COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – The longest-serving Republican U.S. senator in Minnesota histry, David Durbeger, was laid to rest amid eulogizes that recalled his legacy. He served three terms. “Students would light up with enthusiasm after speaking with him,” said Saint John’s political science professor Matt Lindstrom. He said that Durenberger’s legacy will be a life centered on public service and civic engagement. Durenberger, a 1951 Saint John’s grad, served as chief of staff to Governor Harold LeVander from 1967 to 1970 and as counsel to Governor Elmer Andersen. In 1974 won the seat of U.S. Senate Hubert Humphrey, who died in office. In the Senate Durenberger chaired the Select Committee on Intelligence. His Senate record was marked by bipartisan breakthroughs on civil rights, environmental protection, healthcare, education and tax reform. He valued working with Democrats as well as fellow Republicans. In a 2014 address at Saint John’s he said:
“You are going to be remembered for all those relationships you build one person at a time, one incident at a time, one problem at a time, one challenge at a time. I really have little reason to doubt that’s the best way for anyone who wants to go into public service. You want to be remembered for how solid those relationships were and how faithful you were to the commitments that you make.”
1934-2023
Frankness about downsides
Public life had struggles for Durenberger, which he detailed in the autobiographical “When Republicans Were Progressive.”
> GOP shifts. He bemoaned the gradual decline of the moderate wing of the Republican Party of his prime. The chaos of the Trump era, in which the party didn’t even produce a platform of principles, was especially troubling to Durenberger.
> Family. Durenberger’s first wife, Judy, died of cancer in 1970, leaving him a widower with four sons. When he ran for office in the late 1970s, his sons helped stuff envelopes at their dining room table, joined parades, and helped on the campaign. His son Dave called him “our north star for how we needed to live our lives,”
> Marriage. He separated from his second wife, Penny, in 1985. He called it “a personal agony.” He married Susan Foote, a former staff member, in 1995.
>Ethics. Durenberger was unanimously censured by the Senate for federal reimbursements for stays in a Minneapolis condo. He pleaded guilty to five misdemeanor charges.
In 1994 at age 66 Durenberger decided not to seek reelection. He then worked on several health policy initiatives.