# Lawrence R. Yetka *Minnesota jurist and legislator; associate justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court, 1973–1993* Lawrence Robert Yetka (October 1, 1924 – November 12, 2017) was a Minnesota lawyer. He sat in the [[Minnesota House of Representatives]] and later served as an associate justice of the [[Minnesota Supreme Court]].[^1] A native of Cloquet, [[Minnesota]], he was named to the court in 1973 by Governor Wendell Anderson. He remained on the court until he retired in 1993.[^1] Before joining the court, Yetka spent ten years in the House, from 1951 to 1961. He held a special municipal judgeship from 1961 and became Cloquet City Attorney in 1964.[^1] The [[Minnesota Historical Society]] has inventoried his Supreme Court files and his personal papers.[^2] ## Early life and education Yetka's birthplace was Cloquet. He completed his studies at the [[University of Minnesota Law School]] in 1948.[^1] ## Legislative career Yetka held a seat in the Minnesota House from 1951 until 1961.[^1] ## Municipal service In 1961 Yetka took a post as a special municipal judge. He left that bench in 1964 to become city attorney for Cloquet.[^1] ## Supreme Court In 1973 Governor Wendell Anderson named Yetka to the Minnesota Supreme Court. The seat he filled had opened when [[Robert Sheran]] moved up to chief justice following the retirement of Chief Justice [[Oscar Knutson]].[^1] Yetka remained an associate justice until his retirement in 1993.[^1] ## Death Yetka died on November 12, 2017.[^1] ## Archival records The Minnesota State Law Library published *The political, professional and judicial career of Lawrence R. Yetka* in 1996 as part of its Minnesota Justices series (OCLC 35987880).[^2] The Minnesota Historical Society has issued two finding aids for his records. The first is *SUPREME COURT: An Inventory of the Files of Justice Lawrence Yetka*, dated May 14, 2009. The second is *LAWRENCE R. YETKA: An Inventory of His Papers*, dated July 2, 2014.[^2] ## In the Minnesota record ### Who - Lawrence Robert Yetka, a state legislator and later an associate justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court.[^1] ### What - He served in the Minnesota House of Representatives, as a special municipal judge, and as Cloquet City Attorney. He was later an associate justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court.[^1] ### When - He was born October 1, 1924, and graduated from law school in 1948. He served in the House from 1951 to 1961, became a special municipal judge in 1961, and became Cloquet City Attorney in 1964. He was appointed to the Supreme Court in 1973, retired in 1993, and died November 12, 2017.[^1] ### Where - He was born in Cloquet, and his legislative and judicial service was in Minnesota.[^1] His papers are held by the Minnesota Historical Society.[^2] ### How - Governor Wendell Anderson appointed him to the Supreme Court seat vacated when Robert Sheran became chief justice.[^1] ## Notes [^1]: Wikipedia contributors, *Lawrence R. Yetka*, lead section (revision 1378335828, retrieved 2026-10-26; CC BY-SA 4.0) — establishes his birth and death dates, birthplace, 1948 law degree, House service from 1951 to 1961, his municipal judgeship and city attorney posts, his 1973 appointment by Gov. Wendell Anderson to the seat vacated by Robert Sheran, and his 1993 retirement. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_R._Yetka [^2]: Wikipedia contributors, *Lawrence R. Yetka*, "External documents" section (revision 1378335828, retrieved 2026-10-26; CC BY-SA 4.0) — lists the 1996 Minnesota State Law Library publication and the Minnesota Historical Society inventories of his files (May 14, 2009) and papers (July 2, 2014). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_R._Yetka