The political world and Minnesotans from all walks of life were stunned when they learned that DFL Rep. Melissa Hortman, Minnesota House speaker emerita, and her husband, Mark, were shot to death early Saturday in their Brooklyn Park home.

In announcing the tragic news, Gov. Tim Walz characterized the slayings as what seemed to be “a politically motivated assassination.” Mark Hortman was known as a supportive political spouse. He accompanied Melissa on Friday night to the Minnesota DFL’s Humphrey-Mondale Dinner at the Minneapolis Hilton.

Just a few hours after the Hortmans got home from the dinner, they were killed in the middle of the night. The shooting suspect, Vance Boelter, was apprehended Sunday night, and he faces murder charges.

Since 2017, Melissa Hortman was the top leader of the House DFL caucus. She served as House speaker, minority leader, and as speaker emerita this year when the chamber was split 67-67. Her political roles put her in the media spotlight. Simultaneously, Mark Hortman was building a career in business outside of the media glare.

Since January 2021, he worked as a program manager at nVent, a St. Louis Park-based public company that provides electrical solutions for customers. With a strong information technology background, Mark Hortman recently was helping teams “replatform onto new CMS technology and relaunch several major e-commerce websites,” according to his LinkedIn profile.

On LinkedIn, Hortman described his professional credentials in this way: “Multi-faceted, personable technical leader for designing, managing, developing, testing, and deploying apps, e-commerce, SaaS [Software as a Service], and web-based applications.”

His nVent colleagues are grieving. “We are heartbroken by the loss of our friend and colleague, Mark Hortman, and his wife, Melissa,” an nVent spokesperson said Monday in a written statement to Twin Cities Business. “Mark was a valuable member of our Twin Cities-area team and worked closely with colleagues globally, across nVent. More than a colleague, he was a friend to many and will be remembered for his intelligence, kindness, and generosity. His loss will be felt company wide.”

The Hortmans had a son and a daughter. “We offer our condolences to Mark and Melissa’s children, family, and friends. Our nVent family will support and care for them and our community during this difficult time,” the company spokesman said.

Mark Hortman earned a bachelor’s degree in physics in 1989 from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In 2011, he graduated with an MBA from the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management.