{{Short description|American politician (born 1966)}} {{For|those of a similar name|Matthew Deane (disambiguation)}} {{Infobox officeholder |name = Matt Dean |image = 52BDean.jpg |office = Majority Leader of the Minnesota House of Representatives |term_start = January 4, 2011 |term_end = January 7, 2013 |predecessor = Tony Sertich |successor = Erin Murphy |state_house1 = Minnesota |district1 = 38B |prior_term1 = 52B (2005–2013) |term_start1 = January 4, 2005 |term_end1 = January 7, 2019 |predecessor1 = Rebecca Otto |successor1 = Ami Wazlawik |birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1966|4|15|mf=yes}} |birth_place = Ely, Minnesota, U.S. |death_date = |death_place = |party = Republican |alma_mater = University of Minnesota, Twin Cities |spouse = Laura Anne Dean }} '''Matthew T. "Matt" Dean''' (born April 15, 1966) is an American politician. He served as the Majority Leader of the Minnesota House of Representatives from 2011 to 2013. A member of the Republican Party of Minnesota, he represented District 38B, which included portions of Ramsey and Washington counties in the eastern Twin Cities metropolitan area.<ref name="state1">{{cite web|url=http://www.leg.state.mn.us/legdb/fulldetail.asp?ID=12258 |title=Minnesota Legislators Past & Present - Legislator Record - Dean, Matt |publisher=Leg.state.mn.us |date= |accessdate=2011-05-04}}</ref> He is an architect and the owner of Dean Architects in Dellwood.<ref name="state1"/><ref>{{cite news |title=Project Votesmart: Rep. Matt Dean |url=http://www.votesmart.org/bio.php?can_id=38510 |accessdate=4 May 2011}}</ref>
==Early life and education== Born in the northeastern Minnesota city of Ely, Dean was raised in the Twin Cities suburb of Roseville. He graduated from the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis with a Bachelor of Architecture degree. Dean competed in track and cross country in high school and college.
==Minnesota House of Representatives== Dean was first elected in 2004, and was reelected in 2006, 2008, 2010, and 2012. He served as the Majority Leader of the Minnesota House of Representatives from 2011 to 2013, having been selected by his caucus for the position on November 6, 2010.<ref name="state1"/><ref>[http://politicsinminnesota.com/blog/2010/11/zellers-dean-will-lead-house-gop-majority/ Zellers, Dean will lead House GOP majority]</ref> Dean was the chair of the Health and Human Services Finance Committee. He was also considered a leader of the conservative wing of House Republicans.<ref>Minnesota Public Radio News. (2018, January 25). Matt Dean drops out of Minnesota governor race. MPR News. Retrieved from https://www.mprnews.org/story/2018/01/25/matt-dean-drops-out-minnesota-governor-race</ref>
Dean briefly campaigned for the Republican nomination for Governor in 2018 before dropping out in January of that year, citing the desire to unify the party around one candidate. He declined to run for reelection to his seat in the Minnesota House of Representatives.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-01-25 |title=Republican Matt Dean Is No Longer Running For Governor - CBS Minnesota |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/matt-dean-drops-out-governors-race/ |access-date=2024-09-28 |website=www.cbsnews.com |language=en-US}}</ref>
==Electoral history== thumb|Dean campaigning during his 2018 gubernatorial run *'''2016 MN State House Seat 38B''' **Matt Dean (R, Incumbent) 56.94% **Ami Wazlawik (DFL) 42.95% *'''2014 MN State House Seat 38B''' **Matt Dean (R, Incumbent) 56.07% **Greg Pariseau (DFL) 43.80% *'''2012 MN State House Seat 38B''' **Matt Dean (R, Incumbent) 52.30% **Greg Pariseau (DFL) 47.54% *'''2010 MN State House Seat 52B''' **Matt Dean (R, Incumbent) 60.51% **Sten Hakanson (DFL) 39.46% *'''2008 MN State House Seat 52B''' **Matt Dean (R, Incumbent) 55.6% **Kate Christopher (DFL) 44.3% *'''2006 MN State House Seat 52B''' **Matt Dean (R, incumbent), 51.85% **Jason Gonnion (DFL), 48.11% *'''2004 MN State House Seat 52B''' **Matt Dean (R), 51.59% **Rebecca Otto (DFL, incumbent), 48.32% *'''2003 MN State House Seat 52B (Special Election)''' **Rebecca Otto (DFL), 54.30% **Matt Dean (GOP), 43.47%
==Interaction with Neil Gaiman== thumb|Dean in 2017 In May 2011, author Neil Gaiman was invited to speak at the Stillwater Library in Minnesota. Gaiman has a fixed policy of charging very high speaking fees for his appearances, believing that such fees will discourage most people from requesting he speak, leaving him more time for writing.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.neilgaiman.com/p/FAQs |title=Neil Gaiman FAQs}}</ref> Gaiman's fee was taken from a special fund established to bring authors in to speak at local libraries. Dean took issue with the expenditure, saying that Gaiman was an author he hated, and describing him as a "pencil-necked little weasel who stole $45,000 from the state of Minnesota." The actual fee was $40,000.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.startribune.com/politics/statelocal/121223134.html | title= GOP targets Legacy funds for MPR, arts| website= Star Tribune}}</ref> Gaiman pointed out that he had donated his speaking fee to charity long before Dean's comments.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2010/05/political-football-in-teacup.html |title=Neil Gaiman Journal}}</ref>
After some press coverage, at his mother's urging, Dean apologized for being a "name caller".<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.minnpost.com/max-about-town/2011/05/neil-gaiman-matt-dean-and-assault-legacy-amendment |title= Neil Gaiman, Matt Dean, and the assault on the Legacy Amendment|date= 9 May 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/05/legislator-apologizes-for-calling-neil-gaiman-a-weasel/ |title= Legislator Apologizes for Calling Neil Gaiman a 'Weasel'|date= 5 May 2011}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{MN-legdb|12258}} * [http://www.votesmart.org/bio.php?can_id=38510 Project Votesmart: Rep. Dean Profile] * [https://twitter.com/repmattdean Matt Dean] on Twitter * [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=583149383 Matt Dean] on Facebook
{{s-start}} {{s-par|us-mn-hs}} {{s-bef|before=Rebecca Otto}} {{s-ttl|title=Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives<br>from the 38B district<br>{{small|52B (2005–2013)}}|years=2005–2019}} {{s-aft|after=Ami Wazlawik}} |- {{s-bef|before=Tony Sertich}} {{s-ttl|title=Majority Leader of the Minnesota House of Representatives|years=2011–2013}} {{s-aft|after=Erin Murphy}} {{s-end}}
{{MNHMajorityLeaders}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dean, Matt}} Category:1966 births Category:Living people Category:Republican Party members of the Minnesota House of Representatives Category:People from Roseville, Minnesota Category:People from Ely, Minnesota Category:University of Minnesota School of Architecture alumni Category:21st-century members of the Minnesota Legislature