Mike O'Neal was born January 16th, 1951 in Kansas City, Missouri. He was adopted as an infant by Ralph and Margaret O'Neal, a farm family from Manning, Kansas near Scott City. An only child, Mike lived on the farm until he was 4. Mike's dad had been farming with his dad and a brother but decided to give up farming and the family moved to Colby for a short time before moving to Scott City, where Mike's dad made a living in bread sales and owned and operated a home delivery dairy business. Mike attended public schools from kindergarten through high school in Scott City. Mike graduated #2 in his class at Scott Community High in 1969.

Mike went to college on a National Science Foundation scholarship, attending the University of Kansas from 1969-1973, where he earned a B.A. in English and was accepted into the University of Kansas School of Law. During his second and third year of law school, Mike interned with the Office of Legislative Counsel. There he was involved in writing Supreme Court briefs on the Legislature's behalf in such landmark cases as Brown v. Wichita State University and Leek v. Theis. In his 3rd year of law school Mike was Co-Chairman of Moot Court Council. Mike earned his J.D. degree at KU in 1976 and moved to Hutchinson where he has practiced law for over 30 years. Mike has been active in the Reno County Republican Party, first as a precinct committeeman, then as a member of the Executive Committee of the county party, and, finally, as an elected State Representative. Learn more about Mike on wikipedia.

Mike was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1984, beating a one-term incumbent Democrat. In his thirteenth term, Mike, along with two of his 1985 legislative classmates are the senior members of the Kansas House of Representatives. In 2009, Mike was elected as the Kansas Speaker of the House.

 

In 1984, Mike was in the inaugural class of Leadership Hutchinson and in 1985, his first year in the House, he was selected to Leadership Kansas. In 1986, Mike received the Outstanding Young Men of America award and in 1987 was an American Council of Young Political Leaders delegate to the Biennial Assembly in Strasburg, France.

Other honors include selection into the Who's Who of Emerging Leaders, Who's Who in American Law, Who's Who in America, and Who's Who in the Midwest. Mike is also the recipient of the Friend of Small Business award from the Kansas Chapter of the National Federation of Small Business, and recipient of the Kansas Bar Associations' Making a Difference Award. Mike has also served on the Kansas Sentencing Commission, KU Law Society Board of Governors, the Kansas Tourism Commission, the Hutchinson YMCA Board of Directors, and was Chairman of the Wesley Towers Advisory Committee. Recent honors include being named 2002 State Official of the Year by the National Association of Home Builders, being named 2005 Kansas Pro-Jobs Legislator by the Kansas Chamber of Commerce, and being selected to the 2005 Class of Kansas Super Lawyers.

Mike was Chairman of the House Redistricting Committee during the 2002 session. That Committee redrew House, Senate, State Board of Education and Congressional boundaries following the revised federal census of 2000. Mike then successfully represented the Legislature in Federal Court when the redistricting plan was challenged. Mike has chaired the House Judiciary Committee three different times totaling 16 years and has served as Chairman of the House Education Committee. Twice Mike has been elected to the office of Republican Whip. Mike also currently serves as the Speaker of the Kansas House of Representatives. 

Mike is a member of the National Conference of State Legislatures, Council of State Governments, the American Legislative Exchange Council, National Speakers Conference, and the State Legislative Leaders Foundation. Pending Senate confirmation, he will serve on the Kansas Bioscience Authority. 

 

In 1997, Mike accompanied a group of Kansas State University educators and fellow legislators on an educational exchange mission to Voronezh, Russia to assist their emerging democracy. In 2009, he went to Taiwan on a cultural and economic exchange program.

Since 1988, Mike has been a shareholder in the Gilliland & Hayes law firm in Hutchinson. The firm also has offices in Wichita, Kansas City, and Lawrence. The firm's senior partner is former House member and Majority Leader John Hayes, whose former district Mike now represents. Mike has an active state and federal trial practice involving, primarily, professional liability and health care law. Mike is a member of the Kansas Bar Association and the Kansas Association of Defense Counsel.

Mike, along with wife Cindy, reside in Hutchinson. Their daughter Haley graduated from the University of Kansas in May 2009 and is continuing her education at Lindenwood University, Saint Charles, Mo.  Austin, their son, is a Senior at the University of Kansas.  Cindy has worked for the legislature since 1987 and currently serves as the House Leadership Caucus Liason. She has her B.A. in Corrections from Washburn University. She also serves on the Kansas Fairgrounds Foundation Board. The O'Neal's enjoy tennis, golf, skiing, snorkeling, travel, and KU sports.