A governor (from French gouverneur) is a governing official, usually the executive (at least nominally, to different degrees also politically and administratively) of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state. In federations, a governor may be the title of each appointed or elected politician who governs a constituent state.

In countries, the heads of the constitutive states, provinces, communities and regions may be titled Governor, although this is less common in parliamentary systems such as in some European nations and many of their former colonies, which use titles such as President of the Regional Council in France and Ministerpräsident in Germany, where in some states there are governorates (German: Regierungsbezirke) as sub-state administrative regions. Other countries using different titles for sub-national units include Spain and Switzerland.

The title also lies, historically, to executive officials acting as representatives of a chartered company which has been granted exercise of sovereignty in a colonial area, such as the British HEIC or the Dutch VOC. These companies operate as a major state within a state with its own armed forces.

There can also be non-political governors: high-ranking officials in private or similar governance such as commercial and non-profit management, styled governor(s), who simply govern an institution, such as a corporation or a bank. For example, in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries there are prison governors ("wardens" in the United States), school governors and bank governors.

The adjective pertaining to a governor is gubernatorial, from the Latin root gubernare.^[1] The correct female form is governess, though especially in the US, female officials are often referred to by the male form of the noun to avoid confusion with other meanings of the term.

Pre-Roman empires[link]

Though the legal and administrative framework of provinces, each administrated by a governor, was created by the Romans, the term governor has been a convenient term for historians to use in describing similar systems in antiquity. Indeed, many regions of the pre-Roman antiquity were ultimately replaced by Roman 'standardized' provincial governments after their conquest by Rome.

Egypt[link]

• In Pharaonic times, the governors of each of dozens of provinces in the kingdoms of Upper and Lower Egypt (called "nomes" by the Greeks, and whose names often alluded to local patterns of religious worship) are usually known by the Greek word Nomarch.
• The whole (or most) of Egypt was repeatedly reduced to the status of province of a larger empire under foreign conquerors, notably under an Achaemenid satrap (see below).^{[citation needed]}

Pre- and Hellenistic satraps[link]

• Media and Achaemenid Persia introduced the satrapy, probably inspired by the Assyrian / Babylonian examples
• Alexander the Great and equally Hellenistic diadoch kingdoms, mainly Seleucids (greater Syria) and Lagids ('Ptolemies' in Hellenistic Egypt)
• in later Persia, again under Iranian dynasties:
  • Parthia
  • the Sassanid dynasty dispensed with the office after Shapur I (who had still 7 of them), replacing them with petty vassal rulers, known as shahdars

In ancient Rome[link]

From the creation of the earliest Roman subject provinces a governor was appointed each year to administer each of them. The core function of a Roman governor was as a magistrate or judge, and the management of taxation and public spending in their area.

Under the Republic and the early Empire, however, a governor also commanded military forces in his province. Republican governors were all men who had served in senior magistracies (the consulate or praetorship) in Rome in the previous year, and carried related titles as governor (proconsul or propraetor). The first Emperor, Octavianus Augustus (who acquired or settled a number of new territories; officially his style was republican: Princeps civitatis), divided the provinces into two categories; the traditionally prestigious governorships remained as before (in what have become known as "senatorial" provinces), while in a range of others he retained the formal governorships himself, delegating the actual task of administration to appointees (usually with the title legatus Augusti). The legatus sometimes would appoint a prefect (later procurator), usually a man of equestrian rank, to act as his deputy in a subregion of the larger province: the infamous character of Pontius Pilate in the Christian Gospels was a governor of this sort.

A special case was Egypt, a rich 'private' domain and vital granary, where the Emperor almost inherited the theocratic status of a Pharaoh. The Emperor was represented there by a governor sui generis styled praefectus augustalis, a title evoking the religious cult of the Emperor.

Emperors Diocletian (see Tetrarchy) and Constantine in the third and fourth centuries AD carried out a root and branch reorganisation of the administration with two main features:

• Provinces were divided up and became much more numerous (Italy itself, before the 'colonizing homeland', was brought into the system for the first time); they were then grouped into dioceses, and the dioceses in turn into four praetorian prefectures (originally each under a residing co-emperor);
• Military responsibilities were removed from governors and given to new officials called comes rei militaris (the comital title was also granted to many court and civilian administrative positions) or dux, later also magister militum.

The prestige governorships of Africa and Asia remained with the title proconsul, and the special right to refer matters directly to the Emperor; the praefectus augustalis in Alexandria and the comes Orientis in Antioch also retained special titles. Otherwise the governors of provinces had various titles without obvious logic, some known as consularis, some as corrector, some as praeses. Apart from Egypt and the East (Oriens - viz greater Syria), each diocese was directed by a governor known as a vicarius. The prefectures were directed by praefecti praetorio (greatly transformed in their functions from their role in the early Empire).

