Minnesota teacher Hannah Kempfer was elected to her state’s House of Representatives once women earned the right to vote. Photo credit: Pubic Domain

Many teachers enter the profession because they experienced unhappy childhoods, and when they grow up, they want to do whatever they can to brighten the lives of other children. This could be said of Hannah Kempfer, a well-known educator from Minnesota.

When Hannah was only twelve years old, she took a train to Fergus Falls, Minnesota, where she was taken in by the family of a local milkman. There Hannah attended Fergus Falls High School. Once she graduated, she enrolled at Park Region Luther College, where she graduated at the age of 17. After she earned her teaching certificate, Hannah taught from 1898 to 1908 at a small rural schoolhouse. She married farmer Charles Taylor Kempfer in 1903, and although the couple never had any children of their own, they fostered eleven orphans.

In 1923, Hannah was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives, where she served from 1923 to 1930 and 1933 to 1942. She was one of four women elected to the Minnesota House following the passage of women’s suffrage, and she was the first woman elected to office from rural Minnesota. She is best known for championing the causes of children, the conservation of natural resources, and the official selection of the Showy Ladies’ Slipper as  Minnesota’s state flower.  In 1923, Hannah and her fellow female legislators co-authored legislation that guaranteed children born out of wedlock would receive inheritance rights. The bill also required that fathers to give their children their last name.

Former teacher Judy Seeberger now serves in the Minnesota State Senate. Photo credit: Minnesota State Legislature

Many outstanding educators also become successful politicians. One of these is Judy Seeberger, a former public school teacher from Minnesota who has been elected to serve in the Minnesota State Senate.

Judy was born in Wisconsin on Sept. 3, 1969. She earned her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota, Duluth, in 1991. She earned her Master’s degree in teaching from Hamline University in 2016. She also earned her Juris Doctorate from Boston University, in 1996.

After earning her Bachelor’s degree, Judy taught school for five years at the Math and Science Academy, a public charter school that serves students in grades six through twelve located in Woodbury, Minnesota. She taught there from 2016 to 2021.

Prior to the beginning of her service in the State Senate, Judy was elected to the Bayport City Council, where she served one term until she relocated to a new home in the city ofAfton. In addition, she has served on both the Bayport and Afton Planning Commissions, and she was elected to serve on the School Board of the Math and Science Academy as a teacher member. Her employment background also includes experience as a first responder. She has worked as a paramedic with Allina Health and on the Lower St. Croix Valley Fire Department.

Married to a Navy captain, Judy has also been involved in volunteer work at the Yellow Ribbon Network of Washington County, an organization that serves military members, veterans, and their families in Washington County. At various periods during the six years she worked with the organization, Judy served as President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary, and she assisted in its organization and formation.

In 2022, Judy was elected on the Democratic ticket to represent Minnesota’s District 41. She has served in that body since Jan. 3, 2023, and her term will expire in 2027. As a State Senator, she supports first responders, abortion access rights, increased family and medical leave programs, tax cuts, and red flag laws. She is also supportive of veterans. She has served on the Committees for Agriculture, Broadband and Rural Development; Commerce and Consumer Protection; and Judiciary and Public Safety.