Ben T. Ysursa (born June 10, 1949) is an American attorney and politician who served as the

Secretary of State of Idaho The secretary of state of Idaho is one of the constitutional officers of the U.S. state of Idaho. It is an elected position within the executive branch of the state government. The current secretary of state is Lawerence Denney. Duties of the ...

from 2003 to 2015.

Early life and education

A native of

Boise, Idaho Boise (, , ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho and is the county seat of Ada County. On the Boise River in southwestern Idaho, it is east of the Oregon border and north of the Nevada border. The downtown are ...

, Ysursa graduated from Bishop Kelly High School in 1967. He earned a bachelor's degree from

Gonzaga University Gonzaga University (GU) () is a private Jesuit university in Spokane, Washington. It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. Founded in 1887 by Joseph Cataldo, an Italian-born priest and Jesuit missionary, the univ ...

in 1971 and a

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

from the

Saint Louis University School of Law Saint Louis University School of Law, also known as SLU LAW, is a private American law school located in St. Louis, Missouri. It is one of the professional graduate schools of Saint Louis University. The University hosted a law school briefly fr ...

in 1974.

Career

Ysursa was admitted to the

Idaho State Bar The Idaho State Bar (ISB) is the integrated (mandatory) bar association of the U.S. state of Idaho. It is a self-governing state agency of the State of Idaho. History Portions of the Idaho Code pertaining to the practice of law in Idaho date ...

in 1974. From 1974 to 2003, Ysursa served in the Idaho Secretary of State office under his predecessor, Pete T. Cenarrusa. He held the positions of Deputy Secretary of State (1974–1976) and Chief Deputy Secretary of State (1976–2003). Ysursa was elected Secretary of State in 2002 with 77.5 percent of the vote. He was reelected unopposed in 2006. Ysursa was elected to a third term in 2010, defeating Democratic nominee Mack Sermon with 74.3 percent of the vote. Ysursa did not seek reelection in 2014.Popkey, Dan
"Ysursa won't run for re-election as Idaho secretary of state"
''

Idaho Statesman The ''Idaho Statesman'' is the daily newspaper of Boise, Idaho, in the western United States. It is owned by The McClatchy Company. History The paper was first published as the ''Idaho Tri-Weekly Statesman'' on July 26, 1864, by James S. Reynolds ...

'', November 8, 2013. (accessed 3 December 2013) He was succeeded by

Lawerence Denney Lawerence Denney (born February 25, 1948) is the secretary of state of Idaho. A Republican, Denney previously served as a member of the Idaho House of Representatives, including three terms as Speaker of the Idaho House of Representatives. Poli ...

Personal life

Ysursa is married and has three children with his wife, Penny. They also have two grandchildren.

Awards

* "Boyd Martin Award" from the Association of Idaho Cities * Recipient for Outstanding Administrator (1992) from the Idaho Republican Party.

Service on Committees

* Board of Land Commissioners (member) * Board of Examiners (member) * Board of Canvassers (chairman) * Land Board briefing committee (member) * Board of Examiners sub-committee (member) * various state and city committees (member)

Notes

External links

Ben Ysursa's biography on the Idaho Secretary of State page

Criticism by chairman of the Idaho Democratic Party
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ysursa, Ben 1949 births Living people People from Boise, Idaho Idaho Republicans Gonzaga University alumni Saint Louis University School of Law alumni Secretaries of State of Idaho American people of Basque descent