John C. Chenoweth

John Craig Chenoweth (May 4, 1943 – August 10, 1991) was a Minnesota politician, executive director of the Minneapolis Municipal Employees Retirement Fund, and a victim of an anti-gay hate crime. As a member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party, he served in the Minnesota State House (1969–71) and Senate (1971–79).

John Chenoweth
Member of the Minnesota Senate
from the 66th district
In office
January 2, 1973  November 26, 1979 (unfinished term)
Preceded byRoger Moe
Succeeded byEmery Barrette
Member of the Minnesota Senate
from the 44th district
In office
January 5, 1971  January 1, 1973
Preceded byWendell Anderson
Succeeded bySkip Humphrey
Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives
from the 44A district
In office
January 7, 1969  January 4, 1971
Preceded byEmery Barrette
Succeeded byBruce Vento
Personal details
Born
John Craig Chenoweth

(1943-05-04)May 4, 1943
Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S.
DiedAugust 10, 1991(1991-08-10) (aged 48)
Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)
Mary Sharon Naughton
(m. 1969; div. 1977)
ChildrenJohn
Alma materNew York Institute of Finance
Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity
Saint John's University
attended John Carroll University
attended William Mitchell College of Law
Profession
  • Politician
  • official
  • law clerk

Early life and career

John Craig Chenoweth was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, on May 4, 1943. He was educated at the Johnson High School, New York Institute of Finance, Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity at University of St. Thomas and Saint John's University.[1] He also attended John Carroll University and William Mitchell College of Law, but did not graduate.[1] Chenoweth served in the Minnesota House of Representatives from 1969 to 1971 and in the Minnesota Senate from 1971 to 1979. Before he was first elected, he was a Saint Paul Municipal Court law clerk and congressional campaign director.[1] In November 1979, he resigned his term to become the executive director of the Minneapolis Municipal Employees Retirement Fund.[1] He held the position until May 1990, when he resigned.[1][2]

Personal life

He was married to Mary Sharon Naughton from 1969 to 1977, by whom he had a son, John.[1]

Death

Chenoweth was murdered by gunshot on the beach (a gay hangout area at the time) in Minneapolis, on August 10, 1991.[2][3] 19-year-old Cord Draszt was seriously wounded in the same shooting.[4][5] The murderer, Jay Thomas Johnson, who was also gay, had shot and killed another gay man in Loring Park 11 days earlier, on July 31, 1991. The victim of that crime was 21-year-old Joel Larson.[3][4][5]

References

  1. "Chenoweth, John C." Minnesota Legislative Reference Library. Saint Paul. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
  2. Brunswick, Mark (13 August 1991). "Chenoweth identified as man slain on beach" (PDF). Star Tribune. Minneapolis. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
  3. "AIDS Virus Carrier Admits He Shot to Death 2 Gays". Los Angeles Times. 2 October 1992. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
  4. Birkey, Andy (16 June 2014). "Turning anti-gay hate into love with a Loring Park memorial to Joel Larson". The Column. Saint Paul: Springboard for the Arts. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
  5. "Licensed to Kill – Murderer's Profiles". Arthur Dong – DeepFocus Productions. Los Angeles. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
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