Former Minnesota Rep. Arlan Stangeland dies

DETROIT LAKES, Minn. — Former Minnesota Rep. Arlan Stangeland (STANG'-land) has died. He was 83.

The West Central Tribune reports Dobmeier Funeral Home in Barnesville is in charge of arrangements. The funeral home's director, Duane Morey, said Stangeland died Tuesday at a Detroit Lakes hospital after a sudden illness.

According to the Minnesota Historical Society's web site, Stangeland was elected to the Minnesota legislature in 1966 as a representative from the Barnesville area. He was elected to Minnesota's 7th Congressional district during a special election in 1977, after Congressman Robert Bergland resigned to become U.S. secretary of agriculture. Stangeland won the seat in 1978 and went on to serve six full terms in Congress.

After losing re-election in 1990, Stangeland became a lobbyist in Washington, D.C.