- published: 28 Feb 2015
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Mark Brandt Dayton (born January 26, 1947) is an American politician, the 40th and current Governor of the state of Minnesota. Dayton previously served as United States Senator from Minnesota from 2001 to 2007 in the 107th, 108th, and 109th Congresses. A member of the Minnesota DFL Party, Dayton was Minnesota State Auditor from 1991 to 1995.
Dayton was the DFL nominee in the November 2010 gubernatorial election. He defeated the Republican Party of Minnesota nominee Tom Emmer and Independence Party of Minnesota nominee Tom Horner in the general election, and took office on January 3, 2011.
Dayton was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the son of Gwendolen May (née Brandt) and Bruce Bliss Dayton. He is a great-grandson of businessman George Dayton. Dayton grew up in Long Lake, Minnesota. He attended Long Lake Elementary School (now closed) and The Blake School in Hopkins, from which he graduated in 1965.
In 1969, he graduated cum laude from Yale University, where he played goalie for the varsity hockey team. He also joined Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity, whose membership at the time included George W. Bush. Dayton worked as a teacher for two years in New York City, and then as chief financial officer of a social service agency in Boston, Massachusetts. Dayton served as a legislative assistant to Senator Walter Mondale. He ran for the United States Senate in 1982, losing to Republican incumbent David Durenberger.