Jay Nixon

Jay Nixon
55th Governor of Missouri
Incumbent
Assumed office January 12, 2009
Lieutenant	Peter Kinder
Preceded by	Matt Blunt
Succeeded by	Eric Greitens (elect)
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	Jeremiah Wilson Nixon February 13, 1956 De Soto, Missouri, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Georganne Nixon
Children	Jeremiah Will
Residence	Governor's Mansion
Alma mater	University of Missouri, Columbia (BA, JD)
Website	Government website

Jeremiah Wilson "Jay" Nixon (born February 13, 1956) is an American politician who is the 55th and current Governor of Missouri. A member of the Democratic Party, Nixon was first elected Governor in 2008 and reelected in 2012. Prior to his governorship, he served the state's 40th Attorney General from 1993 to 2009.

Early life

Jay Nixon is a lifelong resident of De Soto, Missouri, 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 thrice great-grandfathers, Abraham Jonas, was an early Jewish settler in Illinois and friend of Abraham Lincoln (one of Nixon's paternal great-grandmothers was Jewish, though Nixon is Methodist).^[1] His great-great-grandfather Charles Henry Jonas was the brother of Democratic U.S. Senator Benjamin F. Jonas of Louisiana and another, James Oscar Nixon, was a brother of U.S. Representative John Thompson Nixon of New Jersey. Another paternal ancestor, John Inskeep, had served as Mayor of Philadelphia (from 1800—1801 and 1805—1806).^[2]

Missouri State Senate (1987–1993)

In 1986, after a period of private practice in his hometown, Jay Nixon was elected to the Missouri Senate from a district in Jefferson County, serving for two terms from 1987 to 1993.^[3]

Missouri Attorney General (1993–2009)

Accomplishments

As the state's 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. His aggressive actions in the Attorney General's Office earned him national recognition. Barrister magazine^[4] 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^[5] for his environmental work as a state senator.

In 2013, he joined with nine mayors to establish July 15 as Social Media Giving Day, encouraging citizens to support charities via social media.^[6]

Controversies

Jay 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.^[7]

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.^[8]

Governor of Missouri (2009–present)

Elections

Nixon in 2008

2008 election

Governor Matt Blunt 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.^[9]

Tenure

Gov. Jay Nixon watches a Missouri Tigers volleyball game at the Hearnes Center in 2013.

Public Defender System funding crisis

On August 2, 2016, Michael Barrett, director of the Missouri State Public Defender System called on Nixon to act as a public defender in a criminal assault case. Nixon's communications director, Scott Holste, questioned the authority of Barrett to do so.^[10] The appointment followed a July 2016 legal action in which Barrett et al. challenge the constitutionality of restricting funds for indigent defense.^[11] In an open letter to Nixon, Barrett cites Missouri Revised Statues Section 600.042.5(1)^[12] as well as the 6th and 14th amendments to the United States Constitution as reason for the controversial action. Barrett blames Nixon for the underfunding and understaffing of the public defender system and chose to appoint him because he is "the one attorney in the state who not only created the problem, but is in a unique position to address it."^[13] According to Barrett, the funding for "resources that assist with delivering legal services" have increased between 5 and 6% since 2009, while costs over the same period have increased 18%. The case load has increased over 12% in the past year.^[14] According to a 2008 report by the National Legal Aid & Defender Association, Missouri ranks 49th in per capita legal aid spending.^[15] Ruth Petsch, Jackson County Missouri’s chief public defender, cites the lack funding for inadequate defense and 9 to 12 month delays in adjudication for indigent persons who often remain in jail and are unable to maintain active employment during that time.^[16]

Shooting of Michael Brown and Ferguson unrest

Gov. Nixon first turned over control of the town to the Missouri State Highway Patrol and later declared a state of emergency and implemented nightly curfews, later calling in the National Guard to help restore peace and order.^[17][18] The unrest continued on November 24, 2014 after the police officer who shot Michael Brown was not indicted by a grand jury.^[19][20]

Electoral history

As Governor

Missouri gubernatorial election, 2012^[21]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Democratic	Jay Nixon (incumbent)	1,485,147	54.68%	−3.71%
	Republican	Dave Spence	1,157,475	42.62%	+3.12%
	Libertarian	Jim Higgins	73,196	2.70%	+1.59%

Missouri Gubernatorial Democratic Primary Election, 2012
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±
Democratic	Jay Nixon (incumbent)	270,140	85.99
Democratic	William Campbell	25,775	8.20
Democratic	Clay Thunderhawk	18,243	5.81

Missouri Gubernatorial Election 2008

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Democratic	Jay Nixon	1,680,611	58.40
	Republican	Kenny Hulshof	1,136,364	39.49
	Libertarian	Andy Finkenstadt	31,850	1.11	-
	Constitution	Greg Thompson	28,941	1.01

