Ellen Anderson

For the New Zealand district nurse, see Ellen Alice Anderson.
Ellen R. Anderson
Chair of the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission
In office
March 20, 2011 – January 30, 2012
Preceded byDavid C. Boyd
Succeeded byPhyllis Reha (acting)
Member of the Minnesota Senate
from the 66th district
In office
January 5, 1993 – March 20, 2011
Preceded byGene Waldorf
Succeeded byMary Jo McGuire
Personal details
Born (1959-11-25) November 25, 1959 (age 64)
Gary, Indiana, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1995; div. 2018)​
Residence(s)Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S.
Alma materCarleton College
University of Minnesota Law School
ProfessionAttorney, legislator

Ellen Anderson (born November 25, 1959) is a Minnesota politician, and an advisor to former Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton.

Anderson is a former member of the Minnesota Senate who represented District 66, which includes the northern portion of the city of Saint Paul, as well as the entire city of Falcon Heights in Ramsey County, which is in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. A Democrat, she was first elected in 1992, and was re-elected in 1996, 2000, 2002, 2006 and 2010.

Anderson was a member of the Senate's Energy, Utilities and Telecommunications, Finance, Higher Education, and Local Government and Elections committees.[1] In December 2008, she was appointed by Senate Majority Leader Larry Pogemiller to the Minnesota Lessard Outdoor Heritage Council.[2]

On March 9, 2011, Dayton announced her appointment as chair of the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission. She resigned her Senate seat effective March 20, 2011. A special election was held on April 12, 2011, to fill the vacancy.[2][3] Anderson was ousted as PUC chair on January 30, 2012, when the Republican-controlled Minnesota Senate voted not to confirm her appointment. Dayton subsequently appointed her to a position as a staff advisor on energy issues.[4]

In 1995, Anderson married Andy Dawkins, who served as a state representative from Saint Paul from 1987 to 2003.[2][5] They divorced in 2018.[6]

  1. ^ "Senator Ellen R. Anderson DFL District 66". Senate.leg.state.mn.us. 1959-11-25. Retrieved 2010-07-20.
  2. ^ a b c "Minnesota Legislators Past & Present - Legislator Record - Anderson, Ellen R". Leg.state.mn.us. Retrieved 2010-07-20.
  3. ^ "Sen. Ellen Anderson tapped for PUC chair". TwinCities.com. Archived from the original on April 2, 2012. Retrieved 2012-12-30.
  4. ^ Hauser, Tom (January 30, 2012). "Minnesota Senate Rejects Anderson, Faces Possible Lawsuit". KSTP. Retrieved 2012-12-30.
  5. ^ "Legislator Record - Dawkins, Andrew J. "Andy"". Minnesota Legislators Past & Present. Retrieved 2012-12-30.
  6. ^ "Cooperative divorce aired out". Retrieved 2019-07-24.[permanent dead link]