Interviews of Mark Parkinson, December 14, 2010 and March 27, 2021

Interview Description

These transcripts are from oral history interviews of former Kansas Governor Mark Parkinson conducted in 2010 and 2021 by Washburn University faculty members Dr. Bob Beatty and Dr. Amber Dickinson. The interviews explored Parkinson’s unconventional political path from Republican member of the Kansas House in 1991, to State Republican Party Chair in 1999, to the Democratic nomination to the office of Lieutenant Governor in 2006 and onto the office of Governor in 2009. He discussed the leadership and business-minded philosophy he employed as governor to guide the state through an economic recession. During the interviews Parkinson also highlighted policy achievements in renewable energy, public health, and transportation. He also reflected on the power of ideas, the role of luck and tenacity in a public career, and the complexities of governing during a period of partisan polarization.

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Interviews of former Kansas governors conducted by Dr. Bob Beatty of Washburn University during the early decades of the 21st Century for the Kansas Governors Recorded History and Documentary Project provide a view of the lives, political philosophies, and governing styles of governors who led Kansas from the late 20th to the early 21st Century. Beatty generously granted the Kansas Oral History Project (KOHP) permission to house the transcripts of these interviews conducted with former governors John Anderson, William Avery, John Carlin, Bill Graves, Mike Hayden, Mark Parkinson, and Kathleen Sebelius. These interviews are a significant addition to the Kansas Governors collection, and the KOHP Board is grateful to Dr. Beatty for making the transcripts available for posting here. The article also linked below and downloadable, “ 'You Can Get a Hell of a Lot Done as a Governor': A Conversation with Former Governor Mark Parkinson," edited by Grant Armstrong, Bob Beatty, and Amber Dickinson, is excerpted from the 2010 and 2021 interviews. The article was published in the Spring 2022 issue of Kansas History: A Journal of the Central Plains and is reprinted here with permission. The questions were removed and footnotes added during preparation of the transcripts for publication as a journal article. The Kansas Oral History Project is grateful to the Kansas Historical Foundation for allowing us to post the article as part of the collection of interviews of Kansas Governors.

Topics

Abortion; Centrist Republican; Clean Indoor Air Act; Coal-fired power plant; Conservative movement; Death Penalty; Driving age; Energy; Highway Fund; Highway program; Holcomb Power Plant; Minimum wage; Moderate; Polarized political landscape; Political campaigns; Political culture; Political philosophy; Pro-choice; Smoking ban; State Budget; Sunflower Electric Corp.; Taxes; Water fluoridation; Wind Farm

Interviewee Biographical Sketch

From the Kansas History webpage: "Parkinson, a native of Wichita, narrowly lost his first race for the state legislature in 1978 at age twenty, but after getting his law degree embarked on a state political career that included serving in the state house (1991-1993), state senate (1993-1997), and as chair of the Kansas Republican Party (1999-2003). Parkinson switched his party affiliation from to Democrat when Governor Kathleen Sebelius shocked the state by asking him to be her lieutenant governor in 2006. He served as lieutenant governor from 2007 until April 28, 2009, when he became Kansas governor after Sebelius joined President Barack Obama’s cabinet as Secretary of Health and Human Services. "

Additional biographical information: Mark Parkinson graduated from Wichita Heights High School and went on to graduate summa cum laude from Wichita State University in 1980. Parkinson was first in his graduating class from the University of Kansas School of Law in 1984. He formed a law firm in 1986. Parkinson was elected to one term in the Kansas House of Representatives to represent the 14th District in Johnson County followed by a term in the Kansas Senate representing the 23rd Senate District, also in Johnson County.

Interviewee Date of Birth

June 24, 1957

Interviewee Political Party

Democrat

Interviewee Positions

State Representative, Kansas House of Representatives 1991-1993
State Senator, Kansas Senate 1993-1997
Chairman, Kansas Republican Party 1999-2003
Lieutenant Governor, State of Kansas 2007-2009
Governor, State of Kansas 2009-2011

Senate District Numbers

23

House District Numbers

14

Interview Location

Kansas Statehouse, Topeka