Jay Nixon | |
|---|---|
_(52976934813).jpg) Official portrait, 2008 | |
| 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 55th governor of Missouri from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 40th Missouri Attorney General from 1993 to 2009 and as a Missouri state senator from 1987 to 1993.
Born and raised in the city of De Soto, Nixon attended the University of Missouri and graduated with a degree in political science. He first entered politics at age 30 after he was elected to the Missouri Senate to represent Jefferson County. After an unsuccessful campaign for the U.S. Senate, he was elected Missouri Attorney General in 1992 and reelected in 1996. Following another failed U.S. Senate bid, he was reelected attorney general twice more in 2000 and 2004, serving a total of four terms, the longest tenure for an attorney general in state history.
In 2008, Nixon was elected governor in a landslide victory over Republican congressman Kenny Hulshof, and he was reelected in 2012. He was term limited in 2016 and was succeeded by Republican Eric Greitens. As of 2024, he is the most recent Democrat to serve as the governor of Missouri. After leaving public office he joined the Dowd Bennett law firm in St. Louis.[3]
- ^ "Our Campaigns - MO State Senate 22 Race – Nov 04, 1986". www.ourcampaigns.com.
- ^ "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.