Sandy Keith remembered as a leader who 'cared enormously about helping people'
Sandy Keith, a Rochester native who became the only Minnesotan to ever serve in all three branches of state government and tirelessly worked to push his hometown forward, died Saturday night. He was 91.
Keith spent the better part of the 20th century in the public eye, most notably as Minnesota’s Lieutenant Governor from 1963-67 and as a state Supreme Court justice from 1989-98 (chief justice from 90-98).
As news broke of his passing over the weekend, Rochester’s leaders sent their condolences.
“Rochester & Minnesota lost an icon today,” Mayor Kim Norton wrote on Twitter. “Sandy Keith served this state and our city in so many ways for every one of his 91 years. We all have so much to be grateful for from his years of service on our behalf.”
Senator David Senjem reminisced about the “hours upon hours” the two used to spend talking about policy and politics, no matter the location. The two belonged to different parties, but always stayed close.
“Today I lost one of my very best friends,” wrote Sen. Senjem on Facebook. “I will remember him forever as both deeply thoughtful and profoundly basic. While he had a lofty resume to me he was always that kind and gentle Sandy who cared enormously about helping people and building a better world that would elevate and enrich all people, especially those in the trenches struggling for a better life.”
The son of a Mayo Clinic doctor, Alexander MacDonald Keith was born in Rochester on November 22, 1928. After earning a law degree from Yale, Keith served as a first lieutenant in the Marine Corps for a year during the Korean War. In 1955, he married Marion Sanford — the couple would remain together for 65 years — and returned to Rochester, where he worked in Mayo Clinic’s legal department for five years before starting his own legal practice (now known as Dunlap & Seeger) in 1960.
From there, Keith built a name for himself in state politics as a DFLer. He was Olmsted County’s representative in the Minnesota Senate from 1959-62, leaving the post to become Lieutenant Governor under Karl Rolvaag. In 1966, Keith unsuccessfully challenged Rolvaag in the gubernatorial primary — earning the party’s endorsement, but losing the primary election.
(The Minnesota gubernatorial primary of 1966 was a bitter struggle that shaped Minnesotan politics for years to come… read more here.)
Keith then spent the next 22 years practicing law in Rochester, before returning to public service in the late 1980s. He made Minnesota history in 1989 when Gov. Rudy Perpich appointed him to the state Supreme Court — thereby making him the first (and only) person in state history to serve in all three branches of government.
Keith spent nearly two years in the Associate Justice role, before being appointed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court on December 1, 1990. He spent seven years as Minnesota’s Chief Justice, before retiring from the position in January 1998.
Keith stayed remarkably active in retirement, shaping Rochester’s future for years to come. He founded the Rochester Downtown Alliance in 2005, serving as its executive director until 2010.
Heidi Mestad eventually replaced Keith as the organization’s executive director. As the RDA slowly gained a foothold in Rochester, piloting programs like Thursdays on First, Mestad said Keith was the consummate leader: dignified, sharp, and compassionate, with tireless energy and a bubbling personality.
Above all else, though, Mestad said Keith’s humility set him apart.
“He could have listed all of his accomplishments off to prove points, but he never did,” said Mestad. “He’s a person who would sit with you and talk with you. He never wanted to sit at the head of the table. I’m so lucky to have been able to work with him and learn from him… I learned a lot.”
Keith is survived by Marion, his wife of 65 years, and his two sons, Ian and Doug.
Isaac Jahns is a Rochester native and a 2019 graduate of the Missouri School of Journalism. He reports on politics, business and music for Med City Beat.
Cover photo: Sandy Keith / contributed
