The American Legion Boys State and American Legion Auxiliary Girls State are summer leadership and citizenship programs for

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

juniors, which focus on exploring the mechanics of American government and politics. The programs are sponsored by the

American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is a non-profit organization of U.S. war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militi ...

(AL) and the

American Legion Auxiliary The American Legion Auxiliary (ALA) is a separate entity from the American Legion that shares the same values. Composed of spouses, mothers, daughters, granddaughters, and sisters of American war veterans. Founded in 1919, the ALA is dedicated to ...

(ALA) respectively. Boys and girls are usually nominated by their high school during their junior year. Boys and Girls State programs both began in 1937 and are held in each of the U.S. states (except Hawaii where there is only a Girls State program), usually at a college within that state. There is also a Boys State session held in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

In general, male and female programs are held separately, but at least eight states—Georgia, Nebraska, Oregon, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Missouri—host Boys and Girls State on the same campus on the same week. Each state's program varies, but in general program participants are divided into subgroups referred to as cities. The citizens of each of these cities elect mock municipal officials and representatives to the mock

state legislature A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United Sta ...

. Many programs also have a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

level as well. The participants also elect state officials, such as

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

lieutenant governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

, and other state-level officials mirroring their actual state. The legislature meets to organize, elect leaders, and to pass bills, in a way that is similar to how their actual state legislature operates. Some programs tend to have a more traditional education focus, providing speakers and training throughout the week and then concluding with mock political functions. Other programs take a more hands-on approach by running the mock government activities all week. All programs generally follow a similar pattern, but vary by state. Some states hold mock trials with the participants volunteering as lawyers, accused, and juries. Some states include a journalism component that represents the Fourth Estate in the political process. North Dakota includes a classroom-based emergency management simulation that requires participants to respond to various large-scale disasters by managing communication, resources and personnel. Other programs include creative and fun activities such as band, choir, and athletic competition. Some of the programs (e.g., New Mexico) host a dance during the week, inviting high school girls/boys from the area to attend. The Oregon program has moved away from using any mock systems to a completely simulated "State of Christensen" with its own law and order system that grows yearly and is passed on to the consecutive year. Boys/Girls State is typically staffed by Legion Family members, past participants, and/or community leaders who volunteer their time and effort. Administrative costs are defrayed by their state Legion organizations and local businesses.

Selection

Selection varies by state and by girls or boys state program. Historically, in most states, only one or two students are sent to Boys/Girls State from each high school. Therefore, selection is highly competitive, and the population of students attending represents the top talent from across the state. Although recruitment procedures vary, Boys/Girls State participants are often selected with the help of high school principals or guidance counselors. Participants must be between their junior and senior years in high school to qualify.

Benefits

Because the hundreds of students at any given Boys/Girls State represent the top talent of that age year, being elected to a high office, such as governor, at the event can be an important distinguishing achievement for college or military academy admissions. While each state's offerings differ, many programs offer college credit to those attending Boys/Girls State. Additionally many colleges and universities offer scholarships and other awards to those attending a Boys/Girls State program. Also, the Samsung American Legion Scholarship, which can only be applied for by Boys/Girls State attenders, is an endowed scholarship fund of $5 million administered by the American Legion. In 2010, ten $20,000 scholarships and 88 $1,000 scholarships were awarded to those who completed a Boys/Girls State program. Attendance at Boys State carries the same weight on a résumé as earning the distinction of

Eagle Scout Eagle Scout is the highest achievement or rank attainable in the Scouts BSA program of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). Since its inception in 1911, only four percent of Scouts have earned this rank after a lengthy review process. The Eagle Sc ...

, especially when applying to US military schools and academies.

Events

Once there, students typically engage in a number of political activities such as running for office, electing officials, drafting and debating bills, and making motions. Some programs offer city and county mock courts, and a state Supreme Court, with the participants acting as lawyers, judges, plaintiffs, defendants, and jury members. There are lectures and workshops for students to fully immerse themselves in government and politics.

Parliamentary procedure Parliamentary procedure is the accepted rules, ethics, and customs governing meetings of an assembly or organization. Its object is to allow orderly deliberation upon questions of interest to the organization and thus to arrive at the sense or t ...

(

Robert's Rules of Order ''Robert's Rules of Order'', often simply referred to as ''Robert's Rules'', is a manual of parliamentary procedure by U.S. Army officer Henry Martyn Robert. "The object of Rules of Order is to assist an assembly to accomplish the work for which ...

