Michael Bird (politician)
American politician / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Michael Conrad Bird is an economics lecturer, and was a Republican member of the Colorado State Senate from 1987 to 1995.
Michael Bird | |
---|---|
Member of the Colorado Senate from the 9th district | |
In office January 1987 ā January 1995 | |
Preceded by | Joel Hefley |
Succeeded by | Charles R. Duke |
Member of the Colorado House of Representatives from the 18th district | |
In office January 1983 ā January 1987 | |
Preceded by | Frank H. Randall Jr. |
Succeeded by | Thomas W. Ratterree |
Personal details | |
Born | Michael Conrad Bird |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse | Ursula Steinhoff |
Education | Western Maryland College University of Colorado Boulder (PhD) |
Bird graduated from Western Maryland College in 1961, and gained his Ph.D. from the University of Colorado at Boulder. He joined Colorado College in 1968, and was a Fulbright Lecturer in Mexico in 1966 through 1968, and Peru in 1971.[1]
In 1973 Bird and fellow Colorado College Professor Fred Sondermann were elected to city council of Colorado Springs on a "Sensible Growth" ticket.[2] Bird went on to become a Colorado state representative in 1983 and state senator in 1987.
After a failed bid to become Governor of Colorado in 1993, losing out to businessman Bruce Benson in the GOP due to his superior financial resources,[3] and being time barred to extend his stay in the Senate in 1994, he returned to the world of education as a lecturer at Colorado College.[4]
In 2004, Bird became Professor Emeritus of Economics at Colorado College, a position he still holds.
Bird is married to Ursula Steinhoff-Bird, the daughter of World War II Luftwaffe ace and former North Atlantic Treaty Organization military commander, Johannes Steinhoff.[5]