Background

Jesse K. Lair was born on October 11, 1926, in Bricelyn, Minnesota, United States. He was a son of Merle Thomas Lair and Bertha Christina (Eggen) Lair.

Education

In 1945, Jesse entered the University of Minnesota School of Journalism and Mass Communication, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1948. Then, in 1964, he got a Master of Arts degree in Communications Research, and in 1965, a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Advertising Psychology from the same educational establishment.

In addition, Lair was on a scholarship in England, where he studied the BBC.

Career

In 1944-1945, Lair served in the United States Army Air Forces. In 1949, he embarked on market research. Between 1952 and 1956, Jesse first worked as an account manager and then as a copywriter at Bruce B. Brewer advertising agency of Kansas City and Minneapolis. In 1956, he moved to Leo Burnett, an advertising agency in Chicago, where he remained till 1957. At Leo Burnett, Lair wrote on Campbell Soup and Proctor and Gamble products.

In 1957, Lair moved to Minneapolis and the same year, he established his own company - Jesse Lair Co., a marketing consulting and advertising agency. Unfortunately, he had a heart attack in 1962 and sold the business with a five-year no-competition clause the same year.

Between 1963 and 1967, Jesse served as an associate professor on the University of Minnesota's Saint Paul campus, where he was also voted the Outstanding Professor. In 1967, he moved to Montana State University in Bozeman as an associate professor of educational psychology, a post he held until 1977. Also, it was in 1977, that he was asked by a previous client to take over the work, that he had done earlier for him, even though he had moved 1000 miles away.

Jesse was on disability retirement from 1984 to 1991. In 1995, health gradually improved enough to do some part-time marketing consulting work around the country from Bozeman by telephone. At about this time, Lair also started working with Bill Fryer Direct.

During his career, Lair carried out research on television advertising effectiveness. He also undertook some of the first studies into the impact of colour combinations and readability in advertising. Moreover, Jesse developed a new psycho-therapy system, which is featured in two well-known books and in the Encyclopedia of Psychology.

Lair penned several best-selling books, including "I Ain't Much Baby, But I'm All I've Got" (1972), "Hey God, What Should l Do Now?" (1973), "Sex: If I Didn't Laugh, I'd Cry" (1979) and "How to Have a Perfect Marriage with Your Present Mate" (1985).

Achievements

• Jesse K. Lair was a notable educator, author and advertising consultant, who ran a highly successful advertising agency - Jesse Lair Company. He also gained prominence for his book, entitled "I Ain't Much Baby, But I'm All I've Got". Originally published in the early 1970's, the book eventually sold more than two million copies.
  
  During his lifetime, Lair developed a new psycho-therapy system and held research on television advertising effectiveness and the impact of colour combinations and readability in advertising.

Works

More photos

• book

  • I Ain't Well-but I Sure Am Better

    (In this book, Jesse Lair writes about his experiences wit...)

    1975
  • I Ain't Much Baby, But I'm All I've Got 1972
  • Hey God, What Should l Do Now? 1973
  • Sex: If I Didn't Laugh, I'd Cry 1979
  • How to Have a Perfect Marriage with Your Present Mate 1985
  • Ain't I a Wonder ... and Ain't You a Wonder Too! 1977

Views

Quotations: "Children are not things to be molded, but people to be unfolded."

"Praise is like sunlight to the human spirit, we cannot flower and grow without it."

"Life is like walking through snow: every step shows."

"We inevitably doom our children to failure and frustration, when we try to set their goals for them."

"You don't raise kids. You raise carrots. You sponsor kids."

"It's like the little rat in the Skinner box, who says, 'I've got this psychologist under my control. Every time I press the bar, he gives me a food pellet.'"

Membership

Jesse was a member of the Montana Psychological Association and American Psychological Association.

Personality

Physical Characteristics: Jesse was a 6'2" (188 cm) tall man with crystal clear blue eyes.

Connections

Jesse married Jacqueline Patricia (Carey) Lair, a best-selling author and renowned worldwide speaker, on July 7, 1949. Their marriage produced five children - Janet Mary, Barbara Ann, Jesse Howard, Joseph Thomas and Michael Thaddeus. Jacqueline Patricia passed away on August 24, 2017.

Father:

Merle Thomas Lair

Mother:

Bertha Christina (Eggen) Lair

child:

Joseph Thomas Lair

child:

Janet Mary Lair

child:

Michael Thaddeus Lair

child:

Barbara Ann Lair

child:

Jesse Howard Lair

Wife:

Jacqueline Patricia (Carey) Lair