Jim Ramstad

Jim Ramstad
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Minnesota's 3rd district
In office January 3, 1991 – January 3, 2009
Preceded by	Bill Frenzel
Succeeded by	Erik Paulsen
Member of the Minnesota Senate from the 45th district 43rd (1981–1983)
In office January 6, 1981 – January 3, 1991
Preceded by	Emily Anne Staples
Succeeded by	Judy Traub
Personal details
Born	James Marvin Ramstad (1946-05-06)May 6, 1946 Jamestown, North Dakota, U.S.
Died	November 5, 2020(2020-11-05) (aged 74) Wayzata, Minnesota, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Kathryn Mitchell ​ (m. 2005)​
Children	1
Education	University of Minnesota (BA) George Washington University (JD)
Occupation	attorney, political assistant
Military service
Branch/service	United States Army Reserve
Years of service	1968–1975
Rank	First Lieutenant

James Marvin Ramstad (May 6, 1946 – November 5, 2020) was an American lawyer and politician who represented Minnesota's 3rd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1991 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Ramstad served in the Minnesota Senate from 1981 to 1991.

Ramstad was first elected to the Minnesota Senate in 1981 and was reelected until 1990, when he was elected to represent Minnesota’s 3rd congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives. Ramstad won reelection in the suburban congressional district eight times, all by landslide margins.^[1] He had a reputation as a moderate Republican.^[2] Ramstad chose to retire and not seek reelection in 2008. He was succeeded by Republican State Representative Erik Paulsen. Throughout his legislative career and later life, Ramstad, empowered by his prior struggles with alcoholism, was a notable advocate for addiction recovery.^[3]

In 2020, Ramstad died from Parkinson's disease at the age of 74.