Mike Hayden
| Mike Hayden | |
|---|---|
| 41st Governor of Kansas | |
|
In office January 12, 1987 – January 14, 1991 |
|
| Lieutenant | Jack D. Walker |
| Preceded by | John W. Carlin |
| Succeeded by | Joan Finney |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
March 16, 1944 Colby, Kansas |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Patti Ann Rooney |
| Profession | Soldier, Insurance Agent, Politician |
| Religion | Methodist |
| Awards |
Soldier's Medal Bronze Star Army Commendation Medal |
| Military service | |
| Service/branch | United States Army |
| Battles/wars | Vietnam War |
John Michael "Mike" Hayden, (born March 16, 1944) was the 41st Governor of Kansas. He subsequently served as Secretary of the Kansas Wildlife and Parks Department under governors Kathleen Sebelius and Mark Parkinson.
Michael Hayden, also known as Mike Hayden, was born in Colby, Kansas on March 16, 1944. He grew up in the small western Kansas town of Atwood, in Rawlins county. He was raised by his father Irven Wesley Hayden, and mother Ruth Kelley Hayden. Prior to the marriage, Ruth was a Democrat but she switched to Republicanism upon marriage to Irven Hayden. The Hayden family also comes from a long line of Republicans. Michael Hayden also registered as a Republican. The Hayden family was also brimming with many veterans, such as Hayden's grandfather, who fought at Verdun in France in World War I, and Irven Hayden, who found Burma Road in World War II. The Hayden family worked the same farm land that had been in the family for over forty years. Hayden recalls that growing up in a small town in a rural community was very helpful throughout his years in the legislature and as governor, because he felt a great closeness to Kansas, and its communities.
Hayden realized early in his life that he was not meant for the same life of farming that the rest of his lineage took up. Hayden had a greater interest in the natural world that surrounded him, and the life that it contained. His interest was not in cultivating, but understanding the nature world associated with the land. These interests compelled Hayden to pursue a degree in wildlife and later biology at Kansas State University. Hayden attended Kansas State University from 1962 to his graduation in 1966.
Hayden had received a deferment in order to attend college, but that ended swiftly upon graduation. He went into Vietnam in April 1969 as a second lieutenant in the infantry and spent a little over a year in service until he arrived home in May 1970. After Hayden's tour of Vietnam, he received a call from (former Kansas Governor) Alf Landon, who said "I want to endorse you for governor... You've been there under fire.".
After Hayden's deployment ended, he returned to Fort Hays State University for graduate school. In 1972, Hayden made his first decision to join the race as an elected official for his home district in Northwestern Kansas while still attending Fort Hays, 120 miles away. Hayden claimed that had never dreamed of being in an elected office. It was his passion for wildlife, environment, and conservation that encouraged him to decide to run for office. Hayden ran during his last semester in graduate school, a time period where he was teaching a biology lab in the year 1972.
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