Mike Lester

{{short description|American cartoonist}}

{{for|the footballer|Mike Lester (footballer)}}

{{pp|small=yes}}

{{infobox comics creator

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1955|03|03}}

| birth_place = Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.

| area = Editorial cartoonist
Comic strip cartoonist

| cartoonist = y

| notable works = Mike du Jour
Buzz the Yellow Jacket{{Cite web |date=2005-03-27 |title=Georgia Tech Alumni Association - A Walk Through Tech's History |url=http://gtalumni.org/stayinformed/magazine/sum04/article1.html |access-date=2024-09-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050327213444/http://gtalumni.org/stayinformed/magazine/sum04/article1.html |archive-date=2005-03-27 }}
Rags the Tiger{{Cite web |title=1980's |url=https://tigerrags.com/pages/1980 |access-date=2024-09-14 |website=Tiger Rags}}

| website = {{URL| https://www.mikelesterstudios.com/}}

| awards = Reuben Award (2009)
National Cartoonists Society

}}

Michael Eugene Lester (born March 3, 1955) is an American conservative editorial cartoonist and artist who has worked as a children's book illustrator. He is also the creator of the syndicated comic strip Mike du Jour.

He was born in Atlanta, Georgia.

Mike du Jour launched in 1995, running in The Wall Street Journal until 1998.{{cite web|title=Mike Lester Moves Mike du Jour to Andrews McMeel|first=D. D.|last=Degg|date=July 29, 2022|work=The Daily Cartoonist|url=https://www.dailycartoonist.com/index.php/2022/07/29/mike-lester-moves-mike-du-jour-to-andrews-mcmeel/}} It began being syndicated in 2012, by The Washington Post Writers Group; in 2022 the strip moved to Andrews McMeel Syndication. Lester had previously moved his editorial cartooning work to Andrews McMeel in 2021.

Lester was [https://www.editorandpublisher.com/stories/editorial-cartoonist-mike-lester-arrested-after-domestic-incident,136918 arrested] and jailed on August 20, 2009 for misdemeanor charges of battery and interfering with a 911 call originating from a domestic dispute with his wife, Regan Lester.