James L. Hetland Jr.

Hetland joined the Army out of high school and served during World War II. He later earned a law degree from the University of Minnesota Law School, graduating first in his class. He clerked for Supreme Court Justice Thomas F. Gallagher of the Minnesota Supreme Court and then went into private practice.

In addition to serving the Met Council from 1967 to 1971, he was active in many boards and committees. He served as chair of the National Municipal League and the Citizens Forum on Self Governance and had roles in the Advisory Committee on Rules of Civil Procedure of the Minnesota Supreme Court, the Minnesota Zoological Garden, the Minneapolis Charter Commission, The Council on Crime and Justice, and the Minneapolis Downtown Association. He was also a professor at the University of Minnesota Law School and at William Mitchell College of Law.

• McGrath, Michael (2012). "Note from the editor". National Civic Review. 101 (3): 2. doi:10.1002/ncr.21088. ISSN 0027-9013.

• University of Minnesota Law School
• Metropolitan Council History