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, and as a member of the Ohio General Assembly from 1981 to 1990.
Fisher was the Democratic nominee in the 1998 Ohio gubernatorial election and 2010 United States Senate election in Ohio. After his political career, Fisher served as the dean of Cleveland State University College of Law from 2016 to 2025, and as president of Baldwin Wallace University since 2025.
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.
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.
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.hosted.ap.org 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.Strickland names Lee Fisher as running mate in governor's race. Business Courier of Cincinnati. January 26, 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.Naymik, Mark. Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher joins the race for U.S. Senate seat, The Plain Dealer, February 17, 2009 On May 4, 2010, Fisher won the Democratic primary, defeating Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner.Naymik, Mark. Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher raises another $550,000 for Senate campaign, starts spending it on commercials. The Plain Dealer. April 14, 2010.
In the general election on November 2, 2010, Fisher faced 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.
Higher education administration 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 Fisher is married to Peggy Zone Fisher. He has two adult children, including the sports journalist Jason Zone Fisher. 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 resultsYearOfficeElectionSubjectPartyVotes%OpponentPartyVotes%OpponentPartyVotes%OpponentPartyVotes%OpponentPartyVotes%1980State HouseGeneralLee FisherDemocratic??Kent MinshallRepublican Party??1982State SenateGeneralLee FisherDemocratic??Ben SkallRepublican Party??1986State SenateGeneralLee FisherDemocratic??Unopposed in primary and general elections???1990Attorney GeneralPrimaryLee FisherDemocratic394,33262%Charles T. BrownDemocratic246,72938%1990Attorney GeneralGeneralLee FisherDemocratic1,680,69850%Paul E. PfeiferRepublican1,679,46450%1994Attorney GeneralPrimaryLee FisherDemocratic739,724100%1994Attorney GeneralGeneralLee FisherDemocratic1,625,24749%Betty MontgomeryRepublican1,716,45151%1998GovernorPrimaryLee FisherDemocratic663,832100%1998GovernorGeneralLee FisherDemocratic1,498,95645%Bob TaftRepublican1,678,72150%John MitchelReform111,4683%Zanna FeitlerIndependent65,0682%2006Lieutenant GovernorGeneralLee FisherDemocratic2,435,50561%Thomas A. RagaRepublican1,474,33137%Mark NobleLibertarian71,4732%Anita RiosGreen40,9671%*2010U.S. SenatorPrimaryLee FisherDemocratic380,18956%Jennifer BrunnerDemocratic304,02644%2010U.S. SenatorGeneralLee FisherDemocratic1,448,09239%Rob PortmanRepublican2,125,81057.25%Eric DeatonConstitution64,0171.72%Michael PryceIndependent48,6531.31%Dan La BotzSocialist25,3680.68%
Write-in and minor candidate notes: In 2006, James Lundeen received 579 votes and Larry Bays received 73 votes.
See also List of Jewish American jurists
References
External links Ohio Lt. Governor Lee Fisher official government site Lee Fisher for U.S. Senate official campaign site
1996, 1998 campaign contributions at the National Institute for Money in State Politics (Attorney General, Governor) 2010 campaign contributions at OpenSecrets.org