Melissa Anne Hortman was an American politician and attorney who represented the northern Twin Cities metropolitan area in the Minnesota House of Representatives from 2005 until her death in 2025. She served as Speaker of the Minnesota House from 2019 to 2025.

Early Life and Education

Hortman was born on May 27, 1970, in Fridley, Minnesota, and grew up in Spring Lake Park and Andover. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy and political science from Boston University in 1991, graduating magna cum laude. She received a Juris Doctor from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1995, graduating cum laude, and later earned a Master in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School in 2018.

Legislative Career

Hortman was first elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2004, defeating the incumbent in the general election. She was reelected in every subsequent cycle. She rose through leadership positions, serving as House Minority Leader from 2017 to 2019 before becoming Speaker of the House in 2019, a position she held until January 2025.

During her tenure, Hortman focused on legislation related to transportation, environmental policy, and energy. She was the chief author of Minnesota’s solar energy standard. She was recognized as one of the longest-serving women in the Minnesota legislature.

2025 Assassination

On June 14, 2025, Hortman and her husband Mark Hortman were killed at their home in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. The attacker, Vance Boelter, disguised himself as a police officer and targeted their residence in the early morning hours. Boelter also attacked State Senator John Hoffman and his wife at their home in nearby Champlin the same morning; both survived.

The attack was one of the most significant acts of targeted political violence against state legislators in modern American history, prompting national discussion about the safety of elected officials serving in part-time state legislatures. Hortman was 55 years old at the time of her death.