) is typically utilized. A majority of programs divide their participants into two political parties: Nationalists and Federalists. Each political party establishes an official party platform voted on by its members. Participants are elected to a variety of offices including House of Representatives and Senate seats, executive offices (governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, treasurer, etc.). Participants also run for city and county offices such as mayor, county clerk, municipal judge, city councilman, and many more depending on the individual program's setup. Some programs, given their proximity to their state capital, make a field trip to visit and have a tour and meet their representatives, if they are present. Many programs handle aspects of their individual programs differently from other states. For example, New York Boys' State involves exposure to regimented military experiences, such as early-morning physical training and marching instruction provided by members of the US Marines.

History

The creation of the Boys State program in 1935 is credited to Hayes Kennedy, an instructor at the

Loyola University Chicago School of Law Loyola University Chicago School of Law is the law school of Loyola University Chicago, in Illinois. Established in 1909, by the Society of Jesus, the Roman Catholic order of the Jesuits, the School of Law is located in downtown Chicago. Loyol ...

and Americanism Chairman of the Illinois Department of the American Legion; and Harold Card, the Department

Boy Scout A Scout (in some countries a Boy Scout, Girl Scout, or Pathfinder) is a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement. Because of the large age and development span, many Scouting associations have split ...

chairman and junior high school instructor. Kennedy and Card were concerned about the youth attending political indoctrination camps in the late 1930s. Documentation provided by various Boys State programs across the country refer to these as "Young Pioneer Camps", and alternately describe them as either fascist- or communist-inspired. Since the

Young Pioneer Camps Young may refer to: * Offspring, the product of reproduction of a new organism produced by one or more parents * Youth, the time of life when one is young, often meaning the time between childhood and adulthood Music * The Young, an American roc ...

was the name of a youth program based in the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

that made inroads in the U.S. in the early 20th century, it is likely that these left-wing movements are what Kennedy was responding to, and not the growth of the radical right. Kennedy felt that a counter movement must be started among the ranks of the nation's youth to stress the importance and value of a democratic form of government and maintain an effort to preserve and perpetuate it. The Illinois Department of the American Legion approved Kennedy's and Card's project and in June 1935, the very first Boys State in the nation was held on the grounds of the

Illinois State Fair The Illinois State Fair is an annual festival, centering on the theme of agriculture, hosted by the U.S. state of Illinois in the state capital, Springfield, Illinois, Springfield. The state fair has been celebrated almost every year since 1853 ...

. As this program succeeded and spread throughout the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, the

(ALA) began providing similar opportunities for girls of high school age. Thus Girls State was founded. The first Girls State was conducted in 1937 and since 1948 has been a regular part of the ALA's better citizenship programs. In

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...

, the Girls State program began in 1942 under the leadership of Maud Crawford, the first woman to practice law in

Camden Camden may refer to: People * Camden (surname), a surname of English origin * Camden Joy (born 1964), American writer * Camden Toy (born 1957), American actor Places Australia * Camden, New South Wales * Camden, Rosehill, a heritage res ...

, Arkansas. By 1984, Girls State sessions were held in all fifty states. In 1981, Louisiana Boys State delegate Kirk Givens of Tioga High School in Pineville died when he fell or jumped out of his 12th floor Kirby-Smith dorm room window at Louisiana State University while sleepwalking. A documentary film on the program, focused on 2018 Texas Boys State, premiered at the

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,66 ...

in 2020. It was released on

Apple TV+ Apple TV is a digital media player and microconsole developed and marketed by Apple Inc. It is a small network appliance hardware that plays received media data such as video and audio to a television set or external display. Since its secon ...

on August 14, 2020. A "sibling" film about Girls State was planned to be shot during 2020 but has been delayed due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

Boys Nation and Girls Nation

Since 1947, each Boys State and Girls State program sends two delegates to

Boys Nation Boys Nation is an annual forum concerning civic training, government, leadership, and Americanism that is run by the American Legion. One hundred Boys Nation Senators are chosen from a pool of over 20,000 Boys State participants, making it one o ...

and

Girls Nation Girls Nation is an annual civic training program run by the American Legion Auxiliary.{{cite web, last=American Legion Auxiliary , title=What We Do , url=http://www.alaforveterans.org/what_we_do/ala_girls_nation/Pages/default.aspx , work=American L ...

