Diessner, Ardell William "Bill, A.W."
Senate 1983-90 (District 56)
Party when first elected: Democratic-Farmer-Labor
Counties Served:
Ramsey, Washington
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
Date of Birth:
7/28/1923
Birth Place:
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Birth County:
Hennepin
Birth Country:
United States
Date of Death:
3/27/2021
Gender:
Male
Religion:
Unitarian
Reported Minority: None Reported
Other Names:
Bill, A.W.
City of Residence (when first elected):
Afton
Occupation (when first elected):
Doctor of Medicine
EDUCATION
Waconia Public Schools; Elementary School;
Waconia High School; Secondary; Valedictorian, Graduate, 1941
University of Minnesota; College Graduate; PreMedicine
University of Minnesota; Medical Degree; Psychiatry Residency, 3 years; around 1966-1969
University of Michigan; Fellowship; Kellogg Fellowship, Special 2 Year Program for Family Practice, 1950
University of Minnesota, Medical School; Medical Degree; Bachelor of Medicine, December 1946
University of Minnesota, Medical School; M.D.; 6 months of Graduate School and Interned at Northwestern Hospital, Minneapolis, Minnesota; April 1948
OTHER GOVERNMENT SERVICE
Military:
United States Army, 1st M.A.S.H. Hospital (served in Fort Riley, Kansas and Korea, Captain);
01/1951 to 1952
FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS
Spouse:
Irene J. (married on May 10, 1944, divorced in 1961; Dorothy Schmidt (married on Feb. 14, 1962, she died in 1999); Sharon Harmon (married on Dec. 10, 1999)
Children:
Nine children: Cindy, Karen, Anne, Sally, and Debra (daughters with Irene); Sheila, Stacy, and Darcy, and Mark (stepchildren, Dorothy's children)
Family Members Who Have Served in the Minnesota Legislature:
GENERAL NOTES
Special Legislative Concerns: economics, environment, health, education.
He was raised in Waconia, Minnesota. He lived in Redwood Falls, Minnesota before he moved to Afton, Minnesota in January 1970. He moved to Bella Vista, Arkansas around 2003.
His first and middle names, cities of residence when not in office, educational details, military service dates, and family details were provided by his daughter.
Body: Senate
District: 56
Elected: 11/4/1986
Residence: Afton
Term of Office: 1/6/1987 to 1/7/1991
Counties Represented:
Ramsey, Washington
Occupation: Doctor of Medicine
Party:
Democratic-Farmer-Labor
Committees:
-
Employment
-
General Legislation and Public Gaming
-
Health and Human Services
-
Health and Human Services: Health and Health Financing
-
Taxes and Tax Laws
-
Taxes and Tax Laws: Sales Tax Division
-
Veterans and Military Affairs
Body: Senate
District: 56
Elected: 11/4/1986
Residence: Afton
Term of Office: 1/6/1987 to 1/7/1991
Counties Represented:
Ramsey, Washington
Occupation: Doctor of Medicine, Physician
Party:
Democratic-Farmer-Labor
Committees:
-
Employment
-
Employment: Injured Workers' Compensation (Chair)
-
General Legislation and Public Gaming
-
Health and Human Services
-
Health and Human Services: Health and Health Financing
-
Taxes and Tax Laws
-
Taxes and Tax Laws: Sales Tax
-
Veterans
Body: Senate
District: 56
Elected: 11/2/1982
Residence: Afton
Term of Office: 1/4/1983 to 1/5/1987
Counties Represented:
Ramsey, Washington
Occupation: Doctor of Medicine
Party:
Democratic-Farmer-Labor
Committees:
-
Employment
-
Employment: Workers Compensation
-
Health and Human Services
-
Health and Human Services: Income Maintenance
-
Transportation
-
Transportation: Rural and Commercial
-
Veterans and General Legislation
-
Veterans and General Legislation: General Legislation
-
Veterans and General Legislation: Veterans Affairs
Body: Senate
District: 56
Elected: 11/2/1982
Residence: Afton
Term of Office: 1/4/1983 to 1/5/1987
Counties Represented:
Ramsey, Washington
Occupation: Doctor of Medicine
Party:
Democratic-Farmer-Labor
Committees:
-
Employment
-
Employment: Workers' Compensation
-
Health and Human Services
-
Health and Human Services: Income Maintenance
-
Transportation
-
Transportation: Rural and Commercial
-
Veterans and General Legislation
-
Veterans and General Legislation: Veterans' Affairs
Senate Photos
The photos in this collection were scanned from the files of the Minnesota Senate Photographer
with the generous help of the Minnesota
Digital Library.
These files are available in the Legislative Reference Library.
The Minnesota Legislative Reference Library has collected newspaper articles on legislators since 1973. They are available in the Library.