# Warren Spannaus *American politician; Attorney General of Minnesota, 1971–1983* Warren Richard Spannaus (December 5, 1930 – November 27, 2017) was a [[Minnesota]] politician of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL). He was [[Attorney General of Minnesota]] from 1971 to 1983.[^1][^2] The Attorney General's Office lists him among its officeholders for 1971–1983, with the University of Minnesota law school as his credential.[^1] He won the office in 1970 and was returned to it in 1974 and 1978.[^2] In 1982 he sought the governorship as the DFL-endorsed candidate and lost the party primary to [[Rudy Perpich]].[^2] The Minnesota Star Tribune reported his death in 2017 at age 86.[^3] The [[Minnesota Historical Society]] holds his files, which it catalogues in *An Inventory of the Warren Spannaus Files*.[^4] The sources cited here document his offices, elections and training. They do not establish the substance of the policy or litigation carried out under his direction.[^1][^4] ## Biography ### Early life and education Spannaus was a native of St. Paul, born in 1930.[^2] He completed his law degree at the [[University of Minnesota Law School]] in 1963.[^2] The Attorney General's Office's own history pairs his 1971–1983 entry with UMN Law.[^1] The project's claim:link record names the law school as the credentialing institution for Spannaus. It names the same school for Mondale, Mattson, Head, Humphrey III, Hatch and Ellison.[^5] ### Attorney general Spannaus first won the attorney general's office in the 1970 election and took it up on January 4, 1971.[^2] Voters kept him in the post at the 1974 and 1978 elections. His service ran from 1971 through 1983.[^1][^2] At the 1980 Democratic National Convention he was credited with two votes in the balloting for the presidential nomination. That nomination went to the sitting president, Jimmy Carter.[^2] ### 1982 campaign and later life In 1982 the DFL endorsed Spannaus for [[Governor of Minnesota]]. He had the backing of the party's state chair, [[Mike Hatch]], and of the Centrists faction.[^2] Perpich, who had previously served as governor, defeated him in the primary and went on to win the general election.[^2] Spannaus became a member of Dorsey & Whitney, a law firm headquartered in [[Minneapolis]].[^2] He and his wife, Marjorie Clarkson, had three children.[^2] He died on November 27, 2017. The [[Star Tribune]] obituary headline gave his age as 86.[^2][^3] The Minnesota State Law Library maintains a biography of him.[^6] ## The office in the federal record On January 14, 2026, the [[United States Department of Justice]] issued release No. 26-21. Spannaus had left office 43 years earlier. The release is titled *United States Department of Justice Files Lawsuit Against Minnesota's 'Affirmative Action' Regime*. In it, the Department states that Attorney General Pamela Bondi certified the case as a matter of general public importance.[^7] The release, as cited here, gives no docket number or current status for the action.[^7] The sources in this article do not connect Spannaus's tenure to the instruments at issue in that suit, and none is attributed to him here.[^1][^7] ## In the Minnesota record ### Who - Warren Richard Spannaus, DFL politician and Attorney General of Minnesota.[^1][^2] ### What - Attorney General of Minnesota, 1971–1983.[^1] - DFL-endorsed candidate for governor in 1982; lost the primary.[^2] ### When - Born December 5, 1930; died November 27, 2017.[^2] - Law degree, University of Minnesota Law School, 1963.[^2] - Took office January 4, 1971; re-elected 1974 and 1978.[^2] - Received two votes at the 1980 Democratic National Convention.[^2] ### Where - Born in St. Paul, Minnesota.[^2] - Member of Dorsey & Whitney, a Minneapolis-based firm.[^2] ### How many - Elected attorney general three times: 1970, 1974 and 1978.[^2] - Twelve years in office, 1971–1983.[^1] - Two votes for the 1980 Democratic presidential nomination.[^2] ## Notes [^1]: Office of the Minnesota Attorney General, *Attorney General History* (n.d.) — lists Warren Spannaus as attorney general, 1971–1983, with UMN Law. https://www.ag.state.mn.us/Office/AGHistory.asp [^2]: Wikipedia, *Warren Spannaus* (revision 1381682378, retrieved 2026-10-25) — birth, party, education, elections, 1980 convention votes, 1982 primary, law firm, family and death. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warren_Spannaus [^3]: Minnesota Star Tribune, *Former Minnesota Attorney General Warren Spannaus dies at 86* (2017) — obituary reporting his death at 86. https://obituaries.startribune.com/obituary/warren-spannaus-1090218167 [^4]: Minnesota Historical Society, *An Inventory of the Warren Spannaus Files* (n.d.) — finding aid for the Spannaus files held by the Society. https://www2.mnhs.org/library/findaids/ag0043.pdf [^5]: University of Minnesota Law School, *Our History* (n.d.) — cited in the project's claim:link record as the credentialing institution for Spannaus and other Minnesota officeholders. https://law.umn.edu/about/our-history [^6]: Minnesota State Law Library, *Warren Spannaus – Minnesota State Law Library Biography* (n.d.) — library biography of Spannaus. https://mncourts.libguides.com/spannaus [^7]: 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) — announces the suit; records Attorney General Bondi's certification of general public importance. https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/united-states-department-justice-files-lawsuit-against-minnesotas-affirmative-action-regime