Minnesota, state, United States: Government and Higher Education

Minnesota is governed under its 1858 constitution. The legislature has 67 senators and 134 representatives. The governor is elected for a four-year term and may be reelected. A Minnesota sends two senators and eight representatives to Congress; it has 10 electoral votes. It has generally been viewed as a Democratic-leaning state on the national level, with Democrats and Republicans alternating their hold on power statewide.

Among institutions of higher learning in the state are the Univ. of Minnesota and the colleges and universities of Minnesota State, both with campuses throughout the state; Carleton College and Saint Olaf College, both in Northfield; and the Mayo Graduate School of Medicine, affiliated with the Mayo Clinic in Rochester.

Sections in this article:

• Introduction
• Notable Institutions and Natives
• Cooperatives and Population Shifts
• Discontent and Reform Politics
• Native American Resistance and New Settlement
• Territorial Status and Statehood
• U.S. Absorption and Settlement
• Ancient Inhabitants and European Exploration
• Government and Higher Education
• Economy
• Geography
• Facts and Figures

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