Jim Hagedorn facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jim Hagedorn
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Minnesota's 1st district |
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| In office January 3, 2019 – February 17, 2022 |
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| Preceded by | Tim Walz |
| Succeeded by | Brad Finstad |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
James Lee Hagedorn
August 4, 1962 Blue Earth, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Died | February 17, 2022 (aged 59) Rochester, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Resting place |
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| Political party | Republican |
| Spouses |
Jennifer Carnahan
(m. 2018) |
| Relatives | Tom Hagedorn (father) |
| Education | George Mason University (BA) |
James Lee Hagedorn (born August 4, 1962 – died February 17, 2022) was an American politician from Minnesota. He was a member of the Republican Party. He served as the U.S. Representative for Minnesota's 1st congressional district from 2019 until he passed away. This district covers southern Minnesota, stretching along the border with Iowa. It includes cities like Rochester, Austin, and Mankato.
Contents
About Jim Hagedorn's Life
Early Years and School
Jim Hagedorn was born in Blue Earth, Minnesota, in 1962. His father, Tom Hagedorn, was also a U.S. Representative. Jim grew up on his family's farm near Truman, Minnesota. He also spent time in McLean, Virginia, near Washington, D.C., while his father worked in Congress.
He went to Langley High School. Later, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in government and political science from George Mason University in 1993.
Starting in Politics
Working for the Government
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Jim Hagedorn began his career working as an aide for U.S. Representative Arlan Stangeland from 1984 to 1991. After that, he worked for the United States Department of the Treasury. He held roles like director for legislative and public affairs and congressional affairs officer until 2009.
His Blog and Public Comments
From 2002 to 2008, Jim Hagedorn wrote a blog called Mr. Conservative. Some of the things he wrote on the blog caused controversy later on. He said the blog was meant to be funny and satirical. Because of these past writings, some people criticized him when he ran for office.
Serving in the U.S. House of Representatives
Elections for Congress
Jim Hagedorn ran for Congress several times. He first tried to win the Republican nomination for Minnesota's 1st congressional district in 2010 but did not succeed.
He ran again in 2014 and won the Republican nomination. However, he lost the main election to the person already in office, Tim Walz. He ran against Walz again in 2016 and lost, but the race was much closer that time.
In 2018, Jim Hagedorn won the Republican nomination once more. This time, the person holding the seat, Tim Walz, decided to run for governor instead. Hagedorn then won the general election against Daniel Feehan in a very close race. This meant he became the U.S. Representative for his district.
He was reelected in 2020, again narrowly defeating Daniel Feehan.
Time in Office
As a U.S. Representative, Jim Hagedorn worked on various issues. He was known for often voting in line with President Donald Trump's views.
Office Spending Review
In 2020, there were questions about how Jim Hagedorn's office was spending its money. An analysis showed that a large part of his office budget was spent on mail sent to people in his district. Some of these mailing costs went to a company partly owned by one of his staff members.
Hagedorn started a review of his office's spending. He then shared the results with the House Ethics Committee, which decided not to take further action. As a result of the review, he let go of his chief of staff and said he was responsible for overseeing his office's spending. He promised to make improvements.
Views on Election Results
In December 2020, Jim Hagedorn was one of many Republican members of the House of Representatives who supported a lawsuit about the results of the 2020 United States presidential election. The lawsuit tried to challenge the election results, but the Supreme Court did not hear the case.
On January 7, 2021, Hagedorn also objected to the official counting of the 2020 presidential election results in Congress.
Committees and Groups
While in Congress, Jim Hagedorn was part of several important groups:
- Committee on Agriculture
- Subcommittee on Livestock and Foreign Agriculture
- Subcommittee on Nutrition, Oversight, and Department Operations
- Committee on Small Business
- Subcommittee on Rural Development, Agriculture, Trade and Entrepreneurship
- Subcommittee on Contracting and Workforce
He was also a member of the Republican Study Committee, a group of conservative Republican members of the House.
Personal Life
Jim Hagedorn was married to Jennifer Carnahan, who used to be the head of the Republican Party of Minnesota. They lived in Blue Earth, Minnesota.
Health and Passing
In 2019, Jim Hagedorn was diagnosed with stage 4 kidney cancer. He received treatment for his illness. In December 2020, he had surgery to remove the diseased kidney. In July 2021, he announced that his cancer had returned.
In January 2022, Hagedorn was admitted to the Mayo Clinic Hospital in Rochester, Minnesota, after testing positive for COVID-19. He had been vaccinated against the disease. Jim Hagedorn passed away on February 17, 2022, at the age of 59. He was buried at Riverside Cemetery in Blue Earth.
See also
- List of United States Congress members who died in office (2000–)
