A photograph of Governor Mike Hayden wearing a flight suit talking with a Kansas Air National Guard pilot at Elmendorf Air Force Base, near Anchorage, Alaska, with a F-4 fighter jet in the background. Born in Atwood, Kansas, Hayden entered politics after a decorated career in the military where he held multiple offices from 1962 forward. Hayden returned to Kansas after pursuing politics in Washington, D. C. in 2002, as the Secretary of Wildlife and Parks.