Michael Lathrop "Mike" Strang (June 17, 1929 – January 12, 2014) was an American politician who was a one-term Republican U.S. Representative from Colorado from 1985 to 1987.

Early life

Born in New Hope, Pennsylvania, Strang was the grandson of landscape painter William Langson Lathrop. His family moved to Colorado in 1932, where he was raised and homeschooled at their ranch near Golden.

Korean War

He served as a second lieutenant in the United States Army from 1950 to 1953.

Education

Strang graduated with an A.B. in history from Princeton University in 1956 after completing a senior thesis titled "Law, Politics and Religion: The Mercury View." He then did graduate work at the University of Geneva in Switzerland.

Career

He was a rancher and investment banker from 1957 to 1985. Strang served in the Colorado House of Representatives from 1970 to 1974, where he notably introduced legislation to legalize and regulate the sale and consumption of marijuana.

Congress

In 1984, he was elected as a Republican to the Ninety-ninth Congress, defeating W Mitchell. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1986, losing to Ben Nighthorse Campbell.

Later career and death

He resumed horse and cattle ranching and worked as a consultant on natural resources and taxes. He was a resident of Carbondale, Colorado until his death there on January 12, 2014.

Electoral history