Jon Kyl

For his father, see John Henry Kyl. For other people, see John Kyle (disambiguation).

Jon Kyl
Official portrait, 2018
United States Senator
from Arizona
In office
September 4, 2018 – December 31, 2018
Appointed byDoug Ducey
Preceded byJohn McCain
Succeeded byMartha McSally
In office
January 3, 1995 – January 3, 2013
Preceded byDennis DeConcini
Succeeded byJeff Flake
Senate Minority Whip
In office
December 19, 2007 – January 3, 2013
LeaderMitch McConnell
Preceded byTrent Lott
Succeeded byJohn Cornyn
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Arizona's 4th district
In office
January 3, 1987 – January 3, 1995
Preceded byEldon Rudd
Succeeded byJohn Shadegg
Personal details
Born
Jon Llewellyn Kyl

(1942-04-25) April 25, 1942 (age 82)
Oakland, Nebraska, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
Caryll Collins
​
(m. 1964)​
Children2
Parent(s)John Henry Kyl
Arlene Griffith
EducationUniversity of Arizona (BA, LLB)
Jon Kyl's voice
Kyl reflects on his service with John McCain before his first retirement from the Senate
Recorded December 18, 2012

Jon Llewellyn Kyl (/ˈkaɪl/ KYLE; born April 25, 1942)[1] is an American politician and lobbyist who served as a United States Senator for Arizona from 1995 to 2013. Following the death of John McCain in 2018, Kyl briefly returned to the Senate; his resignation led to the appointment of Martha McSally in 2019. A Republican, he held both of Arizona's Senate seats at different times, serving alongside McCain during his first stint.[2] Kyl was Senate Minority Whip from 2007 until 2013. He first joined the lobbying firm Covington & Burling after retiring in 2013, then rejoined in 2019.[3]

The son of U.S. Representative John Henry Kyl and Arlene (née Griffith) Kyl, Kyl was born and raised in Nebraska and lived for some time in Iowa. He received his bachelor's degree and law degree from the University of Arizona. He worked in Phoenix, Arizona as an attorney and lobbyist before winning election to the United States House of Representatives, where he served from 1987 to 1995. He was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1994 and continued to be re-elected by comfortable margins until his retirement in January 2013. In 2006, he was recognized by Time magazine as one of America's Ten Best Senators.[4] Kyl was ranked by National Journal in 2007 as the fourth-most conservative U.S. Senator.[5] He has been a fixture of Republican policy leadership posts, chairing the Republican Policy Committee (2003–2006) and the Republican Conference (2006–2007) before becoming Senate Minority Whip until his retirement in 2013. He was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2010 for his persuasive role in the Senate.[6]

After leaving the Senate in 2013, Kyl worked as an attorney and lobbyist[7] and then worked to shepherd the Supreme Court nomination of Brett Kavanaugh in 2018.[8]

In September 2018, Kyl was appointed by Governor Doug Ducey to serve in the Class 3 Senate seat left vacant by the death of John McCain.[9][8] Kyl is the first person to return to the Senate via appointment since New Hampshire Republican Norris Cotton in 1975.[10] Kyl resigned from the Senate effective December 31, 2018, and was succeeded by Martha McSally.[11]

  1. ^ "Sen. John Kyl (R-AZ)". congress.org. Archived from the original on December 8, 2008. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
  2. ^ "Jon Kyl sworn into office, giving Senate GOP 51 votes". September 5, 2018. Retrieved September 15, 2018.
  3. ^ Dayen, David (January 8, 2019). "Revolving Door on Steroids: Lobbyist Jon Kyl, Who Served Four Months in the Senate, Won't Disclose Some Clients". The Intercept.
  4. ^ "Jon Kyl: The Operator". Time. April 14, 2006. Archived from the original on July 27, 2017. Retrieved March 23, 2018 – via content.time.com.
  5. ^ "Political Arithmetik: National Journal 2006 Liberal/Conservative Scores". March 5, 2007. Archived from the original on August 6, 2010. Retrieved March 22, 2007.
  6. ^ McConnell, Mitch (April 29, 2010). "The 2010 Time 100". Time. Archived from the original on May 9, 2010. Retrieved May 7, 2010.
  7. ^ Ho, Catherine (March 5, 2013). "Sen. Jon Kyl joins lobby shop at Covington". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on December 10, 2017. Retrieved September 2, 2017.
  8. ^ a b "Jon Kyl, Former Senator, Will Replace McCain in Arizona". New York Times. September 4, 2018.
  9. ^ "Former U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl will be John McCain's successor in the U.S. Senate". Arizona Republic. September 4, 2018.
  10. ^ "Jon Kyl Only 6th Former US Senator to Receive Appointment in Direct Election Era". Smart Politics. September 4, 2018. Archived from the original on November 26, 2018. Retrieved September 10, 2018.
  11. ^ Wingett Sanchez, Yvonne (December 18, 2018). "Martha McSally appointed to John McCain's Senate seat". AZ Central. Retrieved December 18, 2018.