Byzantium[link]

This system survived with few significant changes until the collapse of the empire in the West, and in the East the breakdown of order with the Persian and Arab invasions of the seventh century. At that stage a new kind of governor emerged, the Strategos a role leading the themes which replaced provinces at this point, and involving a return to the amalgamation of civil and military office which had been the practice under the Republic and the early Empire.

Legacy[link]

While the Roman administration in the West was largely destroyed in the barbarian invasions, its model was remembered, and would again be very influential through two particular vehicles: Roman law and the Christian Church.

Holy Roman/ Habsburg Empires and successor states[link]

• Reichskommissar

Turkish rule[link]

In the Ottoman empire, all Pashas (generals) administered a province of the Great Sultan's vast empire, with specific titles (such as Mutessaryf; Vali = Wāli was often maintained or even revived in oriental successor states; cfr. Beilerbei (rendered as Governor-general, as he is appointed above several provinces under individual governors) and Dey)

British Empire and Commonwealth of Nations[link]

Flag of the Governor of Hong Kong, 1959–1997

In the British Empire a governor was originally an official appointed by the British monarch (or in fact the cabinet) to oversee one of his colonies and was the (sometimes notional) head of the colonial administration. A governor's power could diminish as the colony gained more responsible government vested in such institutions as an Executive Council to help with the colony's administration, and in a further stage of self-government, Legislative Councils and/or Assemblies, in which the Governor often had a role.

Today crown colonies of the United Kingdom continue to be administered by a governor, who holds varying degrees of power. Because of the different constitutional histories of the former colonies of the United Kingdom, the term "Governor" now refers to officials with differing amounts of power.

Administrators, Commissioners and High Commissioners exercise similar powers to Governors. (Note: such High Commissioners are not to be confused with the High Commissioners who are the equivalent of Ambassadors between Commonwealth states).

Frequently the name 'Government House' is given to Governors' residences.

The term can also be used in a more generic sense, especially for compound titles which include it: Governor-General and Lieutenant-Governor.

Vice-Regal Governors[link]

United Kingdom overseas territories[link]

In the United Kingdom's remaining overseas territories the governor is normally a direct appointee of the British Government and plays an active role in governing and lawmaking (though usually with the advice of elected local representatives). The Governor's chief responsibility is for the Defence and External Affairs of the colony.

In some minor overseas territories, instead of a Governor, there is an Administrator or Commissioner, or the job is ex officio done by a High Commissioner.

Australia[link]

In Australia, each state has the governor as its formal representative of the Queen as head of the state government. It is not a political office but a ceremonial office. Each state governor is appointed by the Queen of Australia on the advice of the Premier who is the political chief executive of the state government (until 1986, they were appointed by the Queen of the United Kingdom on the advice of the British Government). State Governors have emergency reserve powers but these are rarely used. The Territories of Australia other than the ACT have Administrators instead of governors, who are appointed formally by the Governor-General. The Governor-General is the representative of and appointed by the Queen of Australia at a federal level on the advice of the Prime Minister of Australia.

As with the Governors-General of Australia and other Commonwealth Realms, State Governors usually exercise their power only on the advice of a government minister.

Canada[link]

In Canada, there are governors at the federal and provincial levels of government who, within their jurisdictions, act as viceroys to the Queen of Canada, who is Canada's Head of State. The federal governor is the Governor General of Canada, and the governor of each province is the Lieutenant Governor. The Governor General is appointed by the Queen on the advice of the Prime Minister of Canada, whereas the lieutenant governors are appointed by the Governor General on the advice of the Prime Minister. The role of a governor in Canada is largely ceremonial, although they do retain the authority to exercise reserve powers in exceptional circumstances.

Each of the three territories is headed by a commissioner appointed by the Prime Minister. Unlike provincial lieutenant governors, they are not viceroys, but rather representatives of the federal government.

New Zealand[link]

The Governor-General of New Zealand is always Governor of the Ross Dependency, an Antarctic sector which is claimed by the Realm of New Zealand.

Within the United Kingdom[link]

Within the United Kingdom itself, there was a position of Governor of Northern Ireland from 1922 until the suspension of the devolved Parliament of Northern Ireland in 1973.

From the 16th century until 1995 there was a Governor of the Isle of Wight, part of England.

Elsewhere in the Commonwealth[link]

India[link]

In India each state has a ceremonial Governor appointed by the President of India. These Governors are different from the Governors who controlled the British-controlled portions of the Indian Empire (as opposed to the princely states) prior to 1947.

Governor is the head of the state. Generally, a Governor is appointed for each state, but after the 7th Constitutional Amendment, 1956, a Governor can be appointed for more than one state.

Malaysia[link]

In Malaysia, each of four non-monarchical states (Penang, Malacca, Sabah and Sarawak) has a ceremonial Governor styled Yang di-Pertua Negeri, appointed to renewable four-year terms by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, the federal King of Malaysia on the advice of the Prime Minister after consulting the state governments.^[2] These states each has a separate head of government called the Ketua Menteri or Chief Minister. The four Yang di-Pertua Negeri are members of the Conference of Rulers, however they cannot participate in the election of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, discussions related to the privileges of the Malay rulers and matters concerning the observance of Islam.