Each state chooses their delegates differently. These delegates are sometimes the participants elected to the governor and lieutenant governor positions, but other states have separate elections for the honor, while still other states appoint their delegates through interviews with the Legionnaires who run each state program. The event endeavors to teach delegates about the processes of federal government in the

United States of America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...

, through taking part in a mock

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

and mock

elections An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operate ...

of a Boys/Girls Nation Senate

president pro tempore A president pro tempore or speaker pro tempore is a constitutionally recognized officer of a legislative body who presides over the chamber in the absence of the normal presiding officer. The phrase ''pro tempore'' is Latin "for the time being". ...

and secretary,

vice president A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on t ...

, and

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

, attending lectures and fora, and visiting governmental institutions and historical sites.

Notable alumni

Notable alumni of the Boys and Girls State programs include: * Roger Ailes *

Fred Akers Fred Akers (March 17, 1938 – December 7, 2020) was an American college football player and coach. He served as head football coach at the University of Wyoming (1975–1976), the University of Texas at Austin (1977–1986), and Purdue Universit ...

* Lamar Alexander *

Samuel Alito Samuel Anthony Alito Jr. ( ; born April 1, 1950) is an American lawyer and jurist who serves as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. He was nominated by President George W. Bush on October 31, 2005, and has served ...

Theresa Amato Theresa Amato is a US public advocate and political activist. Founder and first president of the Citizen Advocacy Center (Elmhurst, Illinois) which builds democracy for the 21st century, she currently serves as executive director of Citizen Work ...

Rob Andrews Robert Ernest Andrews (born August 4, 1957) is an American politician who served as a U.S. representative for from 1990 to 2014. The district included most of Camden County and parts of Burlington County and Gloucester County. Early life, ...

Neil Armstrong Neil Alden Armstrong (August 5, 1930 – August 25, 2012) was an American astronaut and aeronautical engineer who became the first person to walk on the Moon in 1969. He was also a naval aviator, test pilot, and university professor. ...

Reubin Askew Reubin O'Donovan Askew (September 11, 1928 – March 13, 2014) was an American politician, who served as the 37th governor of Florida from 1971 to 1979. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 7th U.S. Trade representative from 1979 ...

* Bruce Babbitt * Rosalyn Baker * Scott Bakula * David Barlow *

Barry K. Barnes Barry K. Barnes (27 December 190612 January 1965) was an English film and stage actor. The son of Horatio Nelson Barnes and Anne Mackintosh Barnes, he was born and died in London. He appeared in sixteen films between 1936 and 1947. He played Sir ...

William G. Batchelder William G. Batchelder III (December 19, 1942 – February 12, 2022) was an American politician who was the 101st Speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives, serving from 2011 to 2014. He also represented the 69th District of the Ohio House o ...

* Max Baucus *

Skip Bayless Skip Bayless (born John Edward Bayless II) is an American sports columnist, commentator, and television personality. He is well-known for his work as a commentator on the ESPN2 show '' First Take'' with Stephen A. Smith, a show which he left ...

* Mike Beebe * Dick Bennett *

Ken Bennett Kenneth Roy Bennett (born August 1, 1959) is an American businessman and politician who served as president of the Arizona Senate and served as the 19th Secretary of State of Arizona, from 2009 to 2015. He was a candidate for Governor of Arizona ...

Robert J. Bentley Robert Julian Bentley (born February 3, 1943) is an American former politician and physician who served as the 53rd governor of Alabama from 2011 until 2017 upon his resignation after a sex scandal involving a political aide and subsequent a ...

Eric Berry James Eric Berry (born December 29, 1988) is an American former football safety who played in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Tennessee Volunteers, where he was a two-time unanimous All-American and recog ...

Beau Biden Joseph Robinette "Beau" Biden III (February 3, 1969 – May 30, 2015) was an American politician, lawyer, and officer in the Army Judge Advocate General's Corps from Wilmington, Delaware. The oldest child of current U.S. president Joe Bid ...

* Matt Blunt *

Jim Bohannon James Everett Bohannon (January 7, 1944 – November 12, 2022) was an American broadcaster who worked in both television and radio. He is best known for hosting the nationally syndicated late night radio talk show ''The Jim Bohannon Show'' orig ...

