Sandy Keith

This article is about a politician. For other uses, see Alexander Keith (disambiguation).

The Honorable Alexander MacDonald Keith
Chief Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court
In office December 1, 1990 – January 29, 1998
Appointed by	Rudy Perpich
Preceded by	Peter S. Popovich
Succeeded by	Kathleen A. Blatz
Associate Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court
In office February 1, 1989 – December 1, 1990
Appointed by	Rudy Perpich
37th Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota
In office March 25, 1963 – January 2, 1967
Governor	Karl Rolvaag
Preceded by	Karl Rolvaag
Succeeded by	James B. Goetz
Member of the Minnesota Senate from the 4th district
In office January 6, 1959 – January 7, 1963
Preceded by	Walter Burdick
Succeeded by	Harold G. Krieger
Personal details
Born	(1928-11-22) November 22, 1928 Rochester, Minnesota
Nationality	American
Political party	Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party
Spouse(s)	Marion E. Sanford

Alexander MacDonald (Sandy) Keith (born November 22, 1928) is a Minnesota lawyer who served as a state senator, the 37th Lieutenant Governor, and an associate justice and chief justice of the state supreme court.

Personal life

Sandy Keith was born in Rochester, Minnesota to Norman M. Keith and Edna (Alexander) Keith. His father was a physician who practiced medicine at the Mayo Clinic.

He married Marion E. Sanford April 29, 1955.

Education and military service

Keith graduated magna cum laude from Amherst College in 1950, and from Yale Law School in 1953. He then served in the United States Marine Corps during the Korean War.

Public life and politics

After returning to his hometown of Rochester, Minnesota, Keith took a job as counsel with the Mayo Clinic, where he worked with future United States Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun.

In 1959, he was elected to the Minnesota State Senate as a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. During his tenure as a State Senator, Keith served as a delegate to the 1960 Democratic National Convention. He was Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota under Governor Karl Rolvaag from 1963 until 1967. In 1989, Keith began serving as a justice on the Minnesota Supreme Court. He became Chief Justice in 1990 and served in that capacity until 1998. While serving as Chief Justice (having been appointed to the position by (then) Governor Rudy Perpich), Keith handed down a ruling that allowed Arne Carlson onto the ballot after the previously endorsed candidate stepped out of the race for cavorting in a swimming pool with minor girls. Carlson eventually won the election, with Perpich and others blaming Keith for the loss.

Return to private sector

After retiring from the Minnesota Supreme Court, Keith returned to private practice at Dunlap & Seeger in Rochester where he concentrates on mediating civil and family law disputes. He self-identifies as a Democrat, but currently serves on the board for the conservative Center of the American Experiment and is outspoken in his endorsement of Republican candidates and policies.

References

• http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/keith.html
• http://www.dunlaplaw.com/attorneys/attorney_detail.aspx?itemID=305&catID=4
• Minnesota Legislators Past and Present

External links

• Sandy Keith at Minnesota Legislators Past & Present
• Minnesota State Law Library biography: Alexander M. Keith
• The Harvard Crimson 11/1/1966: "How to Get Mangled in Minnesota Politics: Sandy Keith Succumbs to Sympathy Vote"

Political offices
Preceded by Karl Rolvaag	Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota 1963–1967	Succeeded by James B. Goetz
Legal offices
Preceded by Peter S. Popovich	Chief Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court 1990–1998	Succeeded by Kathleen A. Blatz
Party political offices
Preceded by Karl Rolvaag	Endorsed Gubernatorial Candidate, Minnesota DFL State Convention 1966	Succeeded by Wendell Anderson