Nigeria[link]

In Nigeria (once a colony governed by a single British Governor before independence), the leaders of the regions, which in 1967 were divided into states, have been known as governors since 1954. Following a military coup in November 1993, President Sani Abacha suspended all the governors, and appointed administrators. When democracy was restored in 1999, the office of governor was revived and new governors were elected. The president of Nigeria can suspend state governors in a state of emergency and replace them with administrators. They are elected by popular vote.

Pakistan[link]

In Pakistan, each of the four provinces has a Governor who is appointed by the President.The governor is the representative of the president in their province and is the ceremonial head of the province whereas the chief minister is the head of the provincial government. The governor exercises powers similar to the president's, in their province respectively.

Papua New Guinea[link]

In Papua New Guinea, the leaders of the provinces have been known as governors since August 1995. Previously they had been known as premiers.

Sri Lanka[link]

The provincial councils of the 9 provinces of Sri Lanka are headed by a governor, as representatives of the President. Prior to 1948, when Ceylon as Sri Lanka was known back then, the Governor of Ceylon was head of the British Colony

Russia and former Soviet Union[link]

In the Russian Empire, Governorate (Guberniya) and Governorate-General were the main units of territorial and administrative subdivision since the reforms of Peter the Great. These were governed by a Governor and Governor-General respectively.

A special case was the Chinese Eastern Railroad Zone, which was governed as a concession granted by Imperial China to the Russian 'Chinese Eastern Railroad Society' (in Russian Obshchestvo Kitayskoy Vostochnoy Zheleznoy Dorogi; established in 17 December 1896 in St. Petersburg, later moved to Vladivostok), which built 1,481 km of tracks (Tarskaya - Hilar - Harbin - Nikolsk-Ussuriski; 3 November 1901 traffic opened) and established on 16 May 1898 the new capital city, Harbin; in August 1898, the defense for Chinese Eastern Railroad (CER) across Manchuria was assumed by Russia (first under Priamur governor).

On 1 July 1903, the Chinese Eastern Railroad was opened and given authority of its own CER Administration (Russian: Upravleniye KVZhD), vested in the Directors of the Chinese Eastern Railroad, with the additional quality of Governors of the Chinese Eastern Railroad Zone (in Harbin; as such being 12 August 1903 – 1 July 1905 subordinated to the imperial Viceroyalty of the Far East, see Lüshunkou). The post continued to function despite various political changes until after World War II.

Currently, some of the administrative divisions of Russia are headed by governors, while others are headed by Presidents or heads of administration. From 1991 to 2005 they were elected by popular vote, in 2005–2012 they have been appointed by the federal president and confirmed by the province's legislature. After the debate, conducted by State Duma in April, 2012, the direct elections of governors are expected to be restored.^[3]

Other modern Asian countries[link]

Indonesia[link]

In Indonesia, the title gubernur refers to the highest ranking executive of a Provincial Government. The Governor and the Vice Governor are elected by a direct vote from the people as a couple, so the Governor is responsible to the provincial residents. The governor had a term of five years to work in office and can be re-elected for another single period. In case of death, disability, or resignation, a government official known as Vice Governor would stand in as Governor or acting Governor.

The elected Governor will be inaugurated by the President, or by the Indonesian minister of home affairs in the name of the President. In addition, the Governor is representative of central government in such province, so the Governor is responsible to the President. The Governor authority is regulated within Indonesian Act Number 32 Year 2004 and Governmental Ordinance Number 19 Year 2010.

Principally, the Governor has the tasks and the authorities to leads governmental services in the province based upon the policies that have been made together with the Provincial Parliament.

The Governor is not the superordinat of regents or mayors, but he/she is only to guide, to supervise, and to coordinate city/municipal and regencial governments. In other part, municipal and regencial governments have rights to manage each governance affairs based on autonomy principle and assistantship duties.

Japan[link]

In Japan,^[4] the title "Governor" (知事, chiji^?) refers to the highest ranking executive of a Prefectural Government. The Governor is elected by a direct vote from the people and had a fixed term of four years. He / she can be subjected to a recall referendum. In case of death, disability, or resignation, a government official known as Vice Governor would stand in as Governor or acting Governor.

See List of governors of Japan for a list of the current governors.

People's Republic of China[link]

In the People's Republic of China, the title "Governor" (Chinese: 省长; pinyin: shěng​zhǎng) refers to the highest ranking executive of a provincial government. The Governor is usually placed second in the provincial power hierarchy, below the Secretary of the provincial Communist Party of China (CPC) committee (省委书记), who serves as the highest ranking Party official in the province. Governors are elected by the provincial congresses and approved by the provincial party chief.^[5][6][7] All governors are not locals in the provinces which they govern.^[5][6][8]

A Governor can be also used when referring to a County Governor (县长).

