Mark Dayton
Mark Brandt Dayton (born January 26, 1947) is an American politician who served as the 40th governor of Minnesota from 2011 to 2019.[1] He served as a United States Senator representing Minnesota from 2001 to 2007 and as Minnesota State Auditor from 1991 to 1995. He is a member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), which affiliates with the national Democratic Party.
"Senator Dayton" redirects here. For other uses, see Senator Dayton (disambiguation).
Mark Dayton
Yvonne Prettner Solon
(2011–2015)
Tina Smith (2015–2018)
Michelle Fischbach
(2018–2019)
Arne Carlson
2
Bruce Dayton (father)
George Dayton (great-grandfather)
A native of Minnesota, Dayton is the great-grandson of businessman George Dayton, the founder of Dayton's, a department store that later became the Target Corporation. He embarked on a career in teaching and social work in New York City and Boston after graduating from Yale University in 1969.[2] During the 1970s, he served as a legislative aide to U.S. Senator Walter Mondale and Minnesota Governor Rudy Perpich. In 1978, Dayton was appointed the Minnesota Economic Development Commissioner and married Alida Rockefeller Messinger, a member of the Rockefeller family.[2]
Dayton ran for the U.S. Senate in 1982 against Republican Party incumbent David Durenberger. He defeated former U.S. senator Eugene McCarthy in the Democratic primary, and the general election became one of the most expensive in state history.[3] Dayton campaigned as a populist in opposition to Reaganomics and famously promised "to close tax loopholes for the rich and the corporations—and if you think that includes the Daytons, you're right."[3] Durenberger won the election, and Dayton returned to the Perpich administration until his election as Minnesota State Auditor in 1990.[2]
In 1998, Dayton ran for governor, losing the Democratic nomination to Hubert Humphrey III. In 2000, he was elected to the U.S. Senate, defeating Republican incumbent Rod Grams. As senator, Dayton voted against the authorization for Iraq War, and became the first senator to introduce legislation creating a cabinet-level United States Department of Peace. In 2006, he chose not to seek reelection, citing his disillusionment with Washington, D.C., and fundraising.[4]
In 2010, Dayton defeated Republican Tom Emmer to become governor of Minnesota despite national success for the Republican Party, including in the Minnesota legislature. He won a second term in 2014 over Republican opponent Jeff Johnson and opted not to run for a third term in 2018. His major legislative initiatives during his governorship include the legalization of same-sex marriage[5] and the construction of U.S. Bank Stadium.
Early life, education, and career
Dayton was born on January 26, 1947, in Minneapolis and is the eldest of Gwendolen May (Brandt) and Bruce Bliss Dayton's four children.[6][7] He is a great-grandson of businessman George Dayton, the founder of the Dayton's department store chain. His father, Bruce Dayton, served as the chairman and CEO of Dayton Hudson Corporation, the company that later became the Target Corporation.[8] Bruce Dayton also founded the B. Dalton bookstore chain in 1966.[9]
Mark Dayton was raised in Long Lake, Minnesota and graduated from the Blake School in Minneapolis, where he was an all-state ice-hockey goaltender as a senior.[7]
Dayton attended Yale University, where he played varsity hockey until an accident on the ice.[10] During his time at Yale, he joined the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity (alongside future President George W. Bush) and received his B.A. in psychology in 1969. After college, Dayton worked as teacher in the Lower East Side of New York City from 1969 to 1971, and then as the chief financial officer of a social service agency in Boston from 1971 to 1975.[2] He married his first wife, Alida Rockefeller, in 1978.[2]
Early political career and U.S. Senate
Dayton first became politically active in the 1960s. He protested the Vietnam War in April 1970 at one of Minnesota's major antiwar protests against Honeywell, where he was maced by police.[11] Dayton's father served on the Honeywell board of directors and the two had a strained relationship after the incident.[11]
From 1975 to 1976 he was a legislative aide to Senator Walter Mondale, until Mondale's election as Vice President of the United States. From 1977 to 1978, Dayton served as an aide to Minnesota Governor Rudy Perpich.[2] In 1978, Perpich appointed Dayton to head the Department of Economic Development and then the Department of Energy and Economic Development.[12]
Dayton first ran for the U.S. Senate in 1982, challenging Republican incumbent David Durenberger. After losing the election to Durenberger, Dayton returned to the Perpich administration until his election as Minnesota State Auditor in 1990; he served in that position until 1995.[2][13]
In 1998, Dayton ran for governor, losing the DFL nomination to Hubert Humphrey III. He received 18% of the vote, finishing fourth in the DFL primary. Humphrey lost the general election to the Reform Party nominee, Jesse Ventura.
In 2000, Dayton was elected to the U.S. Senate, defeating Republican incumbent Rod Grams, 49% to 43%.
Personal life
Dayton was born into one of Minnesota's most famous families.[75] His father built the family business into a retail empire.[76]
Dayton found his political calling while studying pre-med at Yale University, after his political hero, Robert F. Kennedy, was assassinated. Dayton soon began his career in public service.[77] In the 1970s, his political activism earned him a spot as the only Minnesotan on Nixon's "enemies list", a fact he cited in future campaign speeches.[78][79] In a 1982 race, Dayton called his wealth his "original sin" and promised to close tax loopholes for corporations and the rich.[79]
Dayton has been married three times. In 1978, he married Alida Ferry Rockefeller, at the Rockefeller home in Tarrytown, New York.[80] Alida is the youngest sister of U.S. Senator John Davison "Jay" Rockefeller IV. Together they had two sons, Eric and Andrew. They divorced in 1986.
Despite his wealth, Dayton lives modestly.[10] He is a recovering alcoholic and has been treated for mild depression.[81] He revealed this information on his own initiative, saying he felt "people have the right to know."[81]
In December 2012, Dayton underwent vertebral fusion surgery at the Mayo Clinic to treat his spinal stenosis.[82] On June 25, 2013, he had to cancel an appearance due to a muscle tear.[83] In January 2016, Dayton fainted while speaking at a campaign event in Woodbury, Minnesota. He was hospitalized overnight.[84] A year later, he collapsed while giving the State of the State address to the Minnesota legislature. After a check by emergency medical services, he was reported to be in fine condition and was sent home that evening.[85] The next day he announced that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer a week earlier.[86]
On October 8, 2019, the University of Minnesota's Center for Integrative Leadership announced that Dayton had joined the center as an Executive Leadership Fellow for the 2019–2020 academic year.[87]
In December 2020, Dayton married former congressional intern and campaign staffer Ana Orke.[88] He first met her at a 2005 political fundraiser when he was in the U.S. Senate.[89]