THE VFA PIONEER HISTORIES PROJECT
Hon. Emily Anne Staples Tuttle
May 3, 1929 – January 13, 2018
“My primary motivation is to make the world a better place to live in.”
First female DFL (Democratic Farmer Labor party) senator elected to the Minnesota State Senate, 1977-1980. Served on more than 50 boards; public advocate for women’s rights, health care policy, economic growth and court reform; ardent supporter of the arts. A founder of the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota.

Photo. Emily Anne Staples Tuttle on the campaign trail.
2010 Mary Harriman Leadership Award Winner Emily Anne Staples Tuttle [Photo: The Junior League of Minneapolis]
More About Emily Anne:
- Obituary, The Star Tribune
- Emily Anne Staples Tuttle: Reflections on an Extraordinary Life, a conversation with Emily Anne Staples Tuttle’s daughters, Kate Staples and Missy Staples Thompson. May 2019
- Honoring Emily Anne Staples Tuttle and Her Legacy in the Junior League of Minneapolis. January 2018
- Staples, Emily Anne “Tuttle” – Legislator Record – Minnesota
- Cited in Barbara Love’s book, Feminists Who Changed America 1963-1975, page 469