The sad news comes today that Mike Diedrich, a former state senator from Rapid City, has died after a battle with cancer. Diedrich, 70, was an attorney and worked in health care policy. He had most recently served in the State Senate as Assistant Senate Majority Leader. His full obituary is posted here.
Diedrich’s legislative service was unusual, in that it spanned 38 years and included a 24-year gap. He first served in the State Senate from 1987-90, and then again from 1993-94. Following a long hiatus, he was appointed to the State House in early 2018 by Governor Dennis Daugaard to replace Rep. Craig Tieszen, who had died. Diedrich served 2018-20 in the House, then returned to the Senate from 2021-24, retiring due to his cancer diagnosis. He serves as Assistant Leader during his final term, in 2023-24.
Mike Diedrich was an excellent legislator; widely admired for his intellect and unfailingly positive personality. He served with my grandfather, Sen. Henry Poppen, during his first years in the Senate, and I was privileged to serve with him as well.
At the bottom of this post is a neat picture from my Grandpa’s things. It’s not a great picture of Mike, but I’m sharing it anyway because he was the last living person in this picture. This was taken when Vice President George Bush visited the State Capitol on January 27, 1988 while he was running for president. Mike is the young man over Bush’s shoulder on the left. Also in the picture are Walter Conahan of Brookings, Jim Stoick from Mobridge, and my grandfather, Henry Poppen from DeSmet.
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