Missouri Gubernatorial Democratic Primary Election 2008
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±
Democratic	Jay Nixon	304,181	85.0
Democratic	Daniel Carroll	53,835	15.0

As Attorney General

Missouri Attorney General Election 2004

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Democratic	Jay Nixon (incumbent)	1,592,842	59.96
	Republican	Chris Byrd	1,000,503	37.66
	Libertarian	David R. Browning	43,538	1.64	-
	Constitution	David Fry	19,802	0.75

Missouri Attorney General Election 2000

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Democratic	Jay Nixon (incumbent)	1,378,296	60.25
	Republican	Sam Jones	855,814	37.41
	Libertarian	Mitch Moore	53,363	2.33	-

Missouri Attorney General Election 1996

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Democratic	Jay Nixon (incumbent)	1,243,091	59.42
	Republican	Mark Bredemeier	767,962	36.71
	Constitution	Kimberly Lowe	81,074	3.88

Missouri Attorney General Election 1992

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Democratic	Jay Nixon	1,154,714	49.94
	Republican	David L. Steelman	1,064,814	46.05
	Libertarian	Mitchell J. Moore	92,576	4.00	-

U.S. Senate elections

Missouri U.S. Senate Election 1998

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Republican	Kit Bond	830,625	52.68
	Democratic	Jay Nixon	690,208	43.77
	Libertarian	Tamara A. Millay	31,876	2.02	-
	Constitution	David Fry	15,368	0.97
	Reform	James F. Newport	8,780	0.56

Missouri U.S. Senate Democratic Primary Election 1998
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±
Democratic	Jay Nixon	200,339	66.5
Democratic	James Askew	57,364	19.1
Democratic	Daniel Dodson	19,257	6.4
Democratic	Bob Buck	14,774	4.9
Democratic	Andrew Ostrowski	9,389	3.1

Missouri U.S. Senate Election 1988

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Republican	John Danforth	1,407,416	67.70
	Democratic	Jay Nixon	660,045	31.75
	Libertarian	John Guze	11,410	0.55	-

References

1. "Jay Nixon". Nationaljournal.com. February 13, 1956. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
2. "Jay Nixon ancestry". Freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com. Retrieved March 12, 2012.
3. "Biography of Missouri Governor Jay Nixon". Governor.mo.gov. November 4, 2008. Retrieved September 16, 2010.
4. Leonard, Scott. "Home". Barristermagazine.com. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
5. Archived July 21, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.
6. Jason Falls. "Hey, Put Your Twitter Where Your Mouth Is". Socialmediaexplorer.com. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
7. Keller, Rudi (September 28, 2008). "Local News: Jay Nixon: A life in public service (09/28/08)". Semissourian.com. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
8. "Nixon blames 'overzealousness' for militia report". Web.archive.org. Archived from the original on March 30, 2009. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
9. Archived February 10, 2012, at the Wayback Machine.
10. Reilly, Katie (August 13, 2016), Missouri’s Governor Cut Funding to the State’s Public Defenders. So They Assigned Him a Case, Time, retrieved August 13, 2016
11. Barrett, Michael (July 13, 2016), Public Defender Files Legal Challenge to Governor’s Withhold Actions, Missouri State Public Defender, Office of the Director, retrieved August 14, 2016
12. "600, Public Defenders", Missouri Revised Statutes, Missouri General Assembly, July 13, 2016, retrieved August 14, 2016
13. Barrett, Michael (August 2, 2016), Letter to the Honorable Jay Nixon (PDF), Missouri State Public Defender, Office of the Director, retrieved August 13, 2016
14. Barrett, Michael (August 9, 2016), Public Defender Response to Governor’s Comments (PDF), Missouri State Public Defender, Office of the Director, retrieved August 13, 2016
15. Wallace, Jo-Ann; et al. (June 2008), A Race to the Bottom: Evaluation: Trial-Level Indigent Defense Systems In Michigan (PDF), National Legal Aid & Defender Association, retrieved August 14, 2016
16. Martin, Luke X. (August 11, 2016), Missouri's Top Public Defender Doubles Down On Jay Nixon's Assignment, KCUR Public Radio, retrieved August 13, 2016
17. "Police in Ferguson ignite debate about military tactics". USA Today. August 19, 2014. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
18. Gibbons, Thomas (August 14, 2014). "Military veterans see deeply flawed police response in Ferguson". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
19. Davey, Monica; Julie Bosman (November 24, 2014). "Protests Flare After Ferguson Police Officer Is Not Indicted". The New York Times. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
20. Harlan, Chico (November 25, 2014). "After a night of violence in Ferguson, Nixon moves to prevent more destruction". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
21. Archived November 15, 2012, at the Wayback Machine.

External links

• Governor Jay Nixon official Missouri government site
• Jay Nixon at DMOZ