Keith Langseth
Keith Langseth (born January 20, 1938) is a Democratic Farmer Labor Party politician and former member of the Minnesota Senate, representing District 9 since 1981 until 2013. Prior to his election to the Senate, he was a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives from District 9B from 1975 to 1979. He served a combined 36 years in the Legislature. His district included portions of Becker, Clay, Otter Tail, Traverse and Wilkin counties in the northwestern part of the state. Personal life. Langseth grew up in Glyndon, where he still resides. He graduated from Glyndon High School in  1956 and began working as a dairy farmer. He continued farming throughout his tenure in the legislature. He and his wife, Lorraine, have three children: Dan, Joy and Gayle. Political career. Langseth first became involved in the DFL as a result of his opposition to the Vietnam War. He was asked by the local DFL Party to run for the House of Representatives in 1974, later choosing to run for the Senate in 1980. He ran against and defeated an incumbent in both elections. Langseth served as Chair of the Capital Investment Committee, a position he held since its creation  in 2001. He was also a member of the Taxes, Agriculture and Veterans, Agriculture and Veterans Budget and Policy Division, Transportation, Transportation Budget and Policy Division, and Rules and Administration committees. His stated legislative concerns included bonding, tax policy, transportation, education and agriculture. Langseth announced his retirement from politics and did not run for re-election in 2012.