Melissa Hortman
American lawyer and politician (1970–2025)
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Interest in “Melissa Hortman” spiked on Wikipedia on 2026-07-19.
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Key Takeaways
- Melissa Anne Hortman ( née Haluptzok ; May 27, 1970 – June 14, 2025) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the 61st speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives.
- During her tenure, she advocated for transportation, environmental rights, abortion rights, police reform, and gun control policies.
- On June 14, 2025, Hortman and her husband were assassinated in a politically motivated attack at their home in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota.
- She grew up in Spring Lake Park and Andover, and became interested in being a politician at age ten, while watching coverage of the 1980 presidential election.
- Hortman received a Bachelor of Arts ( magna cum laude ) with a major in philosophy and political science from Boston University in 1991, a Juris Doctor ( cum laude ) from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1995, and a Master in Public Administration from Harvard Kennedy School in 2018.
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Source summary
WikipediaMelissa Anne Hortman (née Haluptzok; May 27, 1970 – June 14, 2025) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the 61st speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives. A member of the Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party, she represented northern parts of the Twin Cities metropolitan area in the Minnesota House of Representatives from 2005 to 2025, serving as the House minority leader from 2017 to 2019 and as speaker from 2019 to January 2025. During her tenure, she advocated for transportation, environmental rights, abortion rights, police reform, and gun control policies. She was also the chief author of the state's solar energy standard.
On June 14, 2025, Hortman and her husband were assassinated in a politically motivated attack at their home in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota.
Hortman was born Melissa Anne Haluptzok in Fridley, Minnesota, on May 27, 1970. She grew up in Spring Lake Park and Andover, and became interested in being a politician at age ten, while watching coverage of the 1980 presidential election. She graduated from Blaine High School in Blaine, Minnesota, in 1988.
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