Lesil McGuire

Infobox State Senator
name=Lesil McGuire


state_senate=Alaska
state=Alaska
district=N
term=2007 -
preceded=
succeeded=Incumbent
office2=Member of the Alaska House of Representatives
term2=2000-2006
district2=
preceded2=
succeeded2=
party=Republican
date of birth=birth date and age|1971|1|22
place of birth=Portland, Oregon
date of death=
place of death=
alma_mater=Willamette University
spouse=Tom Anderson
profession=politician
residence=Anchorage, Alaska
religion=|

Lesil McGuire is an American politician in the state of Alaska. As of 2008, she is a Republican member of the Alaska Senate, representing the N District, taking office in 2007. She was previously a member of the Alaska House of Representatives from 2000 through 2006.

Early years

McGuire was born in Portland, Oregon, on January 22 1971, before her family moved to Alaska in 1973. [http://w3.legis.state.ak.us/senate/mcg.php Senator McGuire.] The Alaska State Legislature. Retrieved on March 12 2008.] She attended Willamette University in Salem, Oregon beginning in 1989, where she majored in both political science and speech.Hasselbring, Bobbie. [http://www.willamette.edu/wucl/pdf/lawyer/fall2004.pdf Alumni Profiles: Law in Public Service: A Shiny New Star.] "Willamette Lawyer", Fall 2004. pp. 20-21.] She also served two years as an intern for Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska before graduating in 1993 with a bachelors of arts degree. After college she attended law school at Willamette University College of Law, graduating with a juris doctorate in 1998. In law school she worked for "Willamette Law Review", the school's legal journal.

Political career

After graduation she returned to Alaska and clerked briefly for Birch Horton Bittner & Cherot before taking a position as an aide to the Alaska State Legislature’s Judiciary Committee. In 2000, at the age of 29, she won election to the Alaska House of Representatives to replace John Cowdery. McGuire married fellow legislator Tom Anderson in 2005, and they have one child, a son named Grayson. A Republican, she served in the House until 2006 when she was elected to the Alaska State Senate.

Stemming from a 4 September 2008 incident, she is accused of creating a ruckus on an Alaska Airlines airplane, causing the pilot to stop the plane on the runway. Witnesses reported McGuire was rude, used profanity, verbally assaulted pilots, and caused delay by not remaining in her seat. She allegedly threw water when the crew refused to give her alcohol and continued using her Blackberry when instructed not to. McGuire continued texting, prompting the pilot to stop the plane as it was taxiing.

Police questioned McGuire at the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport but did not charge the legislator with a crime. [ [http://information.travel.aol.com/article/air/_a/alaska-politician-blamed-for-disturbance/20080918105909990001?ncid=AOLCOMMtravdynlsec0145] Associated Press]

References

External links

* [http://senate.legis.state.ak.us/mcg.php Alaska State Legislature - Senator Lesil McGuire] official government website
* [http://votesmart.org/bio.php?can_id=27321 Project Vote Smart - Senator Lesil McGuire (AK)] profile
* [http://www.followthemoney.org/database/StateGlance/candidate.phtml?c=89763 "Follow the Money" - Lesil McGuire: 2006 campaign contributions]