Allan Spear, Former Minnesota Senate President, Pioneer Gay Lawmaker, Dies At 71

October 14, 2008 8:19 a.m. EST

St. Paul, MN (AHN) - Allan Spear, one of the nation's first openly gay lawmakers and a former president of the Minnesota state senate, died over the weekend after complications of heart surgery. He was 71.

Spear, a pioneer in the civil rights movement, died in a hospital on Saturday following heart valve replacement surgery on Thursday. He was first elected to the state Senate in 1972 and rose to the presidency in 1993 even after becoming the first openly gay man in the state legislature two years after his first term.

A member of the Democratic Farmer Labor (DFL) Party, Spear was a passionate liberal who earned PhD in history from Yale University and taught history. He retired in 2000 and was recently feted by the Minnesota Historical Society as one of 150 Minnesotans who shaped the state.

DFL candidate for U.S. Senate Al Franken said in a statement, "Senator Spear was a principled statesman and an inspiration to many for his fortitude and his leadership in ensuring that all Minnesotans enjoy equal protection under the law. We should all mark his passing by re-committing ourselves to equality in our laws and courage in our politics."