Edward G. Novak

Edward G. Novak (April 16, 1917 - November 4, 2002) was an American politician, attorney, and FBI agent. A member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, he served in the Minnesota Senate from 1959 to 1974.

Early life and career Novak was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, on April 16, 1917. Edward graduated from Cretin High School, a Catholic school in Saint Paul. He later attended some school at the College of St. Thomas and the University of Minnesota before receiving a law degree from the St. Paul College of Law. Prior to his political career, he worked in several government agencies, including as an enforcement officer with the War Assets Administration and as an FBI agent in the 1940s. He opposed a general sales tax and wrote a 1969 ballot question that, if it had passed, would have consolidated Saint Paul, its closest suburbs, and Ramsey County into a single city-county government. In June 1974, he left office to accept an appointment as the commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, triggering a special election that November. At the time of his appointment, Novak was the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee.

Personal life Novak lived his whole life in Saint Paul, much of it with his wife Maridee. He had three children and two grandchildren. He died of cancer in his Saint Paul home on November 4, 2002.