Jon Bon Jovi John Francis Bongiovi Jr. (born March 2, 1962), known professionally as Jon Bon Jovi, is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and actor. He is best known as the founder and frontman of the rock band Bon Jovi, which was formed in 1983. He ...

* Cory Booker * Tom Brokaw *

Garth Brooks Troyal Garth Brooks (born February 7, 1962) is an American country music singer and songwriter. His integration of pop and rock elements into the country genre has earned him popularity, particularly in the United States with success on the co ...

* Jon Bruning *

Steve Bullock Steve, Steven, or Stephen Bullock may refer to: *Steve Bullock (British politician) (born 1953), first directly elected mayor of the London Borough of Lewisham *Steve Bullock (American politician) (born 1966), 24th Governor of Montana (2013–2021) ...

John W. Carlin John William Carlin (born August 3, 1940) is an American educator and politician who served as the 40th governor of Kansas from 1979 to 1987, and the archivist of the United States from May 30, 1995, to February 15, 2005. He teaches at Kansas ...

* Julian Carroll * James Carville *

Dick Cheney Richard Bruce Cheney ( ; born January 30, 1941) is an American politician and businessman who served as the 46th vice president of the United States from 2001 to 2009 under President George W. Bush. He is currently the oldest living former U ...

* Lawton Chiles * Aneesh Chopra * Chris Christie * Wesley Clark *

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...

* Mike Coffman * Tim Cook * Richard Cordray *

Tom Cotton Thomas Bryant Cotton (born May 13, 1977) is an American politician, attorney, and former military officer serving as the junior United States senator for Arkansas since 2015. A member of the Republican Party, he served in the U.S. House of R ...

* Mike Crapo * Steve Daines *

Carroll Dale Carroll Wayne Dale (born April 24, 1938) is a former American football wide receiver. He was an All-American at Virginia Tech and was a member of the Green Bay Packers teams that won three straight NFL championships, including the first two Sup ...

* Mitch Daniels *

Tom Daschle Thomas Andrew Daschle ( ; born December 9, 1947) is an American politician and lobbyist who served as a United States senator from South Dakota from 1987 to 2005. A member of the Democratic Party, he became U.S. Senate Minority Leader in 1995 an ...

Lawrence DiCara Lawrence "Larry" S. DiCara (born in Dorchester, Boston) is an American attorney and author. Early life and education DiCara was born in Dorchester, a neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, and is a graduate of the Boston Latin School. He hold ...

* Lou Dobbs *

Steve Doocy ''yes'Steve is a masculine given name, usually a short form (hypocorism) of Steven or Stephen Notable people with the name include: steve jops * Steve Abbott (disambiguation), several people * Steve Adams (disambiguation), several people * Steve ...

Michael Dukakis Michael Stanley Dukakis (; born November 3, 1933) is an American retired lawyer and politician who served as governor of Massachusetts from 1975 to 1979 and again from 1983 to 1991. He is the longest-serving governor in Massachusetts history a ...

Ericka Dunlap Ericka Dunlap (born December 29, 1981) is an American beauty pageant titleholder from Orlando, Florida who was named Miss Florida 2003 and subsequently crowned Miss America 2004. Dunlap was the first African American woman to be crowned Miss Flor ...

* Dan Duquette *

Fred DuVal Fred Price DuVal (born May 24, 1954) is an American businessman, civic leader, education leader and author. He is president of DuVal and Associates, a senior advisor to Dentons Law, an advisor to Macquarie Infrastructure, Chairman of Excelsior M ...

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...

Edwin Edwards Edwin Washington Edwards (August 7, 1927 – July 12, 2021) was an American politician and member of the Democratic Party who served as the U.S. representative for from 1965 to 1972 and as the 50th governor of Louisiana for four terms (1972– ...

* John Ensign *

Michael Patrick Flanagan Michael Patrick Flanagan (born November 9, 1962) is a former captain in the United States Army, a practicing attorney, and a Republican Party politician from Chicago, Illinois. Flanagan is best known for his victory over eighteen-term Congress ...

* Robert Frederick Froehlke * James Gandolfini * Dan Gattis * Charles D. Gemar *

Richard Gergel Richard Mark Gergel (born August 14, 1954) is a South Carolina lawyer and United States federal judge, United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina. Early life and education Born in Columb ...

