Michael Beard (born July 22, 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 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 ...

, who retired in 2014. A member of the

Republican Party of Minnesota The Republican Party of Minnesota is the oldest active political party in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The Minnesota Republican Party’s platform is relatively moderate. The party’s main issues are economic growth, education, healthcare, civi ...

, he represented District 55A, which includes portions of Scott County in the southwestern part of the

Twin Cities Twin cities are a special case of two neighboring cities or urban centres that grow into a single conurbation – or narrowly separated urban areas – over time. There are no formal criteria, but twin cities are generally comparable in statu ...

metropolitan area. Communities in the district include

Shakopee Shakopee ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Scott County, Minnesota, United States. It is located southwest of Minneapolis. Sited on the south bank bend of the Minnesota River, Shakopee and nearby suburbs comprise the southwest portion of ...

, Jackson Township, and Louisville Township. He is also a local businessman and newspaper publisher. He is now also co-chair of a coal energy advocacy group, Coalition for a Secure Energy Future and serves as Scott County Commissioner, District 3.

Early life, education, and career

Beard graduated from Bethany College of Missions in Bloomington, earning his BA in Bible Missions. He later attended entrepreneurial classes at the

University of St. Thomas St. Thomas University or University of St. Thomas may refer to: *Saint Thomas Aquinas University, Colombia *Saint Thomas Aquinas University of the North, Tucumán province, Argentina *St. Thomas University (Canada), Fredericton, New Brunswick *St. ...

Saint Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

. He was the owner and operator of Macalester Park Public Company from 1987 to 1995, and has been publisher of the '' Minnesota Christian Chronicle'' newspaper since 1994. He was a member of the

City Council from 1991 to 1995, and was a member of the Minnesota Regional Transit Board from 1993 to 1995.

Minnesota House of Representatives

Beard was first elected in 2002, and was re-elected every two years since then until retiring in 2014. On May 21, 2011, he joined the House Republican Majority in voting for a constitutional amendment to define marriage as between a man and woman. On May 7, 2012, he voted in favor of controversial House File 1485, the bill authorizing construction of a new Vikings Stadium. Beard announced on March 18, 2014 that he would not seek re-election.

References

External links

Rep. Mike Beard
''official Minnesota House of Representatives website''
Mike Beard
''official campaign website''
Minnesota Public Radio Votetracker: Rep. Michael Beard

Project Votesmart – Rep. Michael Beard Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beard, Mike 1953 births Living people Bethany Global University alumni University of St. Thomas (Minnesota) alumni People from Shakopee, Minnesota Republican Party members of the Minnesota House of Representatives 20th-century American newspaper publishers (people) 21st-century American newspaper publishers (people) Minnesota city council members 21st-century American politicians People from Clearfield, Pennsylvania