Lana Scrimsher Oleen (born April 26, 1949) is an American politician and teacher. She served in the

Kansas Senate The Kansas Senate is the upper house of the Kansas Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. State of Kansas. It is composed of 40 senators elected from single-member districts, each with a population of at least 60,000 inhabitants. Members ...

as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

from the 22nd district from 1989 to 2005.

Early life

Oleen was born on April 26, 1949, in Kirksville, Missouri. She graduated from Topeka West High School and attended

Emporia State University Emporia State University (Emporia State or ESU) is a public university in Emporia, Kansas, United States. Established in March 1863 as the Kansas State Normal School, Emporia State is the third-oldest public university in the state of Kansas. E ...

, where she received a bachelors of science in education in 1972 and a masters of science in 1977. She began teaching at Council Grove High School between 1972 and 1974, at Dover High School between 1975 and 1976 and at Leroy High School between 1976 and 1977. In 1978, she began teaching at St. George High School as an English, speech and drama teacher. She was a finalist for a

National Endowment for the Humanities The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is an independent federal agency of the U.S. government, established by thNational Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965(), dedicated to supporting research, education, preserv ...

award in 1984 and received the Kansas Master Teachers award from

Emporia State University Teachers College The Emporia State University Teachers College is an education college located in Emporia, Kansas, United States. It is a part of Emporia State University. History The university was established in 1863 as Kansas State Normal School. A university ...

in 1985. Before running for political office, she worked for Governor

Mike Hayden John Michael Hayden (born March 16, 1944) is a retired American politician and veteran who served as the 41st governor of Kansas, from 1987 to 1991. He subsequently served as the Secretary of the Kansas Wildlife and Parks Department under Ka ...

. She has two children.

Political career

Oleen ran for an open seat in the

in 1988, when Merrill Werts declined to run for re-election after serving two terms in the Senate. Oleen served as Senate majority leader during her final term in office; she was the first woman to serve a full four-year term as majority leader.

Later life

Oleen was arrested for drunk driving in 2003; she received no jail time, as the result of a diversion agreement which is standard practice for first-time offenders. She declined to run for re-election in 2004. After leaving the Senate, she worked as a

lobbyist In politics, lobbying, persuasion or interest representation is the act of lawfully attempting to influence the actions, policies, or decisions of government officials, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying, which ...

for

Native American gaming Native American gaming comprises casinos, bingo halls, and other gambling operations on Indian reservations or other tribal lands in the United States. Because these areas have tribal sovereignty, states have limited ability to forbid gambling ...

in Kansas.

References

External links

* 1949 births Living people Republican Party Kansas state senators Women state legislators in Kansas People from Kirksville, Missouri Emporia State University alumni 20th-century American women politicians 20th-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians 21st-century American politicians {{Kansas-politician-stub