Michael L. Gernhardt Michael Landon Gernhardt (born May 4, 1956) is a NASA astronaut and manager of the Environmental Physiology Laboratory, and principal investigator of the Prebreathe Reduction Program (PRP) at the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center. Personal life ...

* Leeza Gibbons *

Paul Gillmor Paul Eugene Gillmor (February 1, 1939 – September 5, 2007) was an American politician of the Republican Party who served as the U.S. representative from the 5th congressional district of Ohio from 1989 until his death in 2007. Early life, ...

Alex Gorsky Alex Gorsky (born 1960) is an American businessman and the executive chairman of Johnson & Johnson. He is the seventh person who served as chair and chief executive officer of Johnson & Johnson since it became a publicly traded company in 1944. Go ...

* Randy Gradishar *

Chuck Grassley Charles Ernest Grassley (born September 17, 1933) is an American politician serving as the president pro tempore emeritus of the United States Senate, and the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States sen ...

* Jonathan Greenert * Eric Greitens * Robert Griffin III *

E. Lynn Harris E. Lynn Harris ( Everette Lynn Jeter; June 20, 1955 – July 23, 2009) was an American author. Openly gay, he was best known for his depictions of African-American men who were on the down-low and closeted. He authored ten consecutive books th ...

Mike Hazen Michael Norman Hazen (born January 7, 1976) is an American professional baseball executive and current executive vice president and general manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball (MLB). A Princeton University graduate and fo ...

* Dave Heineman *

Joel Heitkamp Joel Curtis Heitkamp (born November 2, 1961) is an American talk radio host and politician who served as a member of the North Dakota Senate for the 26th district from 1994 to 2008. Education Heitkamp was born in Breckenridge, Minnesota and r ...

Terence T. Henricks Terence Thomas "Tom" Henricks (born July 5, 1952) is a retired colonel in the United States Air Force and a former NASA astronaut. He served on four Space Shuttle missions. Personal life and education Henricks was born on July 5, 1952, in Bryan, ...

Jess Herbst Jess Helene Herbst (born October 14, 1958) is an American politician and transgender rights activist, who served as the mayor of New Hope, Texas, from May 2016 until May 2018. Herbst became the first openly transgender mayor in Texas in 2016 when ...

* Hugh Hewitt * John Hoeven * Bob Holden * Vonnie Holiday *

Ernest C. Hornsby Ernest C. Hornsby also known as Sonny Hornsby (born October 8, 1936) was chief justice of the Supreme Court of Alabama from 1989 to 1995. Biography He was born on October 8, 1936, and he received his A.B. degree from Auburn University and his J. ...

* Ken Howard *

Glenn Hubbard Glenn Hubbard may refer to: *Glenn Hubbard (baseball) (born 1957), American baseball player *Glenn Hubbard (economist) (born 1958), American academic specializing in tax policy and health care See also *Hubbard (surname) Hubbard is an English sur ...

Mike Huckabee Michael Dale Huckabee (born August 24, 1955) is an American politician, Baptist minister, and political commentator who served as the 44th governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007. He was a candidate for the Republican Party presidential nomina ...

* James Hunt *

Keith Jackson Keith Max Jackson (October 18, 1928 – January 12, 2018) was an American sports commentator, journalist, author, and radio personality, known for his career with ABC Sports (1966–2006). While he covered a variety of sports over his career ...

Phil Jackson Philip Douglas Jackson (born September 17, 1945) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive. A power forward, Jackson played 12 seasons in the NBA, winning NBA championships with the New York Knicks in 1970 and ...

Fishel Jacobs Fishel Jacobs is an American-Israeli rabbi, martial artist, ex-Israel prison service officer, author, and speaker. Early years and education Jacobs was born in 1956 in Brooklyn, raised in Vermont, and has lived in Israel since 1979. In 1974, Jaco ...

Donald M. James Donald M. James (born January 20, 1949) is an American lawyer and businessman. He served as the chief executive officer of Vulcan Materials Company from 1997 to 2014. Early life James was born on January 20, 1949, in Russellville, Alabama. He gra ...

* Fob James *

Al Jarreau Alwin Lopez Jarreau (March 12, 1940 – February 12, 2017) was an American singer and musician. His 1981 album '' Breakin' Away'' spent two years on the ''Billboard'' 200 and is considered one of the finest examples of the Los Angeles pop and R ...

