MINNEAPOLIS — Retired 3rd District U.S. Congressman Jim Ramstad passed away on Thursday.
The news of Ramstad's passing broke on social media Friday morning. He was 74 years old.
Ramstad was known in Minnesota and across the country as a champion for addiction recovery legislation, after a public bout with addiction himself in 2006.
The moderate Republican served Minnesota's third district, which covers several suburbs to the west, south and north of Minneapolis, for nine terms before retiring in 2009. He was known as someone who would work with colleagues from across the political aisle in Washington for causes that were important to his constituents.
Former chief of staff Dean Peterson told reporting partner MPR that Ramstad had been battling Parkinson's when he passed.
"Jim’s political philosophy was guided by a fundamental belief in the importance of working in a bipartisan, pragmatic, common sense way to solve problems,” Peterson wrote to MPR.
He added that Ramstad “was a dedicated public servant who impacted numerous lives through his policy accomplishments and personal service. He leaves a legacy of love, service, dignity and respect, especially for the most vulnerable in our society.”
MPR reports that Ramstad's own rebound from alcoholism fueled his drive to help others grappling with addiction and aimed to erase the stigma around the illness. Ramstad was open about his own low point, an arrest for disorderly conduct while he was a Minnesota state legislator that caused him to give up drinking.
“If I had not wound up in that jail cell, I would not have sought treatment,” Ramstad told The New York Times in 2006.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, who served with Ramstad in Congress, is one of many leaving tributes on social media platforms. "Few members of Congress commanded the respect and admiration of their peers and constituents that Jim Ramstad did. Jim made the world a better place," Walz posted on his Twitter feed.
“Minnesota lost a friend and hero — former Republican Congressman Jim Ramstad. He was a faithful public servant who worked across party lines to improve the lives of all Americans," said Senator Amy Klobuchar in a statement. "He worked with Senator Paul Wellstone on mental health parity legislation and carried the torch to pass the bill after Paul died. I got to see Jim’s effectiveness firsthand when I worked with him on domestic violence issues and drug courts and funding for addiction programs. He was a true mentor to me on how to get things done by working with Republicans and Democrats."
Jim Ramstad served for nearly a decade in the Minnesota State Senate before being elected as a U.S. Congressman. He had just marked his 39th year of sobriety before his death.