Michael L. Runnels (September 11, 1945 – February 5, 2015) was an American politician and lawyer. Born in

Magnolia, Arkansas Magnolia is a city in Columbia County, Arkansas, United States. As of the 2010 census the population was 11,577. The city is the county seat of Columbia County. Magnolia is home to the World's Largest Charcoal Grill and the World Championship S ...

Harold Harold may refer to: People * Harold (given name), including a list of persons and fictional characters with the name * Harold (surname), surname in the English language * András Arató, known in meme culture as "Hide the Pain Harold" Arts a ...

and Dorothy Runnels, he grew up in

Lovington, New Mexico Lovington is a city in, and the county seat of, Lea County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 11,009 at the 2010 census, up from 9,471 in 2000. Geography Lovington is located slightly north of the center of Lea County at (32.94645 ...

and graduated from Lovington High School. He received his bachelor's degree

Colorado College Colorado College is a private liberal arts college in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It was founded in 1874 by Thomas Nelson Haskell in his daughter's memory. The college enrolls approximately 2,000 undergraduates at its campus. The college offer ...

and then went to the

University of Texas The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...

. Runnels then went to

University of Texas School of Law The University of Texas School of Law (Texas Law) is the law school of the University of Texas at Austin. Texas Law is consistently ranked as one of the top law schools in the United States and is highly selective—registering the 8th lowest ac ...

and received his

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

degree. Runnels served on the

Santa Fe, New Mexico Santa Fe ( ; , Spanish for 'Holy Faith'; tew, Oghá P'o'oge, Tewa for 'white shell water place'; tiw, Hulp'ó'ona, label=Tiwa language, Northern Tiwa; nv, Yootó, Navajo for 'bead + water place') is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. ...

City Council from 1976 to 1980 and then served as district attorney from 1993 to 2000. He ran unsuccessfully in 1986 and 2000 for his father's Congressional seat. From 1983 to 1987, Runnels served as

lieutenant governor of New Mexico The lieutenant governor of New Mexico ( es, Lista de Vicegobernadores de Nuevo México) is an elected official in the state of New Mexico that ranks just below the governor of New Mexico. The lieutenant governor is the first person in the order of ...

and was a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

. Runnels died at his home in

Ruidoso, New Mexico Ruidoso is a village in Lincoln County, New Mexico, United States, adjacent to the Lincoln National Forest. The population was 8,029 at the 2010 census. The city of Ruidoso Downs and the unincorporated area of Alto are suburbs of Ruidoso, and ...

.Michael L. "Mike" Runnels
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Notes

1945 births 2015 deaths People from Magnolia, Arkansas People from Lea County, New Mexico Colorado College alumni University of Texas alumni University of Texas School of Law alumni New Mexico Democrats New Mexico lawyers New Mexico city council members Lieutenant Governors of New Mexico People from Santa Fe, New Mexico People from Ruidoso, New Mexico 20th-century American lawyers {{NewMexico-politician-stub