Jay Nixon
Jay Nixon | |
---|---|
55th Governor of Missouri | |
In office January 12, 2009 – January 9, 2017 | |
Lieutenant | Peter Kinder |
Preceded by | Matt Blunt |
Succeeded by | Eric Greitens |
40th Attorney General of Missouri | |
In office January 11, 1993 – January 12, 2009 | |
Governor | Mel Carnahan Roger Wilson Bob Holden Matt Blunt |
Preceded by | William L. Webster |
Succeeded by | Chris Koster |
Member of the Missouri Senate from the 22nd district | |
In office January 7, 1987 – January 11, 1993 | |
Preceded by | Clifford W. "Jack" Gannon[1] |
Succeeded by | William McKenna[2] |
Personal details | |
Born | Jeremiah Wilson Nixon February 13, 1956 De Soto, Missouri, U.S. |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse | Georganne Wheeler |
Children | 2 |
Education | University of Missouri (BA, JD) |
Signature | |
Jeremiah Wilson "Jay" Nixon (born February 13, 1956) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the
Early life
Nixon was born and raised in
Nixon graduated with honors from the University of Missouri with a degree in political science.[5] He worked at various construction jobs before receiving his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Missouri School of Law.[6]
State legislator (1987–1993)
In 1986, after a period of private practice in his hometown, Nixon ran for the Missouri Senate from a district in Jefferson County.[7] He won an upset victory in the Democratic primary against two longtime Jefferson County lawmakers[8] and defeated his Republican opponent, Larry Callahan, in the general election with 64 percent of the vote. When the new Congress convened on January 7, 1987, Nixon was the only freshman member.[9] Nine days after his swearing in, Nixon introduced his first piece of legislation with a bill that would allow schools to purchase satellite dishes in order to provide better broadcasts.[10] Later that year, he received an award as an outstanding legislator from the Judicial Conference of Missouri.[5]
In April 1987, Nixon expressed interest in running for the
In 1989, Nixon sponsored a bill that would mandate businesses with at least 25 employees to give pregnant workers maternity leave.[14] However, the Senate voted 17–16 against the bill.[15] Nixon re-introduced the bill in 1990, and although the Senate approved it,[16] Governor John Ashcroft vetoed the bill.[17] Nixon was reelected in November 1990, defeating Richard Ford, a Republican from Cedar Hill.[18]
Missouri Attorney General (1993–2009)
1992 campaign
Nixon announced in September 1991 that he would run for state Attorney General.[19] During the Democratic primary campaign, fellow Democrat Mike Wolff, a law professor who was also seeking the nomination, accused Nixon of using his political influence to get a consumer fraud complaint in 1988 dropped by then-Attorney General William Webster. Nixon denied Wolff's accusation and said that Wolff "sounds like a desperate candidate to me".[20] Nixon won the Democratic nomination and general election against Republican David Steelman.[21]
Tenure
As the state's Attorney General, Nixon created the Environmental Protection Division to enforce Missouri's environmental laws. Attorneys in this division take legal action to stop the pollution of the state's air, water and soil and to look after Missouri's agricultural interests. Successful litigation by the division has resulted in the cleanup of polluted sites and millions of dollars awarded to the state. His aggressive actions in the Attorney General's Office earned him national recognition. Barrister magazine[22] named him one of the 20 outstanding young lawyers in the nation, and the Missouri Jaycees selected him one of Ten Outstanding Young Missourians. Prior to becoming Attorney General, he was recognized by the Conservation Federation of Missouri[23] for his environmental work as a state senator.
