The Minnesota Senate today (Mon) honored long-time Secretary and chief parliamentarian Pat Flahaven (FLAH-ven) after this weekend’s celebration of his life. Roseville Senator John Marty says Flahaven “knew the rules better than… all of the rest of us combined” — a tradition continued by his successors. “Patrick was kind and calm — which is very helpful in a place like this, where people get passionate at times — kind, calm, helpful — and I think we owe him a lot,” Marty said.
Flahaven was Secretary of the Senate for 36 years, from 1973 to his retirement in 2009 — the youngest to be named to that post, and he served for the longest time in Minnesota Senate history. He was a nationally-acknowledged expert on parliamentary procedure. Flahaven died November 21st, 2021 at age 78 from complications arising from a stroke.