Marion "Mike" Menning (born July 27, 1945) is a former politician and a former member of the

Minnesota Senate The Minnesota Senate is the upper house of the Minnesota Legislature, Legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota. At 67 members, half as many as the Minnesota House of Representatives, it is the largest upper house of any State legislature (Unite ...

and the

Minnesota House of Representatives The Minnesota House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the U.S. state of Minnesota's Minnesota Legislature, legislature. It operates in conjunction with the Minnesota Senate, the state's upper chamber, to write and pass legislation, whic ...

from southwestern

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

. He was first elected to the House as a representative of District 26A in 1974, served one term, and then ran successfully for the District 26 senate seat in 1976. He was re-elected to the Senate in 1980. Because of the 1980

redistricting Redistricting in the United States is the process of drawing electoral district boundaries. For the United States House of Representatives, and state legislatures, redistricting occurs after each ten-year census. The U.S. Constitution in Art ...

, that term was two years in duration. He represented all or portions of

Murray Murray may refer to: Businesses * Murray (bicycle company), an American bicycle manufacturer * Murray Motor Car Company, an American car manufacturer * Murrays, an Australian bus company * Murray International Trust, a Scottish investment trus ...

Nobles Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. T ...

, Pipestone and

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counties.

Service in the Minnesota House and Senate

From the town of Edgerton, Menning, a local businessman, made energy, agriculture, education and transportation his special concerns during his time in the legislature. While in the House, he served on the Agriculture, Commerce & Economic Development, and Transportation committees. In the Senate, he served on the Energy & Housing, Finance, Local Government, and Transportation committees, and on various sub-committees relevant to each area. During the 1981–83 session, he chaired the Finance Committee's sub-committee on Semi-States/DOT (Minnesota Dept. of Transportation). Menning's brother-in-law, Gaylin Den Ouden, also served in the Minnesota Legislature from 1977 to 1987. From Prinsburg, Den Ouden represented District 21B.

1986 gubernatorial run

After his service in the legislature concluded, Menning switched political parties, leaving the

Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party Minnesota ( ) is a state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the south, and No ...

in 1983 to become a member of the

Republican Party of Minnesota The Republican Party of Minnesota is the state affiliate of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party in Minnesota and the oldest active political party in the state. Founded in 1855, the party is headquartered in Edina, Minnesota, E ...

. In 1986, he campaigned for the Republican endorsement for

governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

. However, the party's endorsement eventually went to fellow southwest Minnesota resident Cal Ludeman of Tracy. Menning subsequently threw his support to Ludeman, who lost the November general election to popular incumbent governor

Rudy Perpich Rudolph George Perpich Sr. (born Rudolph George Prpić; June 27, 1928 September 21, 1995) was an American politician who served as the governor of Minnesota from 1976 to 1979 and again from 1983 to 1991. A member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor ...

Christian service and Friendship Ministries

In 1985, Menning co-authored the book "Us Four: A Senator, His Family, Their Brain Injured Child" along with Ruth Peterman of

Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

. The book documented his family's struggle to get help for their son, who was born with

microcephaly Microcephaly (from Neo-Latin ''microcephalia'', from Ancient Greek μικρός ''mikrós'' "small" and κεφαλή ''kephalé'' "head") is a medical condition involving a smaller-than-normal head. Microcephaly may be present at birth or it m ...

. During this time, he also became active in Friendship Ministries, a Christian organization that works on behalf of children with special needs and their parents. He helped start groups or chapters of the organization in his home town of Edgerton, and also in Willmar. Putting politics aside, Menning eventually left Minnesota, moving to

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake Ci ...

, Utah with his family, where he served as pastor of the Mountain Springs Community Church for five years, also continuing his work with Friendship Ministries. He also heads Global Partners, Inc., an area charitable organization.

References

External links

“Us Four: A Senator, His Family, Their Brain Injured Child’’Friendship Ministries
{{DEFAULTSORT:Menning, Mike 1945 births Living people People from Pipestone County, Minnesota Politicians from Salt Lake City Southwest Minnesota State University alumni Republican Party members of the Minnesota House of Representatives Republican Party Minnesota state senators People from Pipestone, Minnesota 20th-century members of the Minnesota Legislature