In 1998, Nixon again
In April 2000, Nixon filed a writ of prohibition to prevent Edward Joseph Manley III, a candidate for Jefferson County sheriff, from appearing on the Democratic primary ballot. He argued that Manley's 1980 conviction for assaulting Louis Wayne DeRousse disqualified him from running for the position.[28] Circuit court judge M. E. Williams ruled in favor of Nixon in May and removed Manley from appearing on the ballot.[29]
In 2003, Nixon filed lawsuits against EchoStar and Xentel, two out-of-state businesses that allegedly made telemarketing calls to Missouri residents in violation of the state's "no call law".[30][31] The following year, a state judge ordered Xentel to pay $75,000 to the state of Missouri, which they did. However, the company continued to call consumers within the state. In 2008, Xentel agreed to settle the lawsuit and paid Missouri $80,000.[32]
The
Governor of Missouri
2008 campaign
In November 2005, Nixon filed with the Missouri Ethics Commission to launch a gubernatorial campaign.[34] In a Research 2000 poll in January 2006, Nixon led over Republican Governor Matt Blunt by eight points.[35] Blunt announced on January 22, 2008, that he would not seek a second term. By the filing deadline on March 25, 2008, three Democratic and five Republican candidates had filed.[36]
Nixon won the Democratic nomination on August 5, the same day Kenny Hulshof won the Republican nomination.[37] Pre-election polling showed Nixon regularly leading Hulshof, and he eventually opened up a 20-point lead two days before the election.[38] On November 4, Nixon defeated Hulshof by a margin of 19 points. The election coincided with the 2008 presidential election, and despite Nixon's landslide win, Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama lost Missouri to Republican John McCain.
First term (2009–2013)
Nixon was inaugurated as governor on January 12, 2009, sworn in by chief justice of the Missouri Supreme Court, Laura Denvir Stith.[39]
Nixon took office amid the Great Recession, and to combat this he focused on creating jobs, investing in education, and strengthening the state's economy while keeping the budget in balance.[40] In January 2009, Nixon proposed keeping the same funding level to public universities on behalf of the schools not increasing their tuition fees, which was generally met favorably.[41] Nixon also negotiated four tuition freezes for students at public higher education institutions.[42]
In July 2009, Nixon traveled to Iraq after the Department of Defense invited him to meet with U.S. soldiers. For security reasons, he did not disclose which military base he was staying at, other than it was in Kuwait.[43] He traveled to Germany that same month before returning to Missouri on July 22.[44]
Upon taking office, Nixon "began cutting spending almost immediately and has made repeated reductions to the budgets passed by the Legislature in subsequent years."
Nixon drew praise for his handling of EF-5 tornado that struck Joplin on May 22, 2011.[49] The Associated Press in 2011 called him "a ubiquitous commander of disasters."[50]
Aiming to revitalize the state's automotive manufacturing industry, Nixon created an Automotive Jobs Task Force and in 2011 called a special session of the General Assembly to pass the Missouri Manufacturing Jobs Act. On October 21, 2011 Ford confirmed that it would make a $1.1 billion investment in its Kansas City Assembly Plant and add 1,600 jobs at the facility.
Second term (2013–2017)
Running on a platform of fiscal responsibility and bipartisanship, Nixon was handily reelected in 2012 over Republican Dave Spence.[54] He began his second term on January 14, 2013. In his inaugural address, he recalled Missouri's history as a Confederate State during the American Civil War while encouraging state Republicans and Democrats to unite for "the common good".[55] In 2013, he joined with nine mayors to establish July 15 as Social Media Giving Day, encouraging citizens to support charities via social media.[56]
Nixon's second term came with crisis following the August 9, 2014,
Following the death of
On August 2, 2016, Michael Barrett, director of the Missouri State Public Defender System, called on Nixon to act as a public defender in a criminal assault case. Nixon's communications director, Scott Holste, questioned the authority of Barrett to do so.[66] The appointment followed a July 2016 legal action in which Barrett et al. challenged the constitutionality of restricting funds for indigent defense.[67]
