| Mike Lair | |
| State House: | Missouri |
| District: | 7th |
| Term Start: | 2009 |
| Term End: | 2016 |
| Birth Date: | 26 February 1946 |
| Birth Place: | Omaha, Nebraska |
| Death Place: | Jefferson City, Missouri |
| Profession: | teacher |
| Residence: | Livingston County, Missouri |
| Party: | Republican |
Michael Lair (February 26, 1946 - September 5, 2017) was an American politician and former educator from the state of Missouri. A Republican, Lair was first elected to the Missouri House of Representatives on November 4, 2008 and subsequently re-elected in 2010 and 2012. He represented District 7 in the House which consists of all or portions of Caldwell, Carroll, Clinton, and Livingston Counties. Due to redistricting of House seats following the 2010 U.S. Census, the boundaries of the 7th district changed effective January, 2013.
Lair was born in Omaha, Nebraska. He graduated from Creighton Preparatory School in 1964. Following high school Lair attended the University of Nebraska-Omaha, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in History in 1970. Later in life, in 2003, he earned a master's degree in Education from Central Methodist University.[1] Mike Lair was a high school History teacher and athletics coach in various Nebraska and South Dakota schools before moving to Chillicothe, Missouri in 1987.[2] He spent over 38 years in the classroom before retiring in spring of 2008 to run for the Missouri House of Representatives. Prior to and during his time as an educator, he also worked as a farm hand, construction laborer, gas station attendant, and small business owner. Lair and wife Jeanne, a high school teacher, are the parents of one daughter and one son. They also have one granddaughter.[2] Lair is a member of Saint Columban Catholic Church in Chillicothe.[1] Lair retired from the Missouri General Assembly in 2016 and moved to Jefferson City, Missouri. He died at his home in Jefferson City from heart problems.[3] [4]
Lair won his first election in November, 2008 by defeating Democrat Harry Wyse by a margin of 51.4% to 48.6%.[5] Mike Lair was re-elected in November, 2010 defeating Democrat Dale R. Toms 74.6 to 25.4 percent.[6] In 2012, Lair faced off again with Harry Wyse, his opponent from 2008. This time the margin of victory was 60 percent to 40 percent in favor of Lair.[7] Under Missouri's term limits Lair was eligible to run for a final two-year term in the House in 2014 if he so chose.
Representative Lair was a member of the House Retirement, Health Care Transformation, Correction and Public Institutions, and Education Appropriations committees. He was also a member of the Joint House and Senate Committee on Education.[8] Other legislative assignments include serving as Chair of the House Appropriations Committee, and member of the Budget, Education, Retirement, and Rules committees.[1]
In the 2012 legislative session Lair voted in favor of the following issues:[1]
Lair was a member of the National Rifle Association of America, National Council for Social Studies, Ducks Unlimited, and the Missouri Farm Bureau.[1] [2]