Mary Olson

{{short description|American politician}} {{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}} {{Infobox officeholder | image = | name = Mary A. Olson | caption = | state = Minnesota | state_senate = Minnesota | district = 4th | term_start = January 3, 2007 | term_end = January 3, 2011 | preceded = Carrie Ruud | succeeded = John Carlson | majority = | party = DFL | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1958|05|23|mf=y}} | birth_place = Willmar, Minnesota, U.S. | alma_mater = University of North Dakota | occupation = Attorney, legislator | spouse = John | children = 4 }}

'''Mary A. Olson''' (born May 23, 1958) is a Minnesota (US) politician and a former member of the Minnesota Senate who represented District 4, which includes portions of Beltrami, Cass, Crow Wing, Hubbard, and Itasca counties in the northern part of the state. A Democrat, she was first elected in 2006.<ref name="state1">{{cite web|url=http://venus.library.leg.state.mn.us/legdb/fulldetail.asp?ID=15236 |title=Minnesota Legislators Past & Present - Legislator Record - Olson, Mary A |publisher=Venus.library.leg.state.mn.us |date= |accessdate=2010-07-20}}</ref> On November 2, 2010, she lost her re-election bid to the Republican John Carlson.<ref>http://www.bemidjipioneer.com/event/article/id/100023205/{{dead link|date=June 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

Olson was a member of the Senate's Commerce & Consumer Protection Committee and Judiciary Committee. She also served on the Finance subcommittees for the Economic Development and Housing Budget Division and the Health and Human Services Budget Division, and on the Judiciary Judiciary Subcommittee for Data Practices, which she chaired.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.senate.leg.state.mn.us/members/member_bio.php?leg_id=15236 |title=Senator Mary A. Olson DFL District 04 |publisher=Senate.leg.state.mn.us |date=1958-05-23 |accessdate=2010-07-20}}</ref>

Olson received a B.A. from the University of North Dakota and earned a J.D. from their law school. Before her election to the Senate, she was the assistant county attorney for Crow Wing County, and also as an attorney for the United States Air Force at March Air Force Base. Her great-great-grandfather, Peter A. Gandrud, was also a member of the Minnesota Legislature.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.leg.state.mn.us/legdb/fulldetail?ID=12951|title = Gandrud, Peter Anners "P.A., Peder, Peter Andrew" - Legislator Record - Minnesota Legislators Past & Present}}</ref> She and her husband, John, have four children.<ref name="state1"/>

==Electoral history== {{Election box begin | title=Minnesota Senate Election District 4, 2010<ref name="Minnesota Public Radio">[http://minnesota.publicradio.org/collections/special/2006/campaign/results/stsenate_dist.php?district=04 Minnesota Public Radio]</ref>}} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Democratic Party (US) |candidate = Mary A. Olson |votes = 15,752 |percentage = 45.31 |change = }} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Republican Party (US) |candidate = '''John Carlson''' |votes = 18,956 |percentage = 54.53 |change = }} {{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin | title=Minnesota Senate Election District 4, 2006<ref name="Minnesota Public Radio"/>}} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Democratic Party (US) |candidate = '''Mary A. Olson''' |votes = 18,119 |percentage = 52.1% |change = }} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Republican Party (US) |candidate = Carrie Ruud |votes = 16,635 |percentage = 47.8% |change = }} {{Election box end}}

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== {{MN-legdb|15236}} *[http://www.senate.leg.state.mn.us/members/member_bio.php?mem_id=1073&ls=85 Senator Olson web page] *[http://origin-minnesota.publicradio.org/projects/ongoing/votetracker/legislator_view.php?id=264 Minnesota Public Radio Votetracker: Senator Mary Olson]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Olson, Mary A.}} Category:1958 births Category:Living people Category:People from Willmar, Minnesota Category:Military personnel from Minnesota Category:Lutherans from Minnesota Category:Democratic Party Minnesota state senators Category:University of North Dakota alumni Category:Women state legislators in Minnesota Category:21st-century American women politicians Category:21st-century members of the Minnesota Legislature