In an open letter to Nixon, Barrett cited Missouri Revised Statues Section 600.042.5(1)
From November 2015 to November 2016, Missouri added 57,100 jobs, more than all eight of its neighboring states.[73]
Post-gubernatorial career
Nixon left office on January 9, 2017, with the inauguration of his successor Eric Greitens. He was the first Missouri governor to complete two-full terms since John Ashcroft completed his second term in 1993. After leaving office, Jay Nixon State Park was opened in eastern Missouri.[74] In mid-April 2019, Nixon served as a visiting Menschel Senior Leadership Fellow at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.[75]
Nixon represented televangelist
Nixon was seen as a potential candidate for the U.S. Senate election in 2022, with support from national party leaders such as Chuck Schumer.[77] Ultimately, Nixon declined to run.[78]
In 2023, Nixon was recruited by the organization No Labels to secure ballot access in all 50 states.[79]
Personal life
After leaving office Nixon moved to
Electoral history
As Governor
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Jay Nixon (incumbent) | 1,485,147 | 54.68% | −3.71% | |
Republican | Dave Spence | 1,157,475 | 42.62% | +3.12% | |
Libertarian | Jim Higgins | 73,196 | 2.70% | +1.59% |
Missouri Gubernatorial Democratic Primary Election, 2012 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± |
Democratic | Jay Nixon (incumbent) | 270,140 | 85.99 | |
Democratic | William Campbell | 25,775 | 8.20 | |
Democratic | Clay Thunderhawk | 18,243 | 5.81 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Jay Nixon | 1,680,611 | 58.40 | ||
Republican | Kenny Hulshof | 1,136,364 | 39.49 | ||
Libertarian | Andy Finkenstadt | 31,850 | 1.11 | - | |
Constitution | Greg Thompson | 28,941 | 1.01 |
Missouri Gubernatorial Democratic Primary Election 2008 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± |
Democratic | Jay Nixon | 304,181 | 85.0 | |
Democratic | Daniel Carroll | 53,835 | 15.0 |
As Attorney General
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Jay Nixon (incumbent) | 1,592,842 | 59.96 | ||
Republican | Chris Byrd | 1,000,503 | 37.66 | ||
Libertarian | David R. Browning | 43,538 | 1.64 | - | |
Constitution | David Fry | 19,802 | 0.75 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Jay Nixon (incumbent) | 1,378,296 | 60.25 | ||
Republican | Sam Jones | 855,814 | 37.41 | ||
Libertarian | Mitch Moore | 53,363 | 2.33 | - |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Jay Nixon (incumbent) | 1,243,091 | 59.42 | ||
Republican | Mark Bredemeier | 767,962 | 36.71 | ||
Constitution | Kimberly Lowe | 81,074 | 3.88 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Jay Nixon | 1,154,714 | 49.94 | ||
Republican | David L. Steelman | 1,064,814 | 46.05 | ||
Libertarian | Mitchell J. Moore | 92,576 | 4.00 | - |
U.S. Senate elections
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Kit Bond | 830,625 | 52.68 | ||
Democratic | Jay Nixon | 690,208 | 43.77 | ||
Libertarian | Tamara A. Millay | 31,876 | 2.02 | - | |
Constitution | David Fry | 15,368 | 0.97 | ||
Reform
|
James F. Newport | 8,780 | 0.56 |
Missouri U.S. Senate Democratic Primary Election 1998 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± |
Democratic | Jay Nixon | 200,339 | 66.5 | |
Democratic | James Askew | 57,364 | 19.1 | |
Democratic | Daniel Dodson | 19,257 | 6.4 | |
Democratic | Bob Buck | 14,774 | 4.9 | |
Democratic | Andrew Ostrowski | 9,389 | 3.1 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | John Danforth | 1,407,416 | 67.70 | ||
Democratic | Jay Nixon | 660,045 | 31.75 | ||
Libertarian | John Guze | 11,410 | 0.55 | - |
References
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- ^ "Our Campaigns – MO State Senate 22 Race – Nov 06, 1990". OurCampaigns.com.
- ^ "Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon accepts job with St. Louis-area law firm". kansascity. Retrieved September 7, 2018.
- ^ "Jay Nixon". Nationaljournal.com. February 13, 1956. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
- ^ a b Senator to seek office. The Star-Herald. October 15, 1987.
- ^ Lindecke, Fred W. (April 19, 1988). Nixon Tests Oratory At Jackson Day Rally. St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
- ^ "Biography of Missouri Governor Jay Nixon". Governor.mo.gov. November 4, 2008. Archived from the original on May 27, 2010. Retrieved September 16, 2010.
- ^ a b Reilly, Mike (April 24, 1987). Democrats planning statewide comeback. Columbia Daily Tribune.