Philippines[link]

In the Republic of the Philippines, the title "Governor" (Punong Lalawigan in Filipino), refers to the highest ranking executive of a Provincial Government. The Governor is elected by a direct vote from the people and had a fixed term of three years. An incumbent Governor can only serve only up to three consecutive terms. He may however be suspended by either the Ombudsman or President (through the Secretary of Interior and Local Government). He may be removed by the President if found guilty of an administrative case or a criminal act during his incumbency. He may be subjected to a recall vote, but unlike a referendum, the voters elect the governor of their choice. In case of death, disability, resignation, forced removal or suspension, a government official known as Vice Governor (elected separately in the same election for governor), succeeds as Governor, or acting Governor, as the case may be.

In the Autonomous Region on Muslim Mindanao, a Regional Governor and Regional Vice Governor is elected by a block vote similar to the United States President.

Other Colonial empires[link]

• Other European naval powers than the UK with colonies in Asia, Africa and other areas, which sometimes chartered companies to rule the colonies instead, gave or still give some, but not always all, of the top representatives of (or rather in) their colonies the title of governor.

See:

• Danish colonial empire
• Dutch Empire
• Empire of Japan
• French colonial empire
• German colonial empire
• Italian empire
• Overseas expansion of the United States
• Portuguese Empire
• Spanish Empire
• Swedish overseas colonies

Other modern countries in North America[link]

United States[link]

In the United States, the title governor refers to the chief executive of each state or insular territory; retaining sovereign police power, and not subordinate to the federal authorities except by laws provided by the enumerated powers section of the federal constitution, but the political and ceremonial head of the state. Nearly 3/4 of the states (36) hold gubernatorial elections in the same years as midterm elections (2 years off set from presidential elections). 11 states hold them in the same years as presidential elections (Vermont and New Hampshire hold elections every two years in every even numbered year), while the remaining 5 hold them in odd numbered years (2 in the year after a presidential election, three in the year before).

In colonial America, when the governor was the representative of the monarch who exercised executive power, many colonies originally indirectly elected their governors (that is, through assemblies and legislatures), but in the years leading up to the American Revolutionary War, the Crown began to appoint them directly. During the American Revolution, all royal governors were expelled (except one; see Jonathan Trumbull) but the name was retained to denote the new elected official.

Before achieving statehood, many of the fifty states were territories. Administered by the federal government, they had governors who were appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate rather than elected by the resident population.

Mexico[link]

In the United Mexican States, governor refers to the elected chief and head of each of the nation's thirty one Free and Sovereign States, and their official title in Spanish is Gobernador. Mexican governors are directly elected by the citizens of each state for six-year terms and cannot be re-elected.

Other modern countries in South America[link]

Many of the South American republics (such as Chile and Argentina) have provinces or states run by elected governors, with offices similar in nature to U.S. state governors.

Brazil[link]

Until the 1930 Revolution, the heads of the Brazilian Provinces then States were styled Presidents (presidentes), later governors (governadores) and intervators (interventores, appointed by the federal government) and finally in 1945 only governors.

Other European countries and empires[link]

Austria[link]

A Landeshauptmann (German for "state captain", literally 'country headman'; plural Landeshauptleute or Landeshauptmänner as in Styria till 1861; Landeshauptfrau is the female form) is an official title in German for certain political offices equivalent to a Governor. It has historical uses, both administrative and colonial, and is presently used in federal Austria and a majority German-speaking province of Italy.

Benelux monarchies[link]

• In the Netherlands, the government-appointed heads of the provinces were known as Gouverneur from 1814 until 1850, when their title was changed to King's (or Queen's) Commissioner. In the southern province of Limburg, however, the commissioner is still informally called Governor.
• In the Dutch crown's Caribbean Overseas territories, the style Governor is still used (alongside the political head of government) in the Netherlands Antilles as well as since 1986 on the neighbouring island of Aruba (separated from the former)
• In Belgium, each of the ten provinces has a Governor, appointed by the regional government. He represents not only the regional but also the federal government in the province. He controls the local governments and is responsible for law and order, security and emergency action. The national capital of Brussels, which is not part of a province, also has a governor with nearly the same competences.

France[link]

During the Ancien Régime in France, the representative of the king in his provinces and cities was the "gouverneur". Royal officers chosen from the highest nobility, provincial and city governors (oversight of provinces and cities was frequently combined) were predominantly military positions in charge of defense and policing. Provincial governors – also called "lieutenants généraux" – also had the ability of convoking provincial parlements, provincial estates and municipal bodies. The title "gouverneur" first appeared under Charles VI. The ordinance of Blois of 1579 reduced their number to 12, but an ordinance of 1779 increased their number to 39 (18 first-class governors, 21 second-class governors). Although in principle they were the king's representatives and their charges could be revoked at the king's will, some governors had installed themselves and their heirs as a provincial dynasty. The governors were at the height of their power from the middle of the 16th to the middle of the 17th century, but their role in provincial unrest during the civil wars led Cardinal Richelieu to create the more tractable positions of intendants of finance, policing and justice, and in the 18th century the role of provincial governors was greatly curtailed.

