DULUTH — Former U.S. Rep. Rick Nolan, whose six terms in Congress were separated by a 32-year break, has died. He was 80.
Nolan, a Brainerd native and former business leader, had most recently represented Northeastern Minnesota’s 8th Congressional District — an unlikely return to Washington after relinquishing his seat decades earlier.
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“With his thunderous voice and passion for the people of northern Minnesota, Rick was a one-of-a-kind leader,” U.S. Sen Amy Klobuchar said in a statement. “He put his power into representing the people who needed him.”
Political leaders and former colleagues described Nolan as an “old school politician” — a fiery speaker who fiercely advocated for the region and was willing to work across the aisle to get things done.
“We’d always schedule extra time because we knew that Rick was going to be the last guy out of the room,” said Jeff Anderson, who served as his deputy chief of staff and district director. “He wanted to shake hands with every single person. He was genuinely interested in hearing their story. He was just a refreshing person to watch in action, and a great mentor.”
The cause and date of death were not immediately released. Nolan had been actively supporting candidates as recently as last week. The sudden news was met with an outpouring of remembrances from local, state and national figures.
“Rick Nolan was a giant in northern Minnesota and in Congress, a tireless advocate for working people, and his speeches could blow the lid off the roof,” said Gov. Tim Walz, who served with him in the House.
Former Duluth Mayor Don Ness likened him to former U.S. Rep. Jim Oberstar, who served the 8th District for 36 years.
“Jim just thought the world of Rick,” said Ness, who served as Oberstar’s campaign manager. “They were cut from the same cloth. Passionate about advocating for working men and women. Passionate about service with integrity and building influence through a deep understanding of the issues.”
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Nolan was born Dec. 17, 1943, in Brainerd, and became a social studies teacher in Royalton. He got his first taste of politics as an assistant to then-U.S. Sen. Walter Mondale, and he was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 1968.
After a first, unsuccessful bid for Congress, he was elected to the 6th Congressional District seat in 1974 as one of the “Watergate babies” — a massive Democratic class voted in following President Richard Nixon’s resignation.
Despite comfortable victories, Nolan chose not to pursue a third term in 1980 and instead entered the private business sector. He was appointed as head of the Minnesota World Trade Center and owned and operated a sawmill and pallet shop in Emily.
Nolan made his return to national politics in 2011, when he announced he would challenge newly elected U.S. Rep. Chip Cravaack in the 8th District. Cravaack had just unseated Oberstar as part of the Tea Party wave.
Nolan went on to win with 54% of the vote, returning the district to the DFL and twice defending it in two of the closest and most expensive congressional races in the country against Republican challenger Stewart Mills.
Former St. Louis County commissioner Frank Jewell cited working with Nolan on school land trust issues in the Boundary Waters and seeing him at the National Association of Counties events. But his strongest memory of Nolan was as a congressman who took time to meet with people. Jewell took a group of University of Minnesota Extension staff for a training event at the Capitol and asked Nolan for a meeting. Nolan had to go vote, so he asked the group to tag along to see the vote in action and then gave the group a tour of the Capitol building.
"He showed us little spots you wouldn't get to see unless you were with a member of Congress, and I remember it made such a impact on those four women. They may not have voted for him, but they were impressed at how he took the time for them," Jewell said.
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Nolan declared in 2018 that he would step down at the end of that term. His daughter, Katherine, had been diagnosed with incurable lung cancer and died in 2020. And Nolan himself suffered multiple heart attacks and underwent open-heart surgery.
He did make one final political bid, though, signing on as Attorney General Lori Swanson’s running mate in a last-minute gubernatorial campaign in 2018. His brief candidacy was marked by scrutiny over the handling of an aide who had been accused of sexual harassment.
Nolan remained active in his final days, door-knocking on the Iron Range and making media appearances just last week for District 7B DFL candidate Lorie Janatopoulos.
Anderson accompanied his former boss on that trip, the two men having stayed close since Nolan left office. Their relationship started in an unlikely way: opponents for the DFL nomination in 2012. But they hit it off on the campaign trail, with Anderson later supporting Nolan’s bid and joining his office.
Anderson noted Nolan was in the minority his entire second tenure, but was nonetheless ranked as one of the most effective members of Congress. He was a "stereotypical Minnesotan," who loved to fish and hunt, and never moved to Washington.
“He was a fighter for the middle class, for senior citizens, for students, for the poor,” Anderson said. “But he didn't lose sight of the fact that he also represented miners and loggers and farmers, and went to work every day trying to represent their interests, too.”
Among his more notable actions, Nolan helped bring then-White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough to the Iron Range in 2015, when a glut of Chinese steel had decimated the local mining industry.
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“Rick Nolan was a champion for the Northland who fought fiercely to protect working people from corporate interests,” Minnesota DFL Chairman Ken Martin said in a statement. “From Ely to Duluth, he was an ambassador for the DFL creed that ‘we all do better when we all do better.’”
Republican Rep. Pete Stauber, who succeeded Nolan, expressed condolences on social media, as did current DFL challenger Jen Schultz.
“I got to know Rick when we campaigned together starting in 2013,” Schultz said. “He shared with me the importance of always showing up for people and listening to their concerns. He was a master at connecting with people, which helped him get things done in D.C.”
Nolan is survived by his wife, three children and more than a dozen grandchildren.
News Tribune reporter Teri Cadeau contributed to this report.
This story was updated at 4:14 p.m. Friday, Oct. 18, 2024 with additional information and quotes. It was originally posted earlier in the day at 11:23 a.m.
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