- ^ Democrat From Festus Will Be Only Newcomer In State Senate. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. November 6, 1986.
- ^ Satellite dishes plan. St. Joseph Gazette. January 17, 1987.
- ^ Lindecke, Fred W. (October 7, 1987). Jay Nixon Files To Run Against Danforth In '88. St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
- ^ Ball, Karen (June 25, 1988). Nixon backing prompts assault. Columbia Daily Tribune.
- ^ Wretched Campaign Excesses. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. November 11, 1988.
- ^ Leave Bill Backed For Maternity. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. March 8, 1989.
- ^ CAPITAL BRIEFS. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. March 16, 1989.
- ^ Young, Virginia (May 27, 1990). Bill Gives Leaves To Mothers. St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
- ^ Ashcroft vetoes maternity leave measure. The Kansas City Star. July 14, 1990.
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- ^ Leonard, Scott. "Home". Barristermagazine.com. Archived from the original on April 23, 2012. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
- ^ "Conservation Federation of Missouri". Archived from the original on July 21, 2007.
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- ISBN 9781469606606.
- ^ Niedowski, Erika (June 16, 1998). "Missouri Democrat's Senate Drive Is Clouded By Desegregation Case - June 16, 1998". www.cnn.com. Archived from the original on May 24, 2000. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
- ^ Freeman, Greg (November 5, 1998). "Bond's victory may signal a political shift for blacks". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 10. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
- ^ Nixon wants felon removed from ballot. Columbia Daily Tribune. April 30, 2000.
- ^ Rowden, Tim (May 8, 2000). Judge orders sheriff candidate Manley off the primary ballot. St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
- ^ Suits filed under no-call law against two firms. The Springfield News-Leader. August 28, 2003.
- ^ Suhr, Jim (August 28, 2003). Missouri sues Florida company, alleging violations of no-call law. The Naples Daily News. Associated Press.
- ^ Firm will pay $80,000 on Missouri No-Call law. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. February 5, 2008.
- ^ "Nixon blames 'overzealousness' for militia report". Archived from the original on March 30, 2009. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
- ^ Lieb, David A. (November 11, 2005). "Nixon to run for governor". Daily American Republic. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
- ^ "Campaign 2006 Missouri poll". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. January 22, 2006. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
- ^ [1] Archived February 10, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Young, Virginia (August 7, 2008), Hulshof, Nixon promise change, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
- ^ Public Policy Polling
- ^ Livengood, Chad (January 13, 2009). Nixon takes office. The Springfield News-Leader.
- ^ Denney, Andrew (January 27, 2009). "Nixon address focuses on education, jobs". The Maneater. Archived from the original on January 10, 2017. Retrieved January 9, 2017.
- ^ Tang, Didi (January 24, 2009). MSU applauds Nixon decision about funding. The Springfield News-Leader.
- ^ Keller, Rudi (September 22, 2015). "Nixon proposes 6 percent funding increase, tuition freeze for higher education". Columbia Daily Tribune. Retrieved January 10, 2017.
- ^ Livengood, Chad (July 20, 2009). Nixon makes surprise Iraq trip. The Springfield News-Leader.
- ^ State's top 3 leaders now out of state. The Springfield News-Leader. July 22, 2009.
- ^ "Missouri Gov. Nixon's term marked by budget cuts, disasters". Associated Press. January 2, 2017. Archived from the original on January 13, 2017. Retrieved January 10, 2017.
- ^ "Analysis: Once a critic, Nixon now cutter-in-chief". Associated Press. May 24, 2010. Retrieved January 10, 2017.
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- ^ Boston, Claire (November 9, 2014). "Two ballot measures pass statewide, and two are defeated". Columbia Missouriran. Retrieved January 10, 2017.
- ^ Kraske, Steve (June 10, 2011). "Missouri governor, Jay Nixon, drawing praise for handling disasters". Kansas City Star. Retrieved January 9, 2017.
- ^ "Gov. Jay Nixon Ubiquitous as Disaster Commander". Associated Press. June 19, 2011. Retrieved January 9, 2017.