Germany[link]

In today's German states of Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Hesse, and North Rhine-Westphalia there are - and earlier in more German states there were - sub-state administrative regions called in German: Regierungsbezirk, which is sometimes translated into English as governorate. Thus its respective head, in German: Regierungspräsident, is also translated as governor. Since in analogy to the US terminology the heads of the German states are - besides the translation of their German appellation as Minister-President (German: Ministerpräsident) - also translated as governors, using the term governor in both cases is ambiguous and somewhat confusing.

Italy[link]

• The essentially maritime empire of the Venetian republic, comprising Terra Firma, other Adriatic (mainly Istria and Dalmatia) and further Mediterranean (mainly Greek) possessions, used different styles, such as (castelleno e) provveditore (generale) or baile.
• In today's Italy, the official name of a head of a Regione (the Italian subnational entity) is Presidente della Giunta regionale (President of the regional executive council), but since 2000, when a constitutional reform decided the direct election of the president by the people, it has been usual to call him governatore (governor).

Papal and Vatican particularity[link]

• In the various Italian provinces (former principalities and city-states) that became amalgamated as the Papal States, the Holy See exerted temporal power via its Legates and Delegates, including some Cardinals
• Also in Avignon and the surrounding southern French Comtat Venaissin, the home of the Popes during their 'Babylonian exile', and retained centuries after, but never incorporated into the Papal States, Legates and Vice-legates were appointed.
• The sovereign modern remnant of the formerly large Papal States, the tiny Vatican City State, is now a mere enclave in Rome, the capital of Italian Republic. As it is too small to have further administrative territorial divisions, it is the equivalent of a Prime Minister, Governor and Mayor all roled in to one post, styled the Governor of Vatican City.

Modern equivalents[link]

As a generic term, Governor is used for various 'equivalent' officers governing part of a state or empire, rendering other official titles such as:

• colonial High Commissioner (not the Ambassadors exchanged within the Commonwealth)

And this also applies to non-western and/or antique culture

Other meanings of the word[link]

The word governor can also refer to an administrator and/or supervisor (individually or collectively, see Board of Governors); the Governor of a national bank often holds ministerial rank.

• Federal Reserve Board of Governors
• Governor of the Bank of Canada
• Governor of the National Bank of Romania
• List of governors of national banks of Serbia and Yugoslavia

See also[link]

• Bey
• Governor-General of Finland
• Lieutenant governor
• Minister-president
• Viceroy

References[link]

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (April 2012)

"The Man" is a slang phrase that may refer to the government or to some other authority in a position of power. In addition to this derogatory connotation, it may also serve as a term of respect and praise.

The phrase "the Man is keeping me down" is commonly used to describe oppression. The phrase "stick it to the Man" encourages resistance to authority, and essentially means "fight back" or "resist", either openly or via sabotage.^[1]

History[link]

The earliest recorded use^{[citation needed]} of the term "the Man" in the American sense dates back to a letter written by a young Alexander Hamilton in September 1772, when he was 15. In a letter to his father James Hamilton, published in the Royal Dutch-American Gazette, he described the response of the Dutch governor of St. Croix to a hurricane that raked that island on August 31, 1772. "Our General has issued several very salutary and humane regulations and both in his publick and private measures, has shewn himself the Man." ^{[2][dubious – discuss]} In the Southern U.S. states, the phrase came to be applied to any man or any group in a position of authority, or to authority in the abstract. From about the 1950s the phrase was also an underworld code word for police, the warden of a prison or other law enforcement or penal authorities.

It was also used as a term for a drug dealer in the 1950s and 1960s and can be seen in such media as Curtis Mayfield's "No Thing On Me", William Burroughs's novel Naked Lunch, and in the Velvet Underground song "I'm Waiting for the Man", in which Lou Reed sings about going to Uptown Manhattan, specifically Lexington Avenue and 125th Street, to buy heroin.

The use of this term was expanded to counterculture groups and their battles against authority, such as the Yippies, which, according to a May 19, 1969 article in U.S. News and World Report, had the "avowed aim ... to destroy 'The Man', their term for the present system of government". The term eventually found its way into humorous usage, such as in a December 1979 motorcycle ad from the magazine Easyriders which featured the tagline, "California residents: Add 6% sales tax for The Man."

