Dee Long was born in April 1939, the daughter of a Minneapolis minister, and was educated at the University of Minnesota (B.A. and Ph.D. program in experimental psychology). She was first elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 1978 to represent district 56B (later districts 59A and 60A) which comprises the Lowry Hill and Kenwood areas of southwest Minneapolis. Long served as majority leader from 1989 to 1992 and was elected Speaker of the House, the first female to hold this position in Minnesota, in 1992. Following a heated press investigation by the Star Tribune concerning long distance telephone charges incurred by Representative Alan W. Welle and another investigation by KSTP concerning the conduct of legislators who attended a conference in San Diego, California, Long resigned the speakership on August 4, 1993. Despite this setback, Long went on to serve as chair of the powerful tax committee from 1996 to 1998 (Long also chaired the committee from 1988-1989). Other committees on which Long served included Ways & Means and Rules & Legislative Administration. Long retired from the House of Representatives in 1998.
From the guide to the Dee Long legislative papers., 1992-1998., (Minnesota Historical Society)
