minge

David Raymond Minge (MING-ee; born March 19, 1942) is an American former judge, attorney, law professor, and politician who represented Minnesota in the United States House of Representatives from 1993 to 2001 and later served on the Minnesota Court of Appeals from 2002 until his retirement from active status at the end of March 2012. A member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), affiliated nationally with the Democratic Party, he served four terms in Congress in the 103rd, 104th, 105th, and 106th Congresses, representing Minnesota’s 2nd congressional district during a significant period in American political history.

Minge was born in Clarkfield, Minnesota, on March 19, 1942, and was raised in Worthington, Minnesota. He attended St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, where he earned his bachelor’s degree, and went on to receive his Juris Doctor from the University of Chicago Law School. His Midwestern upbringing and subsequent legal education at a leading national law school helped shape his later focus on public service, rural issues, and careful fiscal and legal analysis.

After completing his legal studies, Minge moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he practiced law for several years. He then accepted a teaching position at the University of Wyoming College of Law, where he taught for seven years, combining academic work with an emerging interest in public policy. Following his tenure in legal education, he returned to Minnesota and settled in Montevideo, where he joined a country law practice. In Montevideo he became deeply involved in local affairs, serving on the Montevideo School Board from 1989 to 1992 and participating actively in community organizations. During this period he also served as a consultant to the U.S. House Judiciary Committee, gaining experience with federal legislative processes that would inform his later work in Congress.

Minge was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1992 as a Democrat representing Minnesota’s 2nd congressional district and was sworn into office in January 1993. He served four consecutive terms, from 1993 to 2001, participating in the democratic process and representing the interests of his largely rural and small-town constituency. In Congress he joined the Blue Dog Coalition, a group of moderate and conservative Democrats focused on fiscal responsibility and bipartisan cooperation. He became known as a champion of the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP), a federal–state partnership designed to improve water quality, reduce soil erosion, and protect environmentally sensitive lands, reflecting his long-standing interest in agriculture and environmental stewardship. After his first election to the House, he opened a congressional field office in Windom, Minnesota; in recognition of this, the Windom City Council declared March 20, 1993, as “Congressman David Minge Day.” He narrowly lost his campaign for a fifth term in 2000 to Republican Mark Kennedy. In that 2000 election, Constitution Party candidate Dennis A. Burda received 1,337 votes; in earlier elections, write-in candidates received 414 votes in 1992, 80 votes in 1994, 180 votes in 1996, and 385 votes in 1998. During his years in Congress, Minge’s legislative files, correspondence, subject files, campaign materials, press office records, photographs, and audio-visual recordings were created and later preserved; these congressional files are available for research use and document his contributions to the legislative process.

In 2002, following his departure from Congress, Governor Jesse Ventura appointed Minge to the Minnesota Court of Appeals from the second congressional district, the same geographic area he had represented in the U.S. House. He served on the court for a decade, from 2002 until his retirement from active status at the end of March 2012. As an appellate judge, he participated in the review of a wide range of civil and criminal cases, applying his legal training and legislative experience to the interpretation and application of Minnesota law. His judicial service further solidified his reputation as a careful, analytical public servant with a strong interest in the rule of law and good governance.

In his later life, Minge has remained engaged in public policy and civic affairs. He serves on the board of directors of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a nonpartisan organization that advocates for fiscally sustainable federal policies and improved budgetary practices. His public profile has included appearances on C‑SPAN and recognition in profiles noting his interests outside of public office, including his activity as an avid bicyclist.

Minge is married to Karen Aaker Minge, originally of Gaylord, Minnesota, and they have two sons. His family life has remained rooted in Minnesota, and his extended family includes a grandson, Chris, who is the chief technology officer of a legal‑technology start‑up, Vulcan Technologies. Throughout his career in law, education, elective office, and the judiciary, Minge’s work has reflected a consistent commitment to his constituents, to environmental and fiscal responsibility, and to the institutions of representative democracy.