Matt Dean

Matthew T. "Matt" Dean (born April 15, 1966) is a Minnesota politician. He served as the Majority Leader of the Minnesota House of Representatives from 2011 to 2013. A member of the Republican Party of Minnesota, he represents District 38B, which includes all or portions of Ramsey and Washington counties in the eastern Twin Cities metropolitan area. He is an architect and the owner of Dean Architects in Dellwood.

Born in the northeastern Minnesota city of Ely, Dean was raised in the Twin Cities suburb of Roseville. He graduated from the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, earning a Bachelor of Architecture degree.

Dean was first elected in 2004, and was re-elected in 2006, 2008, 2010, and 2012. He served as the Majority Leader of the Minnesota House of Representatives from 2011 to 2013, having been selected by his caucus for the position on November 6, 2010.

• 2010 MN State House Seat 52B
  • Matt Dean (R, Incumbent) 60.51%
  • Sten Hakanson (DFL) 39.46%
• 2008 MN State House Seat 52B
  • Matt Dean (R, Incumbent) 55.6%
  • Kate Christopher (DFL) 44.3%
• 2006 MN State House Seat 52B
  • Matt Dean (R, incumbent), 51.85%
  • Jason Gonnion (DFL), 48.11%
• 2004 MN State House Seat 52B
  • Matt Dean (R), 51.59%
  • Rebecca Otto (DFL, incumbent), 48.32%
• 2003 MN State House Seat 52B (Special Election)
  • Rebecca Otto (DFL), 54.30%
  • Matt Dean (GOP), 43.47%

In May 2011, author Neil Gaiman was invited to speak at the Stillwater Library in Minnesota. Gaiman has a fixed policy of charging very high speaking fees for his appearances, believing that such fees will discourage most people from requesting he speak, leaving him more time for writing. The money for Gaiman's speaking fee was taken from a special fund established to bring authors in to speak at local libraries, and Gaiman donated the speaking fee to a charity after the engagement. However, Mr. Dean took issue with the expenditure with the press, stating that Gaiman was an author he hated, and described Gaiman as "pencil-necked little weasel who stole $45,000 from the state of Minnesota." The actual fee was $40,000.

After some press coverage, at the urging of his mother, Dean apologized for being a "name caller".