# Marlene Johnson *American politician and businesswoman; 42nd lieutenant governor of Minnesota, the first woman to hold the office* Marlene Johnson (born January 11, 1946) is a Minnesota politician and businesswoman. She ran with Governor [[Rudy Perpich]] and was the 42nd [[Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota]] from 1983 to 1991, the first woman in that office.[^1] She is a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL).[^2] Every lieutenant governor of Minnesota since her election has been a woman.[^1] In 1982 she and the Republican [[Kathleen Ridder]] co-founded the bipartisan [[Minnesota Women's Campaign Fund]], now WomenWinning, "to elect women candidates in both parties."[^2][^3] The project's time table places the enactment of [[Minn. Stat. § 43A.191]] in 1987, during Johnson's term. The record assembled here does not show who signed the statute or any role Johnson had in it.[^4] On January 14, 2026, the [[United States Department of Justice]] announced a suit against the State in release No. 26-21. The release title calls the State's apparatus "Minnesota's 'Affirmative Action' Regime." Attorney General Pamela Bondi certified the case as a matter of general public importance.[^5] The complaint, *United States v. State of Minnesota*, No. 0:26-cv-00273 (D. Minn.), is brought under [[Title VII]] of the [[Civil Rights Act of 1964]]. It cites § 43A.191 eight times. The caption names the State as defendant, and the record shows no disposition.[^6] The project's catalogue of U.S.-government "regime" usages (*[[How Minnesota Got Here]]*, note 40) finds Minnesota the only U.S. state so described. That is the project's finding, not an independently established fact.[^7] ## Early life Johnson was born in Braham, Minnesota, and grew up there.[^8] ## Career ### Politics As lieutenant governor, Johnson worked to widen Minnesota's international ties in trade, tourism, education and the arts. She promoted international educational exchange for secondary and post-secondary students in particular.[^9] Sweden gave her the Order of the Polar Star in 1988.[^9] Her term ended in 1991. She then ran for mayor of [[Saint Paul, Minnesota]], and Norm Coleman defeated her in the primary.[^10] President Bill Clinton later named her associate administrator for management services and human resources at the [[General Services Administration]].[^10] ### Later career Johnson later became executive director of NAFSA: Association of International Educators. Wikipedia describes NAFSA as the largest nonprofit association in the world devoted to international education, with close to 10,000 members.[^11] As of the article's retrieval in October 2026, Wikipedia lists these current roles: - a board seat at the Communications Consortium Media Center in Washington, D.C.; - the advisory council of the US-China Education Trust; - the Senior Advisory Council of Business for Diplomatic Action; - the advisory board of the Center for Women's Intercultural Leadership at Saint Mary's College. It lists past board service with the Alliance for International Educational and Cultural Exchange at AFS Intercultural Programs, the World Press Institute and the National Association of Women Business Owners.[^11] ## In the Minnesota record ### Who - Johnson, a DFL member, co-founded the Minnesota Women's Campaign Fund with Kathleen Ridder, a Republican.[^2] - The same source records other contacts between the parties' feminist wings. The [[GOP Feminist Caucus]] kept a standing subject file labeled "DFL feminists" (1974–76). The non-partisan [[Minnesota Women's Political Caucus]] served as a neutral channel where both sides met.[^2] ### What - The Minnesota Women's Campaign Fund, now WomenWinning, was organized as a bipartisan fund. The source's note describes the founding as "primary-confirmed" against Star Tribune, MPR and WomenWinning reporting.[^3] ### When - 1982: the Minnesota Women's Campaign Fund is co-founded.[^2] - 1983–1991: Johnson serves as lieutenant governor.[^1] - 1987: the project's time table lists the enactment of § 43A.191.[^4] - January 14, 2026: the United States files No. 0:26-cv-00273 against the State of Minnesota. The complaint cites the statute's subd. 3(c), which requires an agency to explain its reason for hiring a non-affirmative candidate.[^6] ### Why - The fund's founders stated its purpose as "to elect women candidates in both parties." The source does not state Johnson's personal reasons.[^3] ## See also - [[Governor of Minnesota]] - [[United States v. State of Minnesota (0:26-cv-00273)]] - [[Iraq Liberation Act]] ## Notes [^1]: Wikipedia contributors, *Marlene Johnson* (rev. 1369360940, retrieved 2026-10-25), lead — birth date, 42nd and first woman lieutenant governor, Perpich ticket, 1983–1991 term, all later lieutenant governors women. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marlene_Johnson [^2]: *The Instrument No One Will Name* (densified, 2026-06-18), validated passage — Ridder (R) and Johnson (DFL) co-founded the Minnesota Women's Campaign Fund in 1982; GOP Feminist Caucus "DFL feminists" file (1974–76); Minnesota Women's Political Caucus as neutral channel. Source label only; no URL in record. [^3]: *The Instrument No One Will Name* (densified, 2026-06-18), note [25], validated — fund's purpose "to elect women candidates in both parties"; marked primary-confirmed (Star Tribune / MPR / WomenWinning). Source label only; no URL in record. [^4]: Project Time Table, row TL-0922 (2023) — the row's chronology lists "§43A.191 enacted (1987)". The URL attached to the row is the Supreme Court's *SFFA v. Harvard* opinion and does not itself establish the 1987 date. https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/600/20-1199/ [^5]: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs, *United States Department of Justice Files Lawsuit Against Minnesota's 'Affirmative Action' Regime*, release No. 26-21 (Jan. 14, 2026) — title of the release, filing date, Attorney General's certification. https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/united-states-department-justice-files-lawsuit-against-minnesotas-affirmative-action-regime [^6]: U.S. Department of Justice, *Complaint, United States v. State of Minnesota*, No. 0:26-cv-00273 (D. Minn. filed Jan. 14, 2026) — Title VII basis; eight citations of Minn. Stat. § 43A.191, including subd. 3(c). https://www.justice.gov/crt/media/1423361/dl [^7]: U.S. Congress, *Iraq Liberation Act of 1998*, Pub. L. 105-338 — an example of U.S. statutory "regime" usage ("the regime headed by Saddam Hussein"); the catalogue finding is the project's own (*How Minnesota Got Here*, note 40). https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/PLAW-105publ338/pdf/PLAW-105publ338.pdf [^8]: Wikipedia contributors, *Marlene Johnson* (retrieved 2026-10-25), "Early life" — born and raised in Braham, Minnesota. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marlene_Johnson [^9]: Wikipedia contributors, *Marlene Johnson* (retrieved 2026-10-25), "Politics" — focus as lieutenant governor; 1988 Order of the Polar Star. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marlene_Johnson [^10]: Wikipedia contributors, *Marlene Johnson* (retrieved 2026-10-25), "Politics" — Saint Paul mayoral primary loss to Norm Coleman; Clinton appointment to the GSA. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marlene_Johnson [^11]: Wikipedia contributors, *Marlene Johnson* (retrieved 2026-10-25), "Later career" — NAFSA executive director; board and advisory roles. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marlene_Johnson