{{short description|American politician}} {{Use mdy dates|date=December 2018}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Jenifer Loon | image = JeniferLoon.jpg | office = Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives | constituency = District 48B | term_start = January 7, 2013 | term_end = January 8, 2019 | predecessor = | successor = Carlie Kotyza-Witthuhn | constituency1 = District 42B | term_start1 = January 5, 2009 | term_end1 = January 7, 2013 | predecessor1 = Erik Paulsen | successor1 = | party = Republican Party of Minnesota | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1963|09|17}} | birth_place = South Dakota | death_date = | death_place = | alma_mater = Augustana College | occupation = legislative policy consultant | spouse = Doug | children = 2 }}
'''Jenifer W. Loon''' (born September 17, 1963) is an American politician who was a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives from 2009 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party of Minnesota, she represented District 48B, which was primarily in Eden Prairie, located in southwestern Hennepin County in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. Loon is also a legislative policy consultant.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.leg.state.mn.us/legdb/fulldetail.asp?ID=15313|title = Loon, Jenifer - Legislator Record - Minnesota Legislators Past & Present}}</ref>
==Early life, education, and career== Loon grew up on a dairy farm in rural South Dakota. While in high school, she was a page in the South Dakota House of Representatives, where her uncle was a member.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.jeniferloon.com/About_Jenifer.html |title=Jenifer Loon for YOUR state representative |access-date=December 2, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090220172503/http://jeniferloon.com/About_Jenifer.html |archive-date=February 20, 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Loon graduated from Augustana College in Sioux Falls in 1985, earning her BA in Government and International Affairs.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.leg.state.mn.us/legdb/fulldetail.asp?ID=15313|title = Loon, Jenifer - Legislator Record - Minnesota Legislators Past & Present}}</ref>
After graduating from college, Loon became active in government at the national level. She was a legislative assistant to U.S. Senator Larry Pressler from 1986 to 1988, and a lobbyist and legislative representative for Associated Builders and Contractors, a national trade association representing Merit Shop construction companies, from 1988 to 1990. She worked in several staff positions for the U.S. House of Representatives from 1990 to 1997, including legislative director, minority policy director, minority staff director, and staff director for the House Committee on Small Business (1995–1997), where she worked directly with the committee chair, Congresswoman Jan Meyers of Kansas. From 2003 to 2007, she was director of government affairs, lead federal lobbyist and legislative strategist for ACA International, a national trade association representing the credit and collection industry.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.leg.state.mn.us/legdb/fulldetail.asp?ID=15313|title = Loon, Jenifer - Legislator Record - Minnesota Legislators Past & Present}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.votesmart.org/bio.php?can_id=109180|title = The Voter's Self Defense System}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.jeniferloon.com/About_Jenifer.html |title=Jenifer Loon for YOUR state representative |access-date=December 2, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090220172503/http://jeniferloon.com/About_Jenifer.html |archive-date=February 20, 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
==Minnesota House of Representatives== Loon was first elected in 2008, running after seven-term Representative Erik Paulsen opted not to seek reelection in order to run for the U.S. House of Representatives.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.leg.state.mn.us/legdb/fulldetail.asp?ID=10508|title = Paulsen, Erik - Legislator Record - Minnesota Legislators Past & Present}}</ref>
Loon was one of only four Republican representatives to vote in favor of the same-sex marriage bill passed by the House on May 9, 2013.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/cco/journals/2013-14/J0509053.htm|title=Journal of the House - 53rd Day - Thursday, May 9, 2013}}</ref>
In 2018, Loon was defeated for reelection by DFL challenger Carlie Kotyza-Witthuhn.
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== {{MN-legdb|15313}} * [http://www.votesmart.org/bio.php?can_id=109180 Project Votesmart – Rep. Jenifer Loon Profile] * [http://www.leg.mn/archive/LegDB/Articles/15313SessionWeeklyProfile.pdf Session Weekly 1/23/2009: "Passionate about business: Loon calls for economic recovery through job creation"]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Loon, Jenifer}} Category:Living people Category:1963 births Category:People from Eden Prairie, Minnesota Category:Augustana University alumni Category:Republican Party members of the Minnesota House of Representatives Category:Women state legislators in Minnesota Category:Lutherans from Minnesota Category:21st-century American women politicians Category:21st-century members of the Minnesota Legislature