Michael Frederick McFadden (born September 7, 1964) is an American businessperson and the co-CEO of Lazard Middle Market, a Minneapolis-based investment bank. McFadden was the

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

Republican nominee for the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

in Minnesota against incumbent

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 ...

Al Franken Alan Stuart Franken (born May 21, 1951) is an American comedian, politician, media personality, and author who served as a United States senator from Minnesota from 2009 to 2018. He gained fame as a writer and performer on the television comed ...

Early life and education

McFadden was born in 1964. He grew up in a Catholic family of Irish descent in

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...

, the eldest of five siblings.Profile
abcnewspapers.com, August 20, 2013. McFadden attended the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, graduating ''magna cum laude'' with a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics. He played varsity football for the Tommies alongside his friend and roommate

Vince Flynn Vincent Joseph Flynn (April 6, 1966 – June 19, 2013) was an American author of political thriller novels featuring the fictional assassin Mitch Rapp. He was a story consultant for the fifth season of the television series '' 24''. He died of pro ...

, the late author of the ''New York Times'' best-selling

Mitch Rapp Mitch Rapp is a fictional character in a series of novel by Vince Flynn and in the film adaptation of '' American Assassin''. Since Flynn's death in 2013, the series has been continued by Kyle Mills. Character introduction Rapp is a counter-ter ...

book series. After college, McFadden earned a J.D. from

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

Career

Between college and law school, McFadden worked as a marketing representative for IBM. After law school, he worked briefly as an attorney in New York City before deciding to move back to Minnesota.

Lazard Middle Market

After moving back to the Twin Cities in the early 1990s, McFadden joined Goldsmith, Agio, Helms and Co., the investment firm that would later become Lazard Middle Market.Lee Schafer
Profile
Minneapolis Star Tribune, June 23, 2007 The firm had approximately a dozen employees. By 2007, the company grew to over 90 employees in five cities. That year, McFadden was named co-CEO and the firm was sold to Lazard. McFadden's role at Lazard Middle Market was to advise privately held companies on mergers and acquisitions. When asked by the ''Minneapolis Star Tribune'' to describe what Lazard Middle Market does for its clients, McFadden replied, "it's pretty simple. If you want to sell your house, you hire a Realtor. If you want to sell your business, you hire me." On May 31, 2013, Lazard Middle Market announced that McFadden had taken a leave of absence from the firm.

Allen Edmonds Shoe Corporation

In 2006, McFadden represented Wisconsin-based Allen Edmonds Shoe Corporation in its sale to Goldner Hawn Johnson & Morrison. After the deal, McFadden was invited to serve on the shoe company's board of directors. Allen Edmonds is in a small minority of companies that still produce most of their shoes domestically. When the

Great Recession The Great Recession was a period of marked general decline, i.e. a recession, observed in national economies globally that occurred from late 2007 into 2009. The scale and timing of the recession varied from country to country (see map). At ...

hit, McFadden and the other board members stopped taking pay, and, in 2009, McFadden invested in the company to help keep it afloat. The company bounced back from the recession, even selling its American-made shoes in countries like China.

Cristo Rey Jesuit High School

McFadden serves on Cristo Rey Jesuit High School's board of directors. The school, in Minneapolis's Phillips neighborhood, has made educating students from poor families its mission. In 2013, 100% of Cristo Rey's graduating seniors were accepted to college or university.

2014 U.S. Senate run

McFadden kicked off his campaign for U.S. Senate on May 29, 2013. It was his first bid for public office. McFadden faced incumbent Democratic Senator

in the general election. McFadden received endorsements from former U.S. Senators

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and

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, all Republicans from Minnesota. His platform included jobs, education and addressing the national debt. McFadden was critical of the

Affordable Care Act The Affordable Care Act (ACA), formally known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and colloquially known as Obamacare, is a landmark U.S. federal statute enacted by the 111th United States Congress and signed into law by Pres ...

, and Franken's vote to pass it. His campaign released a web video featuring Franken promising that people could keep their current plans under the act, but Franken's campaign stated that the video was taken out of context. In July 2013, McFadden stated, "I'm working with a team of experts to come forward with detailed lanson health care. It's not enough just to say no to Obamacare. We need to provide an alternative. And we will, and we're working on that." A critic of government shutdowns, McFadden has called the tactic "draconian", and criticized Franken for scheduling a celebrity-filled fundraiser during the 2013 shutdown. In his first four months as a candidate, McFadden raised over $1.5 million for his campaign. In the Republican primary on August 13, McFadden won the party's nomination. McFadden's Senate campaign was unsuccessful, receiving 42.91 percent of the vote to Franken's 53.15 percent.

Personal life

Mike and his wife Mary Kate live in Sunfish Lake, Minnesota, with their six children. His two eldest sons, Conor and Patrick, played football for Stanford University.Andy Grede
"Conor McFadden's skills are pure gold"
twincities.com, ''St. Paul Pioneer Press'', December 24, 2013.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mcfadden, Mike 1964 births Living people American people of Irish descent American philanthropists Georgetown University Law Center alumni University of St. Thomas (Minnesota) alumni Businesspeople from Omaha, Nebraska People from Sunfish Lake, Minnesota Catholics from Minnesota Minnesota Republicans Al Franken