In present day, the phrase has been popularized in commercials and cinema, featuring particularly prominently as a recurring motif in the 2003 film School of Rock.^[3][4][5][6]

Use as praise[link]

The term has also been used as an approbation or form of praise. This may refer to the recipient's status as the leader or authority within a particular context, or it might be assumed to be a shortened form of a phrase like "He is the man (who is in charge)." One example of this usage dates to 1879 when Otto von Bismarck commented, referring to Benjamin Disraeli's pre-eminent position at the Congress of Berlin, "The old Jew, he is the man."^{[7][dubious – discuss]}

In more modern usage, it can be a superlative compliment ("you da man!") indicating that the subject is currently standing out amongst his peers even though they have no special designation or rank, such as a basketball player who is performing better than the other players on the court. It can also be used as a genuine compliment with an implied, slightly exaggerated or sarcastic tone, usually indicating that the person has indeed impressed the speaker but by doing something relatively trivial.

See also[link]

• Absentee landlord
• Big Brother (Nineteen Eighty-Four)
• New World Order (conspiracy theory)
• Ruling class
• The Establishment
• Power elite
• Corrections officer
• YTMND

Notes[link]

References[link]

• Lighter, J.E. (Ed.). (1997). Random House Dictionary of American Slang. New York: Random House.

Rick Snyder
48th Governor of Michigan
Incumbent
Assumed office January 1, 2011
Lieutenant	Brian Calley
Preceded by	Jennifer Granholm
Personal details
Born	Richard Dale Snyder (1958-08-19) August 19, 1958 (age 53) Battle Creek, Michigan
Political party	Republican Party
Spouse(s)	Sue Snyder
Children	Jeff Melissa Kelsey
Residence	Ann Arbor, MI (private) Michigan Governor's Mansion Lansing, Michigan (public)
Alma mater	University of Michigan (B.G.S./M.B.A./J.D.)
Profession	Executive chairman Venture capitalist
Religion	Presbyterian[1]
Signature	Rick Snyder's signature
Website	Official website

Richard Dale "Rick" Snyder^[2] (born August 19, 1958) is an American business executive, venture capitalist, and Governor of Michigan. A member of the Republican Party, he assumed office as the 48th governor of Michigan on January 1, 2011. From 2005 to 2007, Snyder served as the chairman of the board of Gateway, Inc., based in Irvine, California. Previous to his election as governor, he was chairman of the board, chief executive officer, and co-founder of Ann Arbor, Michigan-based venture capital firm Ardesta LLC.^[3] Snyder has been mentioned as a possible pick to be the Republican Party candidate for Vice President of the United States in 2012.^[4][5][6][7] Snyder's business executive background and positive style have been cited as assets, with his accomplishments seen as strengthening the case for electing Mitt Romney as President.^{[8][9][10][11]}

Early life, education, and family[link]

Snyder was born in Battle Creek, Michigan, the son of Helen Louella "Pody" and Dale F. Snyder.^[12] Snyder earned his B.G.S., M.B.A., and J.D. from the University of Michigan by age 23.^[13] When he was 16, he took a business class at Kellogg Community College on weekends. By his senior year of high school, Snyder earned 23 college credits.^[14] Snyder visited the admissions office of the University of Michigan in November 1975 and spoke with the admissions director, who recommended that Snyder attend Michigan and create his own degree.^[15]

Snyder also served as an adjunct assistant professor of accounting at the University of Michigan. He resides in Ann Arbor with his wife Sue and their three children and has a vacation home near Gun Lake.^[16][17] The couple were married in 1987 at Cherry Hill Presbyterian Church in Dearborn.^[1] Snyder has acknowledged his faith as a Presbyterian.^[1]

Career in business[link]

Early in his career, Snyder gained experience in business finance. Eventually, he would serve as a high tech industry executive chairman of the board. He also co-founded a venture capital company and served as its chairman and chief executive officer prior to his election as governor of Michigan in 2010. Snyder was employed with Coopers & Lybrand, from 1982 to 1991, beginning in the tax department of the Detroit office. Snyder was named partner in 1988. In 1989, Snyder was named partner-in-charge of the mergers and acquisitions practice in the Chicago office.^[18]

Snyder joined the computer company Gateway, based in Irvine, California, in 1991 as the executive vice president and was named president and chief operating officer in January 1996, a position he held until leaving the company as an employee in August 1997.^[19]

In 1997, Snyder returned to Ann Arbor to found Avalon Investments Inc., a venture capital company with a $100 million fund, along with the co-founder of Gateway, Ted Waitt. Snyder was president and chief executive officer of Avalon from 1997 to 2000. He then co-founded Ardesta, an investment firm, in 2000, becoming chairman and chief executive officer.

From 2005 to 2007, Snyder served as the chairman of the board of Gateway. During 2006, Snyder served as interim chief executive officer while a search for a permanent replacement was made. His tenure on the Gateway board ran from 1991 to 2007 until Gateway was sold to Acer Inc. Snyder has stated he did not vote for outsourcing while he was a Gateway board director and he worked to bring jobs to America as the interim CEO of Gateway.^[20]

Ardesta LLC was founded by Snyder^[21] and three co-founders in 2000 and has invested in 20 start-up companies to date. Snyder also serves on the boards of the U.S. National Historic Landmark Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village, the Michigan chapter of the Nature Conservancy, and several boards associated with the University of Michigan.

