Former Minnesota Congressman Rick Nolan dies at age 80
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Former U.S. Rep. Rick Nolan, who represented two of Minnesota’s congressional districts in Washington more than 30 years apart, has died at the age of 80.
The Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party confirmed Nolan’s death in a statement, calling him a “champion for the Northland who fought fiercely to protect working people from corporate interests.”
The date and cause of Nolan’s death were not immediately announced.
“From Ely to Duluth, he was an ambassador for the DFL creed that ‘we all do better when we all do better.’ Our thoughts are with his family and all who came to know and love this dedicated public servant,” the DFL statement read.
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Nolan was known for his support of mining, and work on health care issues — including efforts to improve detection, care, coverage and research for lung cancer. It was a very personal cause, after his daughter Katherine battled lung cancer for more than five years before she died in 2020.
U.S. Sen. Tina Smith, in a statement remembering Nolan, noted his advocacy on the issue.
“Rick loved his family, his staff, and his country, and he turned that love into energy,” Smith wrote.
Two stints in Congress
Nolan was born in Brainerd and served on the staff of then-U.S. Sen. Walter Mondale in the late 1960s. After serving in the Minnesota House, he made an unsuccessful run for Congress in Minnesota’s 6th District in 1972. He then won election to the seat in 1974, part of a Democratic wave in the wake of the Watergate scandal. He served three terms before opting against running for reelection in 1980.
In 1979, Nolan made news when he helped launch a movement to get Ted Kennedy to run for president — Kennedy later did challenge incumbent Democrat Jimmy Carter — despite fellow Minnesotan Walter Mondale being Carter's vice president.
Nolan said he was worried Carter would lose the 1980 election — which he did, to Republican Ronald Reagan.
“I feel terrible about what this does to Fritz [Walter] Mondale. He’s one of the people that I have admired and respected most in public life,” Nolan told MPR News at the time, speaking about one of his political mentors. “Unfortunately, I think in all fairness it has to be said that he becomes a victim of Carter policies as much as the American people have become victims of Carter policies. Unfortunately, Fritz Mondale’s not the president. Jimmy Carter is the president.”
In the 1980s, Nolan was appointed by Gov. Rudy Perpich to create the Minnesota World Trade Center — a business development organization aimed at attracting international investment to the state — and served as chairman from 1987 to 1994.
More than 30 years after leaving Congress, Nolan jumped into the race for Minnesota’s 8th District in the 2012 election. The 8th District seat had been held for decades by Democratic Rep. Jim Oberstar, who was ousted by Republican challenger Chip Cravaack in 2010.
Nolan decisively defeated Cravaack, telling an Election Night crowd that it was an odd feeling but a familiar one despite the significant time away from Congress.
“I guess Yogi Berra would say, ‘it feels like deja vu all over again,’ ” he said.
Nolan then narrowly held off challenges by Republican Stewart Mills in 2014 and 2016. Nolan opted against running for reelection in 2018.
In his final year in Congress, Nolan was the running mate of Attorney General Lori Swanson in her run for Minnesota governor in 2018; they lost to Tim Walz and Peggy Flanagan in the DFL primary.
‘One of a kind’
Other elected officials, colleagues and friends shared remembrances of Nolan on Friday.
State Sen. Grant Hauschild, who represents a northern Minnesota district, posted on social media Friday that Nolan was “one of a kind.”
“No one fought harder for the place they loved than him. His eternal optimism was contagious (and) he always spent his capital on uplifting future leaders,” Hauschild wrote.
U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar issued a statement calling Nolan “an incredible friend that dedicated his life to public service and his family.”
“With his thunderous voice and passion for the people, Rick was a one-of-a-kind leader,” Klobuchar wrote. “He was the comeback kid. He went from being one of the youngest members of Congress to being one of the oldest freshmen when he was sworn in again at 69. He was the consummate outdoorsman, friend of labor, and he never forgot where he came from.”
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who served alongside Nolan in Congress, remembered him as “a giant in Northern Minnesota and in Congress, a tireless advocate for working people, and his speeches could blow the lid off the roof. It was an honor to serve Minnesotans alongside him.”