* Mike Johanns *

Joe Johns Joseph Eduardo Johns is an American lawyer and journalist. He is the Senior Washington Correspondent for CNN, based in the Washington, D.C., bureau. He was promoted to the position in 2014. He previously worked as an NBC News Capitol Hill Corres ...

* Gregory H. Johnson * Gus Johnson * Michelle D. Johnson * Russell Jones *

Michael Jordan Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. His biography on the official NBA website states: "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the g ...

Phil Keisling Phil Keisling (born June 23, 1955) is an American politician and business executive in the U.S. state of Oregon. He served as Oregon Secretary of State from 1991 to 1999 and previously served in the Oregon House of Representatives. He is known ...

* Alan Keyes *

Angus King Angus Stanley King Jr. (born March 31, 1944) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Maine since 2013. A political independent since 1993, he previously served as the 72nd governor of Maine from 1995 ...

* David Koechner * Stan Kroenke * Ted Kulongoski *

Bob Kustra Robert Walter Kustra (born March 21, 1943) is an American politician and academic administrator who served as the Lieutenant Governor of Illinois from 1991 to 1998 and the President of Boise State University from 2003 to 2018. Education Kust ...

* Brian Lamb * Mary Landrieu * Jonathan Larkin *

Greg Lashutka Gregory S. Lashutka (born March 28, 1944) is an American lawyer who served as the 51st List of mayors of Columbus, Ohio, mayor of Columbus, Ohio, from 1992 to 2000. He is an Eagle Scout (Boy Scouts of America), Eagle Scout and had earlier been a ...

Michael S. Lee Michael Shumway Lee (born June 4, 1971) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Utah, a seat he has held since 2011. He is a member of the Republican Party. Lee began his career as a clerk for the ...

Loren Leman Loren Dwight Leman (born December 2, 1950) is an American politician who served as the eighth lieutenant governor of Alaska, from 2002 to 2006. Before that, he served in both houses of the state legislature, and was elected as the Senate Majorit ...

Roger P. Lempke Major General (United States), Major General Roger Philip Lempke is a retired United States Air Force officer and was the adjutant general (TAG) of the Nebraska National Guard. The Nebraska Adjutant General commands the state military forces an ...

Delano Lewis Delano Eugene Lewis (born November 12, 1938) is an American attorney, businessman, and diplomat. He was the United States Ambassador to South Africa from 1999 to 2001, and previously held leadership roles at the Peace Corps and National Public ...

Joseph Lieberman Joseph Isadore Lieberman (; born February 24, 1942) is an American politician, lobbyist, and attorney who served as a United States senator from Connecticut from 1989 to 2013. A former member of the Democratic Party, he was its nominee for Vi ...

* Rush Limbaugh * Donal Logue * Trent Lott *

Richard Lugar Richard Green Lugar (April 4, 1932 – April 28, 2019) was an American politician who served as a United States Senator from Indiana from 1977 to 2013. He was a member of the Republican Party. Born in Indianapolis, Lugar graduated from De ...

* Ray Mabus * Greil Marcus *

James G. Martin James Grubbs Martin (born December 11, 1935) is an American organic chemist and politician who served as the List of Governors of North Carolina, 70th governor of North Carolina from 1985 to 1993. He was the third Republican elected to the of ...

Craig Melvin Craig Delano Melvin (born May 20, 1979) is an American broadcast journalist and anchor at NBC News and MSNBC. In August 2018, he became a news anchor on NBC's ''Today'' and, in October 2018, a co-host of ''Today Third Hour'' before being made ...

Scott McCallum James Scott McCallum (born May 2, 1950) is an American businessman and former politician. A member of the Republican Party, he was the 43rd governor of Wisconsin, ascending from the Lieutenant Governorship when Tommy Thompson resigned in 2001 t ...

Ryan McGee Ryan McGee is a senior writer for ''ESPN The Magazine'' and formerly a television producer with ESPN, Fox Sports Net, and NASCAR Media Group. He covers a variety of American sports, but is best known for his motorsports work, particularly NASCAR, ...

* John R. McKernan Jr. *

M. Peter McPherson Melville Peter McPherson (born October 27, 1940) is president emeritus of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities. He previously served as a special assistant to President Gerald Ford, administrator of USAID under President Ronald ...