Michigan gubernatorial election, 2010[link]

Snyder joined Mike Bouchard, the sheriff of Oakland County, state Senator Tom George, Peter Hoekstra, an influential member of Congress from western Michigan, and Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox as candidates for the Republican gubernatorial nomination. Bill Ford Jr., Chairman of the Ford Motor Company, endorsed Snyder for the Republican nomination for governor.^[22][23]

Snyder campaigned as pro-life, pro-Second Amendment, and pro-family, with a focus on helping the economy.^[13] Snyder's campaign emphasized his experience in growing business and creating jobs in the private sector, while his opponents were mainly career politicians.^[24] Snyder is pro-life and favors standard exceptions on abortion for rape, incest, and saving the life of the mother (he signed legislation banning partial birth abortion in October 2011); he opposes federal funding of abortions; he would not ban embryonic stem cell research; he supports upholding traditional marriage, but would allow civil unions.^[25][26]

On August 3, 2010, Snyder won the primary to secure the Republican nomination with a plurality of 36 percent.^[27] In the general election on November 2, 2010, Snyder faced Democratic gubernatorial nominee Virg Bernero, the mayor of Lansing, and three minor party candidates. Snyder, demonstrating cross over appeal, won with 58 percent of the vote.^[28] With Snyder's election in 2010, Republicans gained a majority in the Michigan House and increased the Republican majority held in the Michigan Senate.

Governor of Michigan[link]

Governor Snyder takes the oath from Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice Marilyn Kelly

Snyder (far right) with (from left to right) United States Deputy Secretary of State Thomas R. Nides, United States Ambassador to Canada David Jacobson, Canadian Minister of State for Science and Technology Gary Goodyear, Governor General of Canada David Johnston, and Canada 2020 Chair Don Newman at the US-Canada Partnership: Enhancing the Innovation Ecosystem conference at the Château Laurier in Ottawa, Ontario, November 2, 2011

Snyder was inaugurated as Governor on January 1, 2011 at the Capitol in Lansing. His first executive order as governor was to divide the Department of Natural Resources and Environment into two distinct departments as they were a few years ago: the Department of Natural Resources and the Department of Environmental Quality.^[29][30]

On January 7, 2011, Snyder announced he was appointing Michigan Supreme Court Justice Maura D. Corrigan to head the Department of Human Services.^[31] and appointed Michigan Appeals Court Judge Brian K. Zahra to fill the resulting Supreme Court vacancy.^[32]

He delivered his first State of the State address on January 19, the earliest Michigan State of the State since Governor Engler's 1996 address on January 17.^[33] Snyder endorsed the Detroit River International Crossing for the first time publicly in the address, which was received favorably by Republicans as well as by many Democrats, including Mark Brewer, the leader of the Michigan Democratic Party.^[34][35] Snyder appointed Andy Dillon, a pro-life Democrat,^[36] and formerly Speaker of the House, to serve as State Treasurer in his administration.

Snyder presented his first budget to the legislature on February 17, 2011,^[37] calling it a plan for "Michigan's reinvention", and saying it would end Michigan's deficits. He also described the budget as containing "shared sacrifice" but added that it would create jobs and economic growth, "while preserving core, essential services and ensuring a safety net for those who are vulnerable".^[37] The $46 billion budget reduced $1.8 billion in spending, eliminated tax exemptions on higher income private pensions, and abolished the state's complex business tax, replacing it with a 6% flat tax on the profits of C corporations. State Senate Minority Leader Gretchen Whitmer criticized the budget, saying that it did not involve "shared sacrifice," but instead was balanced "on the backs of our kids, working families, and our seniors" and "picks out who he’s willing to leave behind."^[38] Snyder supported the government backed rescue of the American auto industry which has gained the support of a 56% of Americans in 2012 according a Pew Research Center poll (63% support in Michigan).^[39][40]

Following approval from the legislature, Snyder signed the fiscal year 2012 budget in June, the earliest it has been completed in three decades.^[41]

In April 2012, Snyder made a surprise trip to Afghanistan to thank and pledge support for U.S. troops. He traveled to Kuwait and then to Germany where he visited injured U.S. soldiers at the U.S. Military hospital.^[42] Snyder has also engaged in trade missions to Europe, Asia, and around the world in order to improve international business relations as well as research and development opportunities associated with Michigan universities.^[43] Snyder has focused efforts to attract companies such as Chrysler.^[44]

In May 2012, Snyder sent a letter to the majority and minority leaders of the U.S. Senate urging Congress to affirm that states can collect sales taxes on online purchases.^[45]