- ^ "Ford Confirms Increased Investment in Kansas City Plant For Transit Commercial Van Production, New Stamping Facility" (PDF). Ford Motor Company. October 21, 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 13, 2017. Retrieved January 10, 2017.
- ^ Carson, David (November 4, 2011). "GM announces $380 million investment at Wentzville assembly plant". St. Louis Post Dispatch.
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- ^ Lieb, David A. (January 15, 2013). Nixon sworn in to second term, calls for cooperation. St. Joseph News-Press.
- ^ Jason Falls. "Hey, Put Your Twitter Where Your Mouth Is". Socialmediaexplorer.com. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
- ^ Swaine, Jon (November 17, 2014). "Missouri governor declares state of emergency as national guard called in to Ferguson". The Guardian. Retrieved November 17, 2014.
- ^ "Police in Ferguson ignite debate about military tactics". USA Today. August 19, 2014. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
- ^ Gibbons, Thomas (August 14, 2014). "Military veterans see deeply flawed police response in Ferguson". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
- ^ Davey, Monica; Julie Bosman (November 24, 2014). "Protests Flare After Ferguson Police Officer Is Not Indicted". The New York Times. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
- ^ Harlan, Chico (November 25, 2014). "After a night of violence in Ferguson, Nixon moves to prevent more destruction". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
- ^ "Ferguson shooting: Governor 'rejects calls for second jury'". BBC News. November 27, 2014.
- ^ Kraske, Steve (December 6, 2014). POLITICAL NUMBERS SPEAK VOLUMES. The Kansas City Star.
- ^ Hancock, Jason. "Boone County's treasurer, Nicole Galloway, will become Missouri auditor". The Kansas City Star. The Kansas City Star.
- ^ Fenske, Sarah. "Nicole Galloway Wins Missouri Auditor Race, a Lone Democrat in a Red State". Riverfront Times. Riverfront Times. Archived from the original on November 26, 2018. Retrieved November 26, 2018.
- ^ Reilly, Katie (August 13, 2016). "Missouri's Governor Cut Funding to the State's Public Defenders. So They Assigned Him a Case". Time. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
- ^ Barrett, Michael (July 13, 2016). "Public Defender Files Legal Challenge to Governor's Withhold Actions". Missouri State Public Defender, Office of the Director. Archived from the original on August 15, 2016. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
- ^ "600, Public Defenders". Missouri Revised Statutes. Missouri General Assembly. July 13, 2016. Archived from the original on August 12, 2016. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
- ^ Barrett, Michael (August 2, 2016). "Letter to the Honorable Jay Nixon" (PDF). Missouri State Public Defender, Office of the Director. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 6, 2016. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
- ^ Barrett, Michael (August 9, 2016). "Public Defender Response to Governor's Comments" (PDF). Missouri State Public Defender, Office of the Director. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 11, 2016. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
- ^ Wallace, Jo-Ann (June 2008). "A Race to the Bottom: Evaluation: Trial-Level Indigent Defense Systems In Michigan" (PDF). National Legal Aid & Defender Association. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
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- ^ Johnson, Wes (January 11, 2017). New 1,230-acre state park named for Nixon. The Springfield News-Leader.
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- ^ Salter, John (May 5, 2020). "Jim Bakker seeks dismissal of suit claiming he touted false virus cure". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on May 7, 2020. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
- ^ Hancock, Jason. "Jay Nixon plans to headline Clay County Democrat event, fueling Senate speculation • Missouri Independent". Missouri Independent. Archived from the original on July 12, 2021. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
- ^ Hancock, Jason (July 29, 2021). "Jay Nixon Will Not Run For Missouri's Open U.S. Senate Seat In 2022". KCUR - Kansas City news and NPR. Archived from the original on July 29, 2021. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
- ^ Keller, Rudi (July 31, 2023). "Former Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon enlists in effort to build new political force • Missouri Independent". Missouri Independent. Archived from the original on July 31, 2023. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
- ^ [2] Archived November 15, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
External links
- Jay Nixon at Curlie
- Attorney General website (Archived)
- Governor website (Archived)
- Appearances on C-SPAN