2/28/2011:
Martin Olav Sabo, Minnesota State Legislator and U.S. Congressman, was born on this date in 1938 in Crosby, North Dakota. After serving forty-six years in state and national government, Sabo retired in 2007 and now resides in Minneapolis.
Sabo’s parents came to North Dakota from Norway and settled near Crosby. He grew up there, attending Alkabo High School until 1955. He then moved to Minneapolis to pursue a degree in history from Augsburg College. While there, he became involved in the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Club. This led to an interest in politics, and after his graduation from Augsburg in 1959, he went on to study political science at the University of Minnesota. In 1960, at the age of only 22, he was awarded his J.D. from the U of M, and was also elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives.
Representing the 31st Legislative District, and later the 42nd and 57B districts, he also worked as a salesman for Aetna Life Insurance. From 1969-1971 he served as the DFL Minority Leader in the Minnesota House, and as Speaker of the House from 1973-1978. Then, in 1978, Sabo ran for and won a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. He would be reelected to this seat thirteen times, serving in Congress a total of twenty-eight years. During his career in Washington, Sabo became known for his progressive political stance, but also his desire to strengthen local governments. He made many advances for Minnesota during his tenure, including securing appropriations for the Hiawatha light-rail line. He served on a variety of committees, including House Appropriations, Democratic Steering and Policy, and the House Budget Committee, which he eventually chaired in 1993. In 2006, Sabo announced his retirement. He remains one of Minnesota’s longest-serving congressmen, second only to Jim Oberstar.
After his retirement, he served as co-chair of the National Transportation Policy Project of the Bipartisan Policy Center. He has been a national advocate for numerous transportation project, especially those geared toward pedestrians and bicyclers. For his work, the city of Minneapolis named the Martin Olav Sabo Bridge in his honor.
Dakota Datebook written by Jayme L. Job
Sources:
Star Tribune. March 17, 2006. (http://www.startribune.com/politics/11758661.html)
http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=s000005
http://www.mnhs.org/library/findaids/00462.xml
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/elections/2004/candidates/22646/