JERI RASMUSSEN:

Rasmussen was born Jereen Wharton circa 1934. She grew up in Saint Paul's Midway neighborhood, and attended Hamline University, but dropped out at age 20 and married. She and her husband had a daughter, Sarah, and a son, Matthew.

Rasmussen became politically active in the mid-1960s. In the early 1970s she and five other women formed the DFL Feminist Caucus. She became the first director of public affairs for Planned Parenthood of Minnesota in 1979, holding that position until 1985. In 1986 she was hired as Washington, D.C. director of Human Serve, a New York-based group advocating for liberalized voter registration. She returned to Minnesota, and became administrator of the Midwest Health Center for Women in 1989.

An active DFL party member throughout her career, Rasmussen served on several campaign committees and ran for State Senate in 1970. She was also a member of the Shoreview DFL branch and helped found the DFL Women's Caucus. Rasmussen was elected as a national board member of the National Abortion Federation in 1994.

Rasmussen died July 13, 2018 in Eden Prairie at the age of 84.

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Biographical and family information, personal correspondence, speech transcripts, appointment books and calendars, correspondence, minutes, printed materials, legislative files, newspaper clippings, some photographs, and related papers reflecting Rasmussen's activities in the pro-choice movements, the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, and in various women's political and feminist organizations, particularly the Minnesota branches of the Abortion Rights Council and Planned Parenthood. The collection also includes some information on public opinion polls concerning abortion, on religion and abortion and religion and state, and printed materials generated by right-wing and left-wing political organizations.

Rasmussen's active participation in the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party is reflected in correspondence with Hubert H. Humphrey (1960s) and the DFL Feminist Caucus (1974-1986), her unsuccessful campaign for the 49th Senatorial District seat (1970), pro-choice activities on the precinct level (1980s), and delegate and committee representation in the national Democratic party.

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Availability:

The collection is open for research use.

Preferred Citation:

[Indicate the cited item and/or series here].Rasmussen, Jeri. Jeri Rasmussen papers. Minnesota Historical Society.

See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.

Accession Information:

Accession number: 13,069; 14,478; 16,906; 16,970

Processing Information:

Processed by: Kathryn A. Johnson, October 1986; additions by Kathryn A. Johnson, January 1991; additions by David B. Peterson, August 2014.

Catalog ID number: 990017135530104294

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This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.

Topics:

Abortion -- Moral and legal aspects.

Abortion -- Religious aspects.

Abortion -- Law and legislation -- Minnesota.

Birth control -- Minnesota.

Birth control clinics -- Minnesota.

Civil rights -- Minnesota.

Elections -- Minnesota.

Equal rights amendments.

Feminism -- Minnesota.

Feminists -- Minnesota.

Political campaigns -- Minnesota.

Political participation -- Minnesota.

Public opinion polls.

Religion and politics -- Minnesota.

Religion and state -- Minnesota.

Women -- Political activity -- Minnesota.

Women's rights -- Minnesota.

Persons:

Humphrey, Hubert H. (Hubert Horatio), 1911-1978, author.

Organizations:

Abortion Rights Council of Minnesota.

American Civil Liberties Union.

Democratic Party (U.S.)

Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party.

DFL Feminist Caucus (Minn.)

Friends of Planned Parenthood (Minn.).

Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life.

Minnesota Women's Political Caucus.

Minnesota. Legislature.

Planned Parenthood Federation of America.

Planned Parenthood of Minnesota.

Reproductive Freedom Project (American Civil Liberties Union Foundation)

Places:

Ramsey County (Minn.)

Saint Paul (Minn.)

Document Types:

Photographs.

Sound recordings.

Videocassettes.

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