Bob Menéndez Robert Menendez (; born January 1, 1954) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the senior United States senator from New Jersey, a seat he has held since 2006. Gale Biography In Context. A member of the Democratic Party, he was first ...

Gray H. Miller Gray Hampton Miller (born December 9, 1948 in Houston, Texas) is a Senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas. Education and career Miller attended the United States Merchant Marine ...

Henson Moore William Henson Moore III (born October 4, 1939) is an American attorney and businessman who is a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives, having represented Louisiana's 6th congressional district, based about Baton Rouge, from 1975 to ...

* Tim Moore * Thomas J. Moyer * Chris Murphy *

Scott Murphy Matthew Scott Murphy (born January 26, 1970) is an American entrepreneur and politician. He represented parts of New York state's Capital District (excluding the city of Albany) in the United States House of Representatives for a portion of one ...

Ben Nelson Earl Benjamin Nelson (born May 17, 1941) is an American attorney, businessman, and politician who served as the 37th governor of Nebraska from 1991 to 1999 and as a United States Senator from Nebraska from 2001 to 2013. He is a member of the Demo ...

* Al Neuharth * Michael J. Newman * Sam Nunn * William A. O'Neill *

Mike Oxley Michael Garver Oxley (February 11, 1944 – January 1, 2016) was an American Republican politician and attorney who served as a U.S. Representative from the 4th congressional district of Ohio. Early life and career Oxley was born in Findl ...

* Ajit Pai * George Pataki *

Jane Pauley Margaret Jane Pauley (born October 31, 1950) is an American television host, and author, active in news reporting since 1972. Pauley first became widely known as Barbara Walters's successor on the NBC morning show ''Today'', beginning at the age ...

* John Perez *

Tom Petri Thomas Evert Petri (born May 28, 1940) is an American politician who was the U.S. representative for from 1979 to 2015; he is a member of the Republican Party. Early life Petri was born in Marinette, Wisconsin. When he was a toddler, his fat ...

Thomas G. Plaskett Thomas George Plaskett (December 24, 1943June 24, 2021) was an American business executive. He served as CEO of Continental Airlines, Pan American World Airways, and Greyhound Lines. He was instrumental in establishing AAdvantage. Early life and ...

* Larry Pressler * David Pryor *

Andre Quintero Andre Quintero is the former mayor of El Monte, California. He is a registered Democrat. Quintero was elected mayor in November 2009, defeating Ernest Gutierrez, and was reelected in November 2011. In 2020 he was defeated by Jessica Ancona. ...

* Jim Ramstad *

Nancy Redd Nancy Amanda Redd (born April 28, 1981) is an American author who was Miss Virginia in 2003 and competed in Miss America, finishing in the top ten and winning the preliminary "Lifestyle & Fitness in Swimwear" competition. She authored the book '' ...

* Harry Reid * Ann Richards *

Joseph P. Riley Jr. Joseph Patrick Riley Jr. (born January 19, 1943) is an American politician who was the Mayor of Charleston, South Carolina. He was one of the longest serving mayors in the United States that is still living, having served 10 terms starting on Dec ...

* Richard Riley * Ron Rivera * Buddy Roemer *

Patrick Rose Patrick M. Rose (born October 10, 1978) is a former Texas Democratic politician, who from 2002 to 2010 served as a member of the Texas House of Representatives from House District 45, which then consisted of Blanco, Caldwell, and Hays count ...

Nick Saban Nicholas Lou Saban Jr. (; born October 31, 1951) is an American football coach who has been the head football coach at the University of Alabama since 2007. Saban previously served as head coach of the National Football League's Miami Dolphins ...

* James Santelle * Ben Sasse * Scott Scarborough * Derek Schmidt * Tim Scott *

Jonathan Shapiro Jonathan Shapiro (born 27 October 1958) is a South African cartoonist, known as Zapiro, whose work appears in numerous South African publications and has been exhibited internationally on many occasions. He is the nephew of British magician ...

* James Shumway *

Brad Smith Brad or Bradley Smith may refer to: Sportspeople * Bradley Smith (cricketer) (born 1969), English former cricketer * Brad Smith (footballer, born 1948), Australian rules footballer and premiership coach of East Fremantle * Brad Smith (ice hockey) ...

* G. Murrell Smith Jr. * Larry Smith *

Abigail Spencer Abigail Leigh Spencer (born August 4, 1981) is an American actress. She began her career playing Rebecca Tyree on the ABC daytime television soap opera ''All My Children'' (1999–2001) before going on to star in the Lifetime crime drama series, ...

