Editing Rudy Perpich (section)

== Entry into politics ==
Perpich first entered politics by serving on the Hibbing [[school board]] in 1955–1956. The board gained notability for instituting [[Equal pay for equal work|equal pay]] for male and female workers. In 1962, he was elected to the [[Minnesota Senate]], representing the old 63rd District, which included portions of [[St. Louis County, Minnesota|Saint Louis County]] in the northeastern part of the state. He was reelected in 1966.

In 1970, Perpich was elected the 39th [[lieutenant governor of Minnesota]]. He was reelected in 1974 on a [[Ticket (election)|ticket]] with Governor [[Wendell R. Anderson]]. (Before 1974, the governor and lieutenant governor were elected separately in Minnesota.) He became governor when Anderson resigned in 1976 to accept appointment to the [[United States Senate]] seat vacated by [[Walter Mondale]], who had been elected [[Vice President of the United States]]. Perpich was the first Iron Range resident to hold the office.