Michael J. Parry (born January 5, 1953) is a

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

politician and former member of the

Minnesota Senate The Minnesota Senate is the upper house of the Legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota. At 67 members, half as many as the Minnesota House of Representatives, it is the largest upper house of any U.S. state legislature. Floor sessions are hel ...

representing District 26, which included portions of

Dodge Dodge is an American brand of automobiles and a division of Stellantis, based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Dodge vehicles have historically included performance cars, and for much of its existence Dodge was Chrysler's mid-priced brand above P ...

Freeborn "Freeborn" is a term associated with political agitator John Lilburne (1614–1657), a member of the Levellers, a 17th-century English political party. As a word, "freeborn" means born free, rather than in slavery or bondage or vassalage. Lilbur ...

, Goodhue,

Mower A mower is a person or machine that cuts (mows) grass or other plants that grow on the ground. Usually mowing is distinguished from reaping, which uses similar implements, but is the traditional term for harvesting grain crops, e.g. with reapers ...

Olmsted Olmsted may refer to: People * Olmsted (name) Places * Olmsted Air Force Base, inactive since 1969 * Olmsted, Illinois * Olmsted County, Minnesota * Olmsted Falls, Ohio * Olmsted Point, a viewing area in Yosemite National Park * Olmsted Townshi ...

Rice Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima ''Oryza glaberrima'', commonly known as African rice, is one of the two domesticated rice species. It was first domesticated and grown i ...

Steele Steele may refer to: Places America * Steele, Alabama, a town * Steele, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Steele, Kentucky, an unincorporated community * Steele, Missouri, a city * Lonetree, Montana, a ghost town originally called Steele ...

, and Waseca counties in the southeastern part of the state.

Early life, education, and business career

Perry was born and raised in

Albert Lea Albert Lea may refer to: *Albert Lea, Minnesota, U.S. *Albert Lea Township, Freeborn County, Minnesota, U.S. *Albert Miller Lea Albert Miller Lea (July 23, 1808 – January 16, 1891) was an American engineer, soldier, and topographer with the ...

. Parry served in the

Minnesota Army National Guard The Minnesota Army National Guard, along with the Minnesota Air National Guard, is an element of the Minnesota National Guard. The Constitution of the United States specifically charges the National Guard with dual federal and state missions. In ...

, receiving an honorable discharge as a

staff sergeant Staff sergeant is a rank of non-commissioned officer used in the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. History of title In origin, certain senior sergeants were assigned to administrative, supervi ...

, and attended Brown Institute of Broadcasting in

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

. Parry owns and manages a marketing and motivation company and his family owns the

Godfather's Pizza Godfather's Pizza is an American privately owned restaurant chain headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, that operates fast casual Italian franchises and Pizza Express locations. History Godfather's Pizza was founded in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1973. Wil ...

franchise in Waseca. He has managed numerous radio stations in Minnesota, Iowa, and Michigan, and owned radio station

KQAQ KQAQ (970 AM) is a radio station broadcasting a religious format. Licensed to Austin, Minnesota, United States, the station serves the Austin-Albert Lea and Rochester, MN areas. The station is currently owned by Real Presence Radio of Grand Forks ...

Austin Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

. He was vice president of Custom Publishing of

Fort Dodge, Iowa Fort Dodge is a city in, and the county seat of, Webster County, Iowa, United States, along the Des Moines River. The population was 24,871 in the 2020 census, a decrease from 25,136 in 2000. Fort Dodge is a major commercial center for North Ce ...

, and also co-owned a

motocross Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom. History Motocross first evolved in Britain from motorcycle trials competi ...

company.

Political career

Parry was a member of the Waseca City Council from 2004 to 2008. 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 ...

, he won a special election on January 26, 2010, succeeding Senator

Dick Day Richard Day (born March 9, 1937) in American politician and a former member of the Minnesota Senate who represented District 26, which includes portions of Dodge, Freeborn, Goodhue, Mower, Olmsted, Rice, Steele and Waseca counties in the sout ...

, who resigned on January 8, 2010, to head Racino Now, an organization dedicating to lobbying for slots at the state's two horse-racing tracks. He was subsequently elected to a full term in the 2010 general election. Parry was sworn in as a senator on February 4, 2010. He is currently chair of the Senate State Government Innovation and Veterans Committee. He is also a member of the Senate's Finance and Transportation committees In October 2011, Parry announced he would run in against incumbent Democratic U.S. Representative

Tim Walz Timothy James Walz ( ; born April 6, 1964) is an American politician and retired educator. A member of the Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), he has served as the 41st governor of Minnesota since 2019. Born in West Point, Nebraska, Walz ...

Minnesota's 1st congressional district Minnesota's 1st congressional district extends across southern Minnesota from the border with South Dakota to the border with Wisconsin. It is a primarily rural district built on a strong history of agriculture, though this is changing rapidly d ...

. He was defeated in the August 2012 Republican primary by

Allen Quist Allen J. Quist (born October 14, 1944) is a Minnesota politician, a former state representative, and a two-time candidate for governor of the state. State representative A Republican, Quist was first elected to the Minnesota House of Represent ...

, 45.9% to 54.1%. In August 2012, Parry accused Governor

Mark Dayton Mark Brandt Dayton (born January 26, 1947) is an American politician who served as the 40th governor of Minnesota from 2011 to 2019. He was a United States Senator for Minnesota from 2001 to 2007, and the Minnesota State Auditor from 1991 to 1 ...

of popping pills at meetings, saying "When you sit across from him and you watch him pop 15 to 16 pills when you're having a meeting, it's scary." The claim was refuted by Dayton and Republican legislators.

Other careers

He also received law enforcement training and served as a police officer with the Morristown and

Jackson Jackson may refer to: People and fictional characters * Jackson (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname or given name Places Australia * Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region * Jackson North, Q ...

police departments, and as a deputy sheriff with the Freeborn County Sheriff's Department. He was also president of the Waseca Rotary, and was a member of the Waseca Economic Development Authority and Waseca Development Corporation. He was also president of the

Jaycees The United States Junior Chamber, also known as the Jaycees, JCs or JCI USA, is a leadership training, service organization and civic organization for people between the ages of 18 and 40. It is a branch of Junior Chamber International (JCI) ...

. He is a licensed

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations with the exception of commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services ...

pilot.

References

External links

Senator Parry Web Page
* ttp://blog.lib.umn.edu/cspg/smartpolitics/2010/01/mike_parry_fends_off_critics_e.php Smart Politics: "Mike Parry Fends Off Critics, Engbrecht, and Srp to Hold 26th Senate District for GOP"br>Mike Parry Campaign Web Site

{{DEFAULTSORT:Parry, Mike 1953 births Living people Republican Party Minnesota state senators People from Waseca, Minnesota American Lutherans 21st-century American politicians People from Albert Lea, Minnesota