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...

Katie Stam Katie R. Stam Irk (born July 9, 1986; née. Stam) is an American beauty queen from Seymour, Indiana, who was crowned Miss America 2009. Early life and education Stam was born to Keith and Tracy Stam, both middle school teachers, on July 9, 1986, ...

William A. Steiger William Albert Steiger (May 15, 1938 – December 4, 1978) was a member of the US House of Representatives from 1967 to his death from a heart attack in Washington, DC, in 1978. He served as a Republican Party (United States), Republican from Wis ...

* Gene Stephenson *

Carole Keeton Strayhorn Carole Stewart Keeton (born September 13, 1939), formerly known as Carole Keeton McClellan, Carole Keeton Rylander and Carole Keeton Strayhorn, is an American politician and the former Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Elected to the comptro ...

Josh Svaty Joshua Svaty (; born November 7, 1979) is an American politician, farmer, and businessman from Kansas. He announced his bid for the 2018 Kansas gubernatorial election as a Democrat on May 16, 2017. In 2002, at the age of 22, Svaty was elected t ...

* John Thune * Daniel J. Travanti *

Donald L. Tucker Donald L. Tucker (July 23, 1935 – September 24, 2019) was an American politician who served as the Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives and In 1952, Tucker attended Florida American Legion Boys State, serving as that year's progra ...

David Valesky David J. Valesky (b. circa 1966) is an American politician who is a former member of the New York State Senate. A Democrat, Valesky represented the 53rd Senate District and the 49th Senate District in upstate New York. Career Valesky was fi ...

Gaddi Vasquez Gaddi Holguin Vasquez (born January 22, 1955) was the 8th United States Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture, in Rome, Italy. He was nominated by President George W. Bush and unanimously confirmed by the United States ...

* David Vitter * Gy Waldron * Scott Walker *

Summer Walker Summer Marjani Walker (born April 11, 1996) is an American R&B singer. In 2017, she signed to Love Renaissance and Interscope Records. The following year, she released the mixtape '' Last Day of Summer,'' which spawned the single " Girls Need ...

Brad Walsh Brad Walsh (born June 15, 1982) is an American singer and record producer known for his own pop and experimental music, as well as his dance remixes of pop artists including Britney Spears, Adam Lambert, and Lady Gaga. Career Walsh has rel ...

Jon Waters Jonathan N. "Jon" Waters (born June 7, 1976) is an American marching band director. He is currently director of athletic bands at Bowling Green State University. He serves as Head director of the Falcon Marching Band. Previously, he was Assistan ...

Ron Walters Ronald W. Walters (July 20, 1938 – September 10, 2010) was an American author, speaker and scholar of African-American politics. He was director of the African American Leadership Institute and Scholar Practitioner Program, Distinguished Leader ...

Carl E. Walz Carl Erwin Walz (Colonel, USAF, Ret.) (born 6 September 1955) is a retired NASA astronaut currently working for Orbital Sciences Corporation's Advanced Programs Group as vice president for Human Space Flight Operations. Walz was formerly assig ...

* Hines Ward * Jerry West *

T. K. Wetherell Thomas Kent Wetherell (December 22, 1945 – December 16, 2018) was an American politician and educator. He served as member of the Florida House of Representatives from 1980 to 1992, and was president of Florida State University from 2003 thro ...

* Lari White *

Wayne W. Williams Wayne Warren Williams (born January 19, 1963) is an American attorney and politician. A member of the Republican Party, he serves as an at-large member on the city council of Colorado Springs, Colorado. He was the Secretary of State of Colora ...

* Bob Wise *

Drew Wrigley Drew Howard Wrigley (born October 10, 1965) is an American attorney, lawyer, and politician from North Dakota. Wrigley currently serves as the attorney general of North Dakota after being appointed to the position by Governor Doug Burgum followin ...

Kevin Patrick Yeary Kevin Patrick Yeary is an American attorney and jurist who serves on the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. A Republican, he was elected in 2014. Background Yeary has a Bachelors of Arts in English communication from St. Mary's University. He also ...

* Ryan Zinke

References

External links

National Boys State DirectoryNational Girls State Directory
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boys Girls State American Legion American nationalism Educational organizations based in the United States Organizations established in 1935