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Lee Fisher

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Lee Fisher
Fisher in 2010
64th Lieutenant Governor of Ohio
In office
January 8, 2007 – January 10, 2011
GovernorTed Strickland
Preceded byBruce Johnson
Succeeded byMary Taylor
44th Attorney General of Ohio
In office
January 14, 1991 – January 9, 1995
GovernorGeorge Voinovich
Preceded byTony Celebrezze
Succeeded byBetty Montgomery
Member of the Ohio Senate
from the 25th district
In office
January 3, 1983 – December 31, 1990
Preceded byPaul Matia
Succeeded byEric Fingerhut
Member of the Ohio House of Representatives
from the 16th district
In office
January 3, 1981 – December 31, 1982
Preceded byHarry Lehman
Succeeded byJudy Sheerer
Personal details
Born (1951-08-07) August 7, 1951 (age 73)
Ann Arbor, Michigan, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpousePeggy Zone
Children2
EducationOberlin College (BA)
Case Western Reserve University (JD, MA)

Lee Irwin Fisher (born August 7, 1951) is an American attorney, politician, and academic. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 64th lieutenant governor of Ohio under governor Ted Strickland from 2007 until 2011. He has served as Dean of Cleveland State University College of Law since 2017.

Early life and education

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Fisher graduated from Oberlin College in 1973 and earned a Juris Doctor from the Case Western Reserve University School of Law in 1976. He graduated from the Weatherhead School of Management Professional Fellows Program in 1996. In 2004, he received his master's degree in nonprofit organization from the Case Western Reserve University Mandel Center for Nonprofit Organizations.

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After graduation from law school, Fisher was a law clerk for Judge Paul C. Weick of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit from 1976 to 1977. In 1978, was an instructor in legal research, writing, and advocacy at Cleveland-Marshall College of Law and joined the Cleveland law firm of Hahn Loeser & Parks LLP. Fisher remained as of counsel to the law firm until his 1990 election as Ohio Attorney General; he rejoined as a partner in 1995 and remained until he was selected CEO of the Center for Families and Children in 1999.

Political career

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At the age of 29, Fisher was elected to the Ohio House of Representatives in 1980. He served as a state representative for two years before being elected to the Ohio Senate in 1982. He was named " Outstanding Freshman Legislator" by Columbus Monthly magazine in 1982. In 1983 he was named a Chase Public Leadership Fellow and attended the Harvard Program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government.

Fisher was elected Attorney General of Ohio in 1990, defeating Paul Pfeifer in the only statewide election in Ohio history to trigger a statewide recount.[1] In 1992, Fisher was elected a presidential elector for Ohio.[2] Fisher served as attorney general from 1991 to 1995, narrowly losing his bid for re-election in 1994 to Republican Betty Montgomery. In 1998, Fisher ran for governor but lost to Republican Bob Taft, 50%–45%.

Joining the ticket of Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ted Strickland, Fisher was elected lieutenant governor in 2006.[3] The Ohio gubernatorial campaign was captured in the 2008 documentary film Swing State, which was directed by (his son) Jason Zone-Fisher, John Intrater, and H. Spencer Young.

2010 U.S. Senate campaign

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Main article: 2010 United States Senate election in Ohio

In February 2009, Fisher announced his campaign to replace George Voinovich in the U.S. Senate.[4]

On May 4, 2010, Fisher won the Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate, defeating Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner.[5]

In the general election on November 2, 2010, Fisher faced the Republican nominee, Rob Portman, a former Cincinnati congressman and Bush administration official.[5] Portman received 57% of the votes to Fisher's 39%. Fisher carried only six of Ohio's 88 counties and three of 18 congressional districts.[6]

Academic career

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In 2016, Fisher was appointed interim dean of Cleveland State University's Cleveland–Marshall College of Law (now the Cleveland State University College of Law) for the 2016–17 academic year. On May 3, 2017, Fisher was named permanent dean after a national search. Fisher's tenure focused on leadership in the law, establishing the Cleveland-Marshall Hall of Fame, increased fundraising, and raising the school's national profile.[7] Beginning in 2018, Fisher began teaching a course on leadership and helped establish the P. Kelly Tompkins Leadership and Law Program.[8]

In February 2025, Fisher was named the 10th president of Baldwin Wallace University, effective July 1, 2025. The appointment came after a national search. Upon accepting the position, Fisher emphasized BW's commitment to career readiness, character development, and affordable education as key institutional priorities.[9]

Personal life

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He is married to Peggy Zone Fisher, the president and CEO of the Diversity Center of Northeast Ohio. He has two adult children. He has served on two public company boards: Rex Stores (now Rex American Resources) and Office Max (before it was sold to Boise Cascade).

Electoral history

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Write-in and minor candidate notes: In 2006, James Lundeen received 579 votes and Larry Bays received 73 votes.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ hosted.ap.org[permanent dead link‍]
  2. ^ "Presidential Electors: November 3, 1992 - Ohio Secretary of State". www.sos.state.oh.us. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
  3. ^ Strickland names Lee Fisher as running mate in governor's race. Business Courier of Cincinnati. January 26, 2006.
  4. ^ Naymik, Mark. Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher joins the race for U.S. Senate seat, The Plain Dealer, February 17, 2009
  5. ^ a b Naymik, Mark. Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher raises another $550,000 for Senate campaign, starts spending it on commercials. The Plain Dealer. April 14, 2010.
  6. ^ "Portman Is GOP's Point Man in Ohio : Roll Call". Archived from the original on March 18, 2011.
  7. ^ "C|M|LAW Hall of Fame Members | Cleveland-Marshall College of Law".
  8. ^ "C|M|LAW P. Kelly Tompkins Leadership and Law Program | Cleveland-Marshall College of Law". August 17, 2018.
  9. ^ Salamone, Shawn. "Baldwin Wallace University names Lee Fisher 10th President".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
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