Snyder has been mentioned as a possible pick to be the Republican Party candidate for Vice President of the United States in 2012.^{[46][4][5][6]} Snyder's business executive background and positive style have been cited as assets, with his accomplishments seen as strengthening the case for electing Romney as President.^[8][9][10] Romney's associates have suggested the VP pick is likely to be mild mannered with high integrity and have a similar aptitude for analysis.^[47] Snyder has an extensive career in business and high tech industry; as governor, he abolished the state's complex business tax in favor of a flat tax. Snyder's support for a government backed rescue plan for the American auto industry is shared by 56% of Americans in 2012.^[40][39] A Market Research Group poll conducted in March 2012 showed Snyder's approval rating rising to 50% among likely voters, which matched that of Obama, placing Snyder among the most popular Republican governors in a state carried by Obama in the 2008 election cycle.^[48] Snyder won Michigan with 58% of the vote and has demonstrated a strong cross over appeal. Snyder endorsed Romney prior to the Michigan primary.^[39]

Cabinet[link]

See also[link]

	Biography portal
	Michigan portal
	Politics portal

• List of JD/MBAs

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Rick Snyder

• Michigan Office of the Governor Rick Snyder official Michigan government site
• Michigan Governor-elect Rick Snyder official transition site
• Biography at the National Governors Association
• Biography, interest group ratings, public statements, vetoes and campaign finances at Project Vote Smart
• Biography at WhoRunsGov.com at The Washington Post
• Campaign contributions at FollowTheMoney.org
• Appearances on C-SPAN programs

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Author and Vice Governor of Tokyo, Naoki Inose

Naoki Inose (猪瀬 直樹, Inose Naoki^?, born on 20 November 1946 in Nagano Prefecture) is a Japanese journalist, historian, and social critic, and a biographer of literary figures such as Yukio Mishima and Osamu Dazai. Since 2000 he has devoted himself to current affairs, and in June 2007 he was appointed vice governor of Tokyo.^[1]

Historical works[link]

Inose's book Showa 16-nen Natsu no Haisen (1983), which may be translated "Defeated in War in the Summer of 1941," describes the Soryokusen Kenkyujo, or the Total War Research Institute. During the International Military Tribunal for the Far East it would be accused of being part of Japan's militaristic machine, but in reality it was a think tank, of which the purpose was to examine dispassionately the consequences of a total war. Its conclusion was that "there will be no way for Japan to win the war because of its clear material inferiority. The war will be drawn out. The Soviet Union will butt in, and Japan will be defeated. Therefore, going to war with the United States must absolutely be avoided."^[2]

This book was followed by The Mikado's Portrait (Mikado no shozo, 1987), concerning the development of the image of the Emperor, and the biographies of Mishima, Dazai and Kikuchi Kan: Persona (Perusona, 1995), Picaresque (Pikaresuku, 2000), and The Realm of Heart (Kokoro no okoku, 2004). In 2009, his book "The Century of Black Ships" (Kurofune no seiki, 1993) was published in English.

Recent arguments[link]

Inose's examination of public affairs has led him to bitter criticisms of Japan's ruling classes and their reluctance to enact reform. His longstanding proposal was for the privatisation of the four public highway corporations, and reform of the postal savings system that finances them.^[3] As a result, he joined Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's taskforce and served on the commission to examine the Japan Highway Public Corporation (Nihon Doro Kodan).^[4] His insistence that cuts be made was so uncompromising that some other appointees declined positions on the board.^[2]

Inose has said that Japan lost World War II because the government at the time ignored data suggesting Japan would be unable to defeat the Allies and forbade access to the information before Tokyo declared war in 1941. He has further argued that this action is being repeated today by bureaucrats with respect to the economy.^[5]

He advocates that people share accurate information with respect to Japan's economic situation, that is not necessarily issued by bureaucrats, in efforts to help a debt-ridden Japan. He claims that "any reform can be implemented if people share more accurate and objective data than that (initially) released by authorities."^[5]

Tokyo Metropolitan Government[link]

On 15 June 2007, Governor of Tokyo Metropolitan Government Shintaro Ishihara announced that Inose had agreed to serve as a vice governor for the capital stating that "our opinions might differ but I believe it is healthy for us to debate and discuss many of our differences."^[6]

The governor is hoping to use Naoki's expertise on public administration to counterbalance national executive power: "Inose can speak up to the central government."

References[link]

1. ^ Jun Hongo. "Ishihara's new right-hand man settles in." Japan Times, 20 Sep 2007.
2. ^ ^{a b} Hiroaki Sato. "Foreseeing the future -- and ignoring it." Japan Times. 26 Jan 2004.
3. ^ Jeremy Warner. "Outlook: Japan's challenge; change in a country that's immune to it." The Independent. 31 Dec 2003.
4. ^ "New politics, old politicians." The Economist. 6 Oct 2005.
5. ^ ^{a b} "Follow the truth and not bureaucrats: Inose." Japan Times. 20 July 2002.
6. ^ Jun Hongo. "Author Inose agrees to become Ishihara's deputy" Japan Times. 16 June 2007.

External links[link]

• Official profile in English
• Photograph of Naoki's appointment as Vice Governor