# Gary DeCramer > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Gary_DeCramer > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Gary_DeCramer.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_DeCramer > Source revision: 1349883211 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{short description|American politician}} {{Infobox officeholder | birth_name = Gary Michael DeCramer | image = | birth_date = {{Birth date|1944|9|13|mf=y}} | birth_place = [Marshall, Minnesota](/source/Marshall%2C_Minnesota) | death_date = {{Death date and age|2012|3|7|1944|9|13|mf=yes}} | death_place = [Morris, Minnesota](/source/Morris%2C_Minnesota) | state_senate = Minnesota | district = 27th | term_start = January 4, 1983 | term_end = January 4, 1993 | predecessor = [Mike Menning](/source/Mike_Menning) | successor = [Arlene Lesewski](/source/Arlene_Lesewski) | party = [Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party](/source/Minnesota_Democratic_Farmer_Labor_Party) | alma_mater = [University of Saint Thomas](/source/University_of_St._Thomas_(Minnesota)), [University of Oklahoma](/source/University_of_Oklahoma) | occupation = [Educator](/source/Educator) | majority = | spouse = Estelle | children = 3 }} '''Gary Michael DeCramer''' (September 13, 1944 – March 7, 2012) was a [politician](/source/politician) from [Minnesota](/source/Minnesota) and a [Minnesota State Senator](/source/Minnesota_Senate). After running unsuccessfully for the state senate in a 1981 special election, he was elected from [Ghent](/source/Ghent%2C_Minnesota) in 1982 in the [re-districted](/source/redistricting) District 27, and was re-elected in 1986 and 1990. The district included all or portions of [Lincoln](/source/Lincoln_County%2C_Minnesota), [Lyon](/source/Lyon_County%2C_Minnesota), [Murray](/source/Murray_County%2C_Minnesota), [Nobles](/source/Nobles_County%2C_Minnesota), [Pipestone](/source/Pipestone_County%2C_Minnesota) and [Rock](/source/Rock_County%2C_Minnesota) counties.{{cite web|url=http://www.leg.state.mn.us/legdb/fulldetail.asp?ID=10133 |title=Minnesota Legislators Past & Present - Legislator Record - DeCramer, Gary M |publisher=Leg.state.mn.us |date= |accessdate=2010-07-20}} DeCramer died after collapsing on a trip to [Morris, Minnesota](/source/Morris%2C_Minnesota) on Wednesday, March 7, 2012.{{cite web|url=http://www.twincities.com/localnews/ci_20122001/gary-decramer |title=Gary DeCramer, former state senator, dies |publisher=www.twincities.com |date= 6 March 2012|accessdate=2012-03-07}} ==Early years and service as senator== DeCramer was born and raised on a farm near [Marshall](/source/Marshall%2C_Minnesota). He attended Crosier Preparatory Seminary in [Onamia](/source/Onamia%2C_Minnesota) and graduated from the [Secondary College of St. Thomas](/source/University_of_Saint_Thomas_(Minnesota)) in [Saint Paul](/source/Saint_Paul%2C_Minnesota) with a [B.A.](/source/Bachelor_of_Arts) in English. He later earned a [master's degree](/source/master's_degree) in English from the [University of Oklahoma](/source/University_of_Oklahoma). During his time as senator, DeCramer's special legislative concerns included agriculture, education and soil, water and wildlife conservation. He was a member of the senate's Agriculture and Rural Development, Education, Finance, Governmental Operations, Public Utilities and State Regulated Industries, Redistricting, Rules & Administration, Transportation and Veterans & General Legislation committees, and of various sub-committees relevant to each area. He was chair of the Senate Transportation Committee during the 1991-1992 legislative session. ==Leadership in public affairs and education== After leaving the Minnesota Legislature, DeCramer was the Minnesota Director of [USDA Rural Development](/source/USDA_Rural_Development), which provides financial and technical assistance to the towns and eleven tribal communities in the state, and direct financing toward low-income housing, community facilities, rural water and wastewater infrastructure, distance learning and telemedicine infrastructure, rural business and cooperative services, and community development.{{citation needed|date=February 2020}} He later served as a principal planning analyst for [Hennepin County](/source/Hennepin_County%2C_Minnesota)'s Office of Planning and Development, and as senior fellow in the [Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs](/source/Hubert_H._Humphrey_School_of_Public_Affairs)' State and Local Policy Program and the [University of Minnesota](/source/University_of_Minnesota)'s Center for Transportation Studies. He also served briefly as interim president of [Southwest State University](/source/Southwest_State_University) in Marshall. During this period, he earned a [doctorate](/source/doctorate) in educational leadership from the [University of St. Thomas](/source/University_of_St._Thomas_(Minnesota)).{{cite web |url=http://www.hhh.umn.edu/people/gdecramer/index.html/ |title=HHH : University of Minnesota - Home Page |publisher=Hhh.umn.edu |date=2009-01-09 |accessdate=2010-07-20 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100723225349/https://www.hhh.umn.edu/people/gdecramer/index.html |archivedate=2010-07-23 }} DeCramer served as the director of the [Humphrey School](/source/Hubert_H._Humphrey_School_of_Public_Affairs)'s mid-career [Master of Public Affairs](/source/Master_of_Public_Affairs) program. He taught in that program and in the University of Minnesota's leadership minor. He was chair of the board for DARTS, a nonprofit serving seniors and families in [Dakota County](/source/Dakota_County%2C_Minnesota), and also served on the board for Project Harvest Hope, a national nonprofit dedicated to values-based community, economic and agricultural development in the villages of the [Transylvania](/source/Transylvania)n region of [Romania](/source/Romania).[http://www.hhh.umn.edu/people/gdecramer/ Humphrey School of Public Affairs biography] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090821234828/http://www.hhh.umn.edu/people/gdecramer/ |date=2009-08-21 }} Retrieved 2010-07-20.[http://www.harvesthope.uua.org/download/news/PHH%20news%202004-Q1.pdf Project Harvest Hope April 2004 newsletter] Retrieved 2010-07-20. ==References== {{reflist}} == External links == {{MN-legdb|10133}} *[https://web.archive.org/web/20100723225349/https://www.hhh.umn.edu/people/gdecramer/index.html Gary DeCramer at Humphrey Institute] *[http://blog.lib.umn.edu/pnlc/pubtalk/2008/08/gary_decramer.php/ University of Minnesota Biography] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081226135908/http://blog.lib.umn.edu/pnlc/pubtalk/2008/08/gary_decramer.php |date=2008-12-26 }} {{DEFAULTSORT:Decramer, Gary}} Category:1944 births Category:2012 deaths Category:People from Marshall, Minnesota Category:Democratic Party Minnesota state senators Category:University of Oklahoma alumni Category:University of St. Thomas (Minnesota) alumni Category:People from Mendota Heights, Minnesota Category:20th-century members of the Minnesota Legislature --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Gary DeCramer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_DeCramer) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_DeCramer?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.