# Lee Fisher

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. Fisher previously served as the 44th attorney general of Ohio from 1991 to 1995. He unsuccessfully ran for the U.S. Senate in 2010.
Fisher has served as Dean of Cleveland State University College of Law since 2017. In 2025, he was named to serve as President of Baldwin Wallace University.

## Early life and education

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.

## Legal career

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

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. In 1992, Fisher was elected a presidential elector for Ohio. 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. 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

In February 2009, Fisher announced his campaign to replace George Voinovich in the U.S. Senate.
On May 4, 2010, Fisher won the Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate, defeating Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner.
In the general election on November 2, 2010, Fisher faced the Republican nominee, Rob Portman, a former Cincinnati congressman and Bush administration official. 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.

## Academic career

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. Beginning in 2018, Fisher began teaching a course on leadership and helped establish the P. Kelly Tompkins Leadership and Law Program.
On February 10, 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.

## Personal life

He is married to Peggy Zone Fisher. 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

Election results :
| Year | Office | Election | Subject | Party | Votes | % | Opponent | Party | Votes | % | Opponent | Party | Votes | % | Opponent | Party | Votes | % | Opponent | Party | Votes | % | |
| 1980 | State House | General | Lee Fisher | Democratic | ? | ? | Kent Minshall | Republican Party | ? | ? | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 1982 | State Senate | General | Lee Fisher | Democratic | ? | ? | Ben Skall | Republican Party | ? | ? | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 1986 | State Senate | General | Lee Fisher | Democratic | ? | ? | Unopposed in primary and general elections | ? | ? | ? | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 1990 | Attorney General | Primary | Lee Fisher | Democratic | 394,332 | 62% | Charles T. Brown | Democratic | 246,729 | 38% | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 1990 | Attorney General | General | Lee Fisher | Democratic | 1,680,698 | 50% | Paul E. Pfeifer | Republican | 1,679,464 | 50% | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 1994 | Attorney General | Primary | Lee Fisher | Democratic | 739,724 | 100% | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 1994 | Attorney General | General | Lee Fisher | Democratic | 1,625,247 | 49% | Betty Montgomery | Republican | 1,716,451 | 51% | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 1998 | Governor | Primary | Lee Fisher | Democratic | 663,832 | 100% | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 1998 | Governor | General | Lee Fisher | Democratic | 1,498,956 | 45% | Bob Taft | Republican | 1,678,721 | 50% | John Mitchel | Reform | 111,468 | 3% | Zanna Feitler | Independent | 65,068 | 2% | | | | | |
| 2006 | Lieutenant Governor | General | Lee Fisher | Democratic | 2,435,505 | 61% | Thomas A. Raga | Republican | 1,474,331 | 37% | Mark Noble | Libertarian | 71,473 | 2% | Anita Rios | Green | 40,967 | 1% | | | | | * |
| 2010 | U.S. Senator | Primary | Lee Fisher | Democratic | 380,189 | 56% | Jennifer Brunner | Democratic | 304,026 | 44% | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 2010 | U.S. Senator | General | Lee Fisher | Democratic | 1,448,092 | 39% | Rob Portman | Republican | 2,125,810 | 57.25% | Eric Deaton | Constitution | 64,017 | 1.72% | Michael Pryce | Independent | 48,653 | 1.31% | Dan La Botz | Socialist | 25,368 | 0.68% | |