Bill Luther

Who is Bill Luther?

William Paul "Bill" Luther is an American politician. Luther was a Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party member of the United States House of Representatives representing Minnesota's 6th congressional district from January 3, 1995, to January 3, 2003, serving in the 104th, 105th, 106th, and 107th congresses,

Luther was born in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, and was educated at the University of Minnesota, receiving a Bachelor of Science in 1967 and a Juris Doctor from the Law School in 1970. Before entering politics, he worked first as an attorney and later as a prosecutor for the Court of Appeals. He was a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives from 1975 to 1976 and the Minnesota Senate from 1977 to 1994. During his career as a state legislator and a congressman, Luther gained an image as a moderate Democrat.

After the 2000 census, Minnesota's congressional map was radically altered, even though the state didn't gain or lose any districts. Luther's 6th District in the northern Twin Cities suburbs was pushed slightly north and made significantly more Republican. After some consideration, Luther opted to run in the newly created 2nd District in the southern suburbs, which contained about 39 percent of his former territory. He faced a rematch against Republican John Kline, his opponent in 1998 and 2000.