Skip to main content Skip to office menu Skip to footer
Capital IconMinnesota Legislature

South St. Paul post office could be named for officer killed there 89 years ago

Officer Leo Pavlak was killed in the line of duty by the infamous Barker-Karpis gang during an Aug. 30, 1933 robbery outside the South St. Paul post office.

Sponsored by Rep. Rick Hansen (DFL-South St. Paul), HF3394 is a memorial resolution to Congress requesting the federal government rename the building in Pavlak’s honor. Naming a post office is a federal responsibility.

Passed 130-0 by the House Thursday, it now goes to the Senate where Sen. Karla Bigham (DFL-Cottage Grove) is the sponsor.

“Giving your life in the line of duty is the ultimate sacrifice,” said Rep. Keith Franke (R-St. Paul Park).

According to the proposed resolution, Pavlak was escorting two bank messengers from a railway station where they picked up payroll money for Swift and Company that was shipped via train from the Federal Reserve Bank in Minneapolis. The money was then taken to the post office where it was put in bags. As the trio was robbed when leaving for Swift and Company, Pavlak, 38, was shot and died instantly. Another officer who arrived on the scene, John Yeaman, survived his injuries.

“Having the post office named in his honor is a true and fitting memorial. In addition, it has great meaning for all law enforcement officers but particularly for those who are his descendants,” his family wrote in support. “Leo has had a significant long-lasting effect on policing, especially in our family. His son Robert Leo Pavlak Sr. retired as a St. Paul Police Lieutenant and served as US Marshal for Minnesota. Some of Leo’s grandchildren and great grandchildren have become police officers and continued the tradition of service to the community.”

Robert Pavlak Sr. also served in the House from 1967-74 and 1979.


Related Articles


Priority Dailies

Legislature — with budget incomplete — gavels out, prepares for special session
House Speaker Lisa Demuth and Republican Floor Leader Harry Niska speak with the media following the May 19 end of the regular legislative session. (Photo by Michele Jokinen) Some years, state legislative sessions surge to a climax on their final day, a flurry of activity providing a sustained adrenaline rush, culminating in smiles of satisfaction as...
Walz, lawmakers strike budget deal in session's final days
Gov. Tim Walz and three of four legislative leaders announce a bipartisan agreement on biennial budget targets during a May 15 press conference. (Photo by Andrew VonBank) With five days to go in the 2025 session, three of four legislative leaders announced a budget agreement Thursday that would sunset unemployment insurance for hourly school empl...