Eric Greitens

Eric Greitens
Official portrait, 2017
56th Governor of Missouri
In office
January 9, 2017 – June 1, 2018
LieutenantMike Parson
Preceded byJay Nixon
Succeeded byMike Parson
Personal details
Born
Eric Robert Greitens

(1974-04-10) April 10, 1974 (age 50)
St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Political partyRepublican (since 2015)
Other political
affiliations		Democratic (before 2015)
Spouses
Rebecca Wright
​
​
(m. 2000; div. 2003)​
​
​
(m. 2011; div. 2020)​
Children2
EducationDuke University (BA)
Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford (MPhil, DPhil)
Civilian awardsPresident's Volunteer Service Award
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service United States Navy
Years of service2001–2021[1]
Rank Lieutenant commander
Unit U.S. Navy SEALs
U.S. Navy Reserve
Battles/warsIraq War
War in Afghanistan
Military awards Bronze Star
Purple Heart
Joint Service Commendation Medal
Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal
Complete list of decorations

Eric Robert Greitens (/ˈɡraɪtənz/ GRY-tənz;[2] born April 10, 1974) is an American businessman, author, former politician and former Navy SEAL, who served as the 56th governor of Missouri from January 2017 until June 2018, when he resigned that month amid allegations of sexual assault and campaign finance impropriety.[3][4] He is a member of the Republican Party, and was a Democrat until 2015.

Born and raised in St. Louis, Greitens graduated from Duke University in 1996 and received a doctorate in 2000 from Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, as a Rhodes scholar. During his four tours of duty as a U.S. Navy SEAL officer, he rose to the rank of lieutenant commander. He commanded a unit targeting al-Qaeda, and was awarded a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart. Later, after being a White House fellow, Greitens founded a nonprofit organization, The Mission Continues, to benefit veterans. In 2013, Time included him in its list of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Greitens ran for governor of Missouri as a Republican in 2016. In the predominately Republican state, Greitens prevailed over three opponents in the Republican primary. He defeated Democratic Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster in the general election. He was Missouri's first Jewish governor.[5][6] One of Greitens's signature accomplishments in office was signing Missouri's right-to-work law,[7] which was later repealed by statewide referendum.[8]

In February 2018, Greitens was charged with felony invasion of privacy and later with campaign-related offenses. He was indicted on felony charges of computer tampering in April 2018;[9] all charges were dropped in May 2018. Greitens resigned from office on June 1, 2018,[10] after the Missouri General Assembly commenced a special session to consider impeachment.[11] In early 2018, Greitens's former hairdresser had accused him of sexual assault. A bipartisan Special Investigative Committee in the Missouri state legislature found the woman "overall credible" and issued a report on the incident.[12]

In 2022 Greitens attempted a return to public office, running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by retiring incumbent Roy Blunt in the 2022 election. He lost the Republican primary to Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt,[13][14] who won the general election.

  1. ^ Desrochers, Daniel (June 24, 2022). "Navy: Eric Greitens is no longer with the Navy Reserve or the Department of the Navy". McClatchy. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  2. ^ Greitens, Eric (June 6, 2016). Eric Greitens: Taking Aim (video). Retrieved April 12, 2018.
  3. ^ Hancock, Jason; Lowry, Bryan (May 29, 2018). "Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens resigns, ending political career once aimed at presidency". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
  4. ^ "Eric Greitens, former Missouri governor who resigned amid multiple scandals, to run for Senate". NBC News. March 23, 2021. Retrieved January 7, 2022.
  5. ^ Karins, Jessica (November 10, 2016). "Eric Greitens Will Be Missouri's First Jewish Governor". Riverfront Times. Archived from the original on July 28, 2021. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  6. ^ Mullen, Mike (April 18, 2013). "The 2013 Time 100". Time. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference :7 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference :15 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Berg, Rebecca (April 21, 2018). "Missouri Gov. Greitens indicted on felony computer-tampering charge". CNN. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
  10. ^ Suntrup, Jack; Erickson, Kurt (May 30, 2018). "Embattled Gov. Eric Greitens resigns". St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
  11. ^ Fenske, Sarah. "Greitens Blasts 'Political Witch Hunt' Just Before Impeachment Report Drops". Riverfront Times. Archived from the original on July 2, 2019. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
  12. ^ "Report of the Missouri House Special Investigative Committee on Oversight" (PDF). Missouri House of Representatives. April 11, 2018. p. 3. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
  13. ^ "Eric Greitens announces Senate bid for Blunt's seat". FOX 2. March 22, 2021. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
  14. ^ Gomez, Henry J. (August 3, 2022). "Eric Schmitt wins GOP primary for Senate in Missouri, defeating former Gov. Greitens". NBCNews.com. Retrieved August 3, 2022.