Paul Thissen
| Paul Thissen | |
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 |
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| Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives | |
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In office January 8, 2013 – January 5, 2015 |
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| Preceded by | Kurt Zellers |
| Succeeded by | Kurt Daudt |
| Minnesota House Minority Leader | |
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In office January 6, 2015 – January 2, 2017 |
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| Preceded by | Kurt Daudt |
| Succeeded by | Melissa Hortman |
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In office January 4, 2011 – January 7, 2013 |
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| Preceded by | Kurt Zellers |
| Succeeded by | Kurt Daudt |
| Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives from the 61B district 63A (2003–2013) |
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Assumed office January 7, 2003 |
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| Preceded by | Mark Gleason |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
December 10, 1966 Bloomington, Minnesota |
| Political party | Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party |
| Spouse(s) | Karen Wilson |
| Residence | Minneapolis, Minnesota |
| Alma mater |
Harvard University (A.B.) University of Chicago Law School (J.D.) |
| Occupation | Attorney |
Paul Thissen (born December 10, 1966) is a Minnesota politician and former Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives. He also served twice as DFL Minority Leader. Thissen was the longest serving leader of the Minnesota House Democrats since Martin Olav Sabo in the 1970s. A member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL), he represents District 61B in south Minneapolis. First elected in 2002, Thissen has been reelected every two years since.
Thissen was born in Bloomington, Minnesota. His parents, Frank and Barb Thissen, were both lifelong educators. Frank grew up on a farm in Blooming Prairie, Minnesota, that the family still owns, and worked for the Saint Paul Public Schools as a teacher, counselor, and administrator. Barb worked for many years as a special education teacher for Richfield Public Schools.
After graduating from the Academy of Holy Angels in Richfield, Minnesota, Thissen attended Harvard University and graduated with high honors in 1989. He earned a law degree from the University of Chicago Law School in 1992.
Thissen clerked for James B. Loken of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit and then went to work at the Minneapolis law firm of Briggs & Morgan, where he specialized in general litigation and appellate work and served as chair of the firm's Pro Bono Committee. During Thissen's tenure, he pioneered new approaches for lawyers to serve the community, initiating partnerships with several local non-profits. The firm more than doubled the hours of free legal services it provided to low-income individuals and nonprofits. Thissen also worked for the Minnesota State Public Defender's Office and founded "Access for Persons with Disabilities," a group of lawyers dedicated to providing legal services to persons with disabilities.
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