Willet, Gerald L., b. 1934

Gerald L. Willet was born October 31, 1934 in Duluth, Minnesota. He spent his childhood years in the north central Minnesota towns of Walker, Crosby, Ironton, and Laporte. After graduating from Laporte High School, Willet first worked for Reserve Mining Company as an operating engineer. On May 2, 1955, he married Anita Ware of Bemidji, Minnesota. During the next nine years they lived in Minnesota, New York, Ohio, California, and Oregon, where Willet held numerous construction jobs. In 1964 they settled in Park Rapids, Minnesota and began a furniture business.

In 1970 Willet was elected on the DFL ticket to the Minnesota State Senate from District 65. Following reapportionment in 1972, Willet represented the 4th District, comprising Hubbard County, most of Cass, and parts of Beltrami, Itasca, Wadena, and Morrison counties in the North Central and Central regions of Minnesota. The district includes the city of Bemidji, as well as the Leech Lake and Red Lake Indian Reservations. Agriculture and tourism, as well as education (Bemidji State University), are major industries and activities of the area.

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