William Preston Graves (born January 9, 1953) is an American former politician who was the 43rd governor of Kansas from 1995 until 2003.

Career

Graves was born in

Salina, Kansas Salina is a city in, and the county seat of, Saline County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 46,889. In the early 1800s, the Kanza tribal land reached eastward from the middle of the Kansas Territory. In 1 ...

to parents who owned a trucking firm. After graduating from

Kansas Wesleyan University Kansas Wesleyan University is a private Christian university in Salina, Kansas. Founded in 1886, it is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. About 800 students attend KWU, with approximately 700 of them studying on the 28-acre campus. ...

with a business degree, he worked in human resources. In 1986, he was elected

Kansas Secretary of State The secretary of state of Kansas is one of the constitutional officers of the U.S. state of Kansas. The current secretary of state is the former speaker ''pro tempore'' of the Kansas House of Representatives, Scott Schwab, who was sworn in on Ja ...

and in 1991, he was appointed as a representative of state governments to the Competitiveness Policy Council. He

defeated Defeated may refer to: * "Defeated" (Breaking Benjamin song) * "Defeated" (Anastacia song) *"Defeated", a song by Snoop Dogg from the album ''Bible of Love'' *Defeated, Tennessee, an unincorporated community *''The Defeated ''The Defeated'', al ...

Democratic Congressman

Jim Slattery James Charles Slattery (born August 4, 1948) is an American politician. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1983 to 1995 representing Kansas's 2nd congressional district as a Democrat, was the Democratic nominee for governor in ...

in the Republican sweeping elections of 1994 at the age of 41, and became one of the youngest governors in Kansas history. A moderate Republican, Graves was known for his disputes with the

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

wing of the

Kansas Republican Party The Kansas Republican Party is the state affiliate political party in Kansas of the United States Republican Party. The Kansas Republican Party was organized in May 1859. At the state level, the party is largely split between its moderate and con ...

. His term of office saw strong economic growth for Kansas after years of recession, and a continued emphasis on education. In 1997 Graves served as the Chairman of the

Midwestern Governors Association The Midwestern Governors Association (MGA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that brings together the governors of Midwestern states to work cooperatively on public policy issues of significance to the region. The MGA was create ...

. He won re-election in 1998 with 74% of the vote, which was the largest margin of victory by any governor up for election in 1998, and one of the largest margins of victory in Kansas gubernatorial history. Graves was barred from running for a third term as governor by Kansas state law, and was succeeded by

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

Kathleen Sebelius Kathleen Sebelius (; née Gilligan, born May 15, 1948) is an American businesswoman and politician who served as the 21st United States secretary of Health and Human Services from 2009 until 2014. As Secretary of Health and Human Services, Sebeli ...

in January 2003. Serving with him as lieutenant governor were

Sheila Frahm Sheila Frahm (née Sloan; born March 22, 1945) is an American politician who served in the United States Senate as a Republican from Kansas for a brief period in 1996. Life and career Frahm was born in Colby, Kansas. She was appointed to the Kans ...

(1995–1996), whom he appointed to fill Bob Dole's seat in the Senate, and Gary Sherrer (1996–2003). Following his tenure as governor, he has served as president of the American Trucking Associations.

Personal life

Bill Graves married Linda Richey in 1990, they have one daughter.

References

External links

Kansas.gov/
*
Nga.org/Publications concerning Kansas Governor Graves's administration available via the KGI Online Library
, - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Graves, Bill Methodists from Kansas Republican Party governors of Kansas Kansas Wesleyan University alumni Living people Politicians from Salina, Kansas Secretaries of State of Kansas 1953 births 20th-century American politicians 21st-century American politicians