Jay Nixon
55th Governor of Missouri
Incumbent
Assumed office January 12, 2009
Lieutenant	Peter Kinder
Preceded by	Matt Blunt
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 Webster
Succeeded by	Chris Koster
Personal details
Born	(1956-02-13) February 13, 1956 (age 56) De Soto, Missouri, U.S.
Political party	Democratic Party
Spouse(s)	Georganne Nixon
Children	Jeremiah Will
Alma mater	University of Missouri, Columbia
Profession	Attorney
Religion	Methodism
Website	Official Website Campaign Website

Jeremiah Wilson "Jay" Nixon (born February 13, 1956) is the 55th and current Governor of the U.S. state of Missouri. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as Missouri's Attorney General before his election in 2008.

Early life and education[link]

Nixon is a lifelong resident of De Soto, a suburb of St. Louis, where he was born. His mother, Betty Lea (née Willson), was a teacher and president of the local school board, and his father, Jeremiah "Jerry" Nixon, served as the city's mayor. One of his paternal great-great-grandfathers was the brother of Democratic U.S. Senator Benjamin F. Jonas, of Louisiana.^[1] He graduated from the University of Missouri in 1978, later earning a law degree from the same institution.

Missouri Senate[link]

After a period of private practice in his hometown, he was elected to the Missouri Senate from a district in Jefferson County, serving for three terms.^[2]

1988 U.S. Senate election[link]

He made his first bid for statewide office in 1988, an unsuccessful effort to oust incumbent U.S. Senator John Danforth. Nixon only won 32% of the vote compared to Danforth's 68%--at the time, the most lopsided defeat a Democrat had suffered in a statewide race in Missouri history.

Attorney General (1993-2009)[link]

Nixon was first elected as Missouri's Attorney General on November 3, 1992, on a platform of fighting crime, cleaning up government corruption, and protecting consumers and the environment. Nixon followed William L. Webster as Attorney General. The 1992 race for Attorney General between Nixon and former State House Minority Leader David Steelman was especially heated; however Nixon beat Steelman 51%-45%.

Nixon was re-elected as Attorney General by a wide margin in 1996, 2000, and 2004.

1998 U.S. Senate election[link]

1998 he again made an unsuccessful run for U.S. Senate, this time losing to incumbent Republican Kit Bond.

Accomplishments[link]

One of the most popular programs Nixon has implemented is the state's No Call program. More than 3.5 million Missourians are a part of the No Call list, which reduces unwanted telemarketing calls. Nixon also has recovered more than $1.2 million from telemarketers who violated the No Call law.

Nixon's victory in the U.S. Supreme Court in Nixon v. Shrink Missouri Government PAC reinstated Missouri's campaign contribution limits and cleared the way nationally for campaign finance reform. In two other cases of significance, Nixon's work in the Blue Cross and Blue Shield and the Health Midwest cases have resulted in the formation of the state's two largest health care foundations, which will use more than $1.5 billion to help provide health care services to the state's population. Litigation by Nixon against tobacco companies for illegally marketing cigarettes to young people resulted in the largest settlement in the history of the state.

As 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.

Nixon's aggressive actions in the Attorney General's Office earned him national recognition. Barrister magazine^[3] 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 for his environmental work as a state senator.

Jay Nixon received the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award (DESA). Of those Scouts who have attained the rank of Eagle Scout, fewer than one in 1,000 have received the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award. Gov. Nixon attained the rank of Eagle Scout in 1969 at the age of 13 as part of Troop 559 in DeSoto. The award was presented by the Great Rivers Council on behalf of the National Eagle Scout Association and the Boy Scouts of America during 2010 as part of the 100th anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America.

Controversies[link]

As Attorney General, Nixon has also been heavily involved in controversial decisions regarding school desegregation, capital punishment, and abortion. Nixon has overseen the state's involvement in the court settlements that ended mandatory urban busing in St. Louis and Kansas City's public schools.^[4] His role in the desegregation cases has caused friction with some African American leaders. In addition, Missouri Republicans have criticized Nixon for his campaign soliciting campaign contributions from utility companies, including Ameren during an ongoing criminal investigation by his office of the company, which were immediately returned when the matter drew attention.

The Missouri Information Analysis Center (MIAC) issued a report titled "The Modern Militia Movement" on February 20, 2009, informing the Missouri State Highway Patrol of several groups of people who could possibly be linked to domestic militia groups. According to the report, these groups included white Christians, supporters of third-party presidential candidates Ron Paul, Bob Barr, and Chuck Baldwin, as well as opponents of gun control, illegal immigration, abortion, the Federal Reserve System, and the Internal Revenue Service. Following a joint letter from Paul, Barr, and Baldwin condemning the report, Nixon and the MIAC issued an apology concerning the report and stated that it will no longer be displayed on any official state websites.^[5]

Governor of Missouri (2009-Present)[link]

2008 election[link]

Governor Matt Blunt unexpectedly 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.^[6]

In the primary election on August 5, 2008, Nixon was selected to be the Democratic nominee, and U.S. Representative Kenny Hulshof was selected to be the Republican nominee. Nixon won the gubernatorial race by 19 percentage points over Hulshof to become Missouri's 55th governor (by 58% to 39%) on November 4, 2008.

Penn Valley College incident[link]

On September 14, 2010, a 22-year-old Metropolitan Community College (MCC-KC) student who suffered from schizophrenia slashed the throat of MCC-KC Dean Al Dimmit Jr., who survived the attack, in a hallway by the computer lab near where Nixon was to speak about a half hour later at the Penn Valley College campus in Kansas City's Penn Valley Park. In the scuffle College Chancellor Mark James wrestled with Casey Brezik and was also nicked. Brezik told police that he thought he had stabbed Nixon. Brezik had worn a bulletproof vest to school. Press reports indicate Brezik had an anarchist symbol tattooed on his right hand and a star, hammer and sickle tattooed on his left hand. Nixon, who was at Kansas City Downtown Airport en route to the engagement, canceled the appearance.^[7] Nixon returned to the college at a different campus on September 24.^[8]

Electoral history[link]

References[link]