Education
University of Saint Thomas. University of California, Hastings College of the Law.
University of Saint Thomas. University of California, Hastings College of the Law.
A Republican, he was an attorney and partner in the New Ulm law firm of Somsen, Dempsey and Schade. Later, he served as a Minnesota district court judge. Dempsey was first elected to the House in 1978, unseating former New Ulm mayor and incumbent Republican
Tony Eckstein.
He was re-elected to six additional terms. He served as minority leader from 1991 to 1992, and was an assistant minority leader from 1987 to 1991. He was chair of the Taxes Subcommittee for the Local Government Finance Division, and chair of the Rules and Legislative Administration Subcommittee"s Select Committee on the Staten Case during the 1985-1986 Biennium.
Raised in Henderson, Dempsey attended the College of Saint Thomas in Saint Paul, earning his bachelor"s degree in Political Science.
He served as a pilot in the United States Air Force for three years. He graduated from the University of California"s Hasting"s College of the Law in 1962, earning his Juris Doctor He worked with the Minnesota Public Defender" General’ s Office for two years, and was the New Ulm City Attorney for 10 years.
He also served on the Minnesota Governor"s Crime Commission for two years. In 1992, Dempsey was appointed a district court judge by Governor Arne Carlson.
He resigned from the Minnesota House on May 11, 1992, and served as a Fifth Judicial District judge until 2002.
Since leaving the bench, he has continued to be active in state politics, serving on the Minnesota Board on Aging from 2002 to 2010, and on the Minnesota Combative Sports Commission since 2010.
Republican Party of Minnesota, Republican Party.
