Mike Boland is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

politician who served in the Illinois House of Representatives, representing the 71st District from 1995 to 2010, and the Democratic nominee for

Indiana State Treasurer The Indiana Treasurer of State is a constitutional and elected office in the executive branch of the government of Indiana. The treasurer is responsible for managing the finances of the U.S. state of Indiana. The position was filled by appointment ...

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

. Born on August 20, 1942, Mike was born and spent part of his childhood in Davenport, Iowa as one of seven children. His family moved to Texas; Boland returned to the

Quad Cities The Quad Cities is a region of cities (originally four, see History) in the U.S. states of Iowa and Illinois: Davenport and Bettendorf in southeastern Iowa, and Rock Island, Moline and East Moline in northwestern Illinois. These cities are t ...

area to finish the final two years of high school. He received his

B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

from

Upper Iowa University Upper Iowa University (UIU) is a private university in Fayette, Iowa. It enrolls around 6000 students and offers distance education programs that include 15 centers in the U.S., an online program, an independent study program, and centers in ...

and his

M.S. A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast to ...

in education from

Henderson State University Henderson State University (HSU) is a public university in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. Founded in 1890 as Arkadelphia Methodist College, it is Arkansas's only member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges. Henderson has an undergraduate enrol ...

; he had, from

Western Illinois University Western Illinois University (WIU) is a public university in Macomb, Illinois. It was founded in 1899 as Western Illinois State Normal School. As the normal school grew, it became Western Illinois State Teachers College. History Western Illin ...

and the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized into 12 col ...

, 48 semester hours of work past his master's degree. Boland spent thirty years as a civics teacher. Boland's wife, Mary, is a member of the Illinois State Democratic Central Committee from

Illinois's 17th congressional district The 17th congressional district of Illinois is represented by Democrat Cheri Bustos. It includes most of the northwestern portion of the state, with most of its population living on the Illinois side of the Quad Cities, as well as parts of Peo ...

. Mike and Mary have two daughters. , Boland lived in

East Moline, Illinois East Moline is a city in Rock Island County, Illinois, United States. The population was 21,374 at the 2020 census. East Moline is part of the Quad Cities, along with the cities of Rock Island, Moline, and the Iowa cities of Davenport and Bet ...

Political life

Boland was in the Illinois House of Representatives for 16 years. He was one of the most forceful voices concerning the admissions controversy at the

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Univer ...

, in which relatives of politicians close to ex-governor Rod Blagojevich were being admitted more easily by university officials. Boland called on university officials, including

B. Joseph White Bernard Joseph White (born April 6, 1947) is president emeritus of the University of Illinois and professor emeritus of business at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. He is dean emeritus of the Stephen M. Ross School of Business an ...

, to resign, saying "They were trusted to protect our university. In my eyes, they failed in that regard and they should resign." He left the Illinois House of Representatives to run for Lieutenant Governor of Illinois in 2010, but was defeated. In June 2011, Mike Boland announced that he was running for the Democratic nomination for 17th district congressman, which would then go up against the Republican freshman U.S. Representative

Bobby Schilling Robert Todd Schilling (January 23, 1964 – April 6, 2021) was an American businessman and politician who served as a U.S. Representative for from 2011 to 2013. Schilling was a member of the Republican Party. Schilling challenged incumbent Dem ...

. Other competitors in the race at that time included Illinois State Senator

David Koehler David Koehler (born December 16, 1948) is a Democratic politician from Illinois, and has been the Illinois State Senator from 46th Legislative District since December 2006. The district includes Canton, East Peoria, Fairview, Lewistown, Maplet ...

of Peoria; East Moline City Councilwoman Cheri Bustos, Freeport Mayor George Gaulrapp, and

immigration lawyer Eric Reyes. However, in October 2011, Boland dropped out of the Congressional race to run instead against incumbent Mike Jacobs for the Democratic nomination for

Illinois State Senate The Illinois Senate is the upper chamber of the Illinois General Assembly, the legislative branch of the government of the State of Illinois in the United States. The body was created by the first state constitution adopted in 1818. Under the ...

in the 36th Legislative District.

References

External links

Mike Boland for Illinois State Senate 36th District
— official 2012 campaign site
Illinois General Assembly - Representative Mike Boland (D) 71st District
official IL House website
BillsCommitteesProject Vote Smart - Representative Michael J. 'Mike' Boland (IL)
profile *''Follow the Money'' - Mike Boland
200620042002200019981996
campaign contributions

profile {{DEFAULTSORT:Boland, Mike 1942 births Living people Schoolteachers from Illinois Henderson State University alumni Democratic Party members of the Illinois House of Representatives Politicians from Davenport, Iowa People from East Moline, Illinois Upper Iowa University alumni People from Fishers, Indiana 21st-century American politicians