Gary DeCramer

Gary Michael DeCramer (September 13, 1944 – March 7, 2012) was a politician from Minnesota and a Minnesota State Senator. After running unsuccessfully for the state senate in a 1981 special election, he was elected from Ghent in 1982 in the re-districted District 27, and was re-elected in 1986 and 1990. The district included all or portions of Lincoln, Lyon, Murray, Nobles, Pipestone and Rock counties.

DeCramer died after collapsing on a trip to Morris, Minnesota on Wednesday, March 7, 2012.

Early years and service as senator DeCramer was born and raised on a farm near Marshall. He attended Crosier Preparatory Seminary in Onamia and graduated from the Secondary College of St. Thomas in Saint Paul with a B.A. in English. He later earned a master's degree in English from the University of Oklahoma.

During his time as senator, DeCramer's special legislative concerns included agriculture, education and soil, water and wildlife conservation. He was a member of the senate's Agriculture and Rural Development, Education, Finance, Governmental Operations, Public Utilities and State Regulated Industries, Redistricting, Rules & Administration, Transportation and Veterans & General Legislation committees, and of various sub-committees relevant to each area. He was chair of the Senate Transportation Committee during the 1991-1992 legislative session.

DeCramer served as the director of the Humphrey School's mid-career Master of Public Affairs program. He taught in that program and in the University of Minnesota's leadership minor. He was chair of the board for DARTS, a nonprofit serving seniors and families in Dakota County, and also served on the board for Project Harvest Hope, a national nonprofit dedicated to values-based community, economic and agricultural development in the villages of the Transylvanian region of Romania.