Morris L. "Morrie" Lanning (born August 27, 1944, in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

) 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 House of Representatives The Minnesota House of Representatives is the lower house of the Legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota. There are 134 members, twice as many as the Minnesota Senate. Floor sessions are held in the north wing of the State Capitol in Saint Pa ...

representing District 9A, which included portions of

Clay County Clay County is the name of 18 counties in the United States. Most are named for Henry Clay, U.S. Senator and statesman: * Clay County, Alabama * Clay County, Arkansas (named for John Clayton, and originally named Clayton County) * Clay County, Flor ...

in the northwestern part of the state. 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 is a retired vice president for student affairs and dean of students at Concordia College in Moorhead. Lanning was first elected in 2002, and was re-elected in 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2010. He was a member of the House's State and Local Government Operations Reform, Technology and Elections Committee and the Taxes Committee. He also served on the Finance Subcommittee for the Capital Investment Finance Division, on the State and Local Government Operations Reform, Technology and Elections Subcommittee for the Local Government Division, and on the Taxes Subcommittee for the Property and Local Sales Tax Division. He was appointed by Governor Tim Pawlenty to the Minnesota Statehood Sesquicentennial Commission, serving from 2006 to 2008. Prior to being elected to the legislature, Lanning was active in city government in his hometown of Moorhead, first on the city council from 1974 to 1979, and then as mayor for 21 years from 1980 to 2001. During his time as mayor, he served as president of the Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities, as a founding board member of the Greater Minnesota Housing Fund, as a board member of the League of Minnesota Cities, as founder and board member of the Rural Initiatives Coalition, and as president of the Minnesota Mayors Association. Lanning graduated from

Moorhead High School Moorhead High School is a public high school in Moorhead, Minnesota, United States. Established in 1883, the school serves approximately 2,000 students in grades 912. Extracurricular activities Student groups and activities at Moorhead High Sch ...

, then attended Concordia College in Moorhead, graduating with a

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 years ...

in psychology, history and political science. He later attended

North Dakota State University North Dakota State University (NDSU, formally North Dakota State University of Agriculture and Applied Sciences) is a public land-grant research university in Fargo, North Dakota. It was founded as North Dakota Agricultural College in 1890 as t ...

in Fargo, earning a

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 guidance and counseling.

References

External links

Rep. Lanning Web Page

Minnesota Public Radio Votetracker: Rep. Morrie Lanning

Project Votesmart - Rep. Morrie Lanning Profile

Morrie Lanning Campaign Web Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lanning, Morrie 1944 births Living people Politicians from Portland, Oregon American Lutherans Republican Party members of the Minnesota House of Representatives Mayors of places in Minnesota People from Moorhead, Minnesota 21st-century American politicians