Gene McNary (born September 14, 1935) is an American
politician
A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...
.
He has served as the
Commissioner of the Immigration and Naturalization Service,
Executive Director of the Missouri Gaming Commission, and
County Executive of St. Louis County.
He has also been a
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
candidate for
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 ...
and
Senator in Missouri.
Early life, education, and career
Gene McNary was born September 14, 1935 in
Muncie, Indiana.
His father was and oil
jobber
Jobber may refer to:
Athletics
* Job (professional wrestling) - A professional wrestler who routinely loses a match.
* Wichita Jobbers, a minor league baseball team in the Western Association from 1905 to 1911
Commerce
* A person or corporation ...
and his mother worked with him.
McNary earned both his bachelor's and law degrees from
Indiana University
Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana.
Campuses
Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI.
*Indiana Universi ...
.
After law school McNary decided to move to
St. Louis
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
, where he joined the Lashly, Lashly & Miller law firm.
Early political career
In 1963, McNary began his career as a public servant by becoming assistant public defender.
In 1966, he decided to run for
Prosecuting Attorney of St. Louis County.
He won the election and then went on to win reelection.
He then ran for
County Executive of St. Louis County and won four terms in that position.
As county executive, he helped create a regional arts commission, merge the county and city hospitals into one regional facility, and create a regional convention and visitors bureau.
At the time he also served as the chairman of the East-West Gateway Coordinating Council.
In 1980 he was the Republican nominee for Senator.
He narrowly lost to incumbent Senator
Thomas Eagleton
Thomas Francis Eagleton (September 4, 1929 – March 4, 2007) was an American lawyer serving as a United States senator from Missouri, from 1968 to 1987. He was briefly the Democratic vice presidential nominee under George McGovern in 1972. H ...
with a 52.0% to a 47.2% margin.
In 1984, McNary lost the Republican primary for Governor to
Attorney General John Ashcroft
John David Ashcroft (born May 9, 1942) is an American lawyer, lobbyist and former politician who served as the 79th U.S. Attorney General in the George W. Bush administration from 2001 to 2005. A former U.S. Senator from Missouri and the 50th ...
.
In 1989, McNary was appointed
Commissioner of the Immigration and Naturalization Service by
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 ...
George H. W. Bush.
He stayed in that position for over 3 years.
Private practice and later political career
In 1994, McNary went back to St. Louis and joined the Danna law firm.
In 1998, he formed a law firm, McNary, Morris & Smalley, that specialized in immigration.
While in private practice, he decided to run to represent
Missouri's 2nd congressional district
Missouri's second congressional district is in the eastern portion of the state, primarily consisting of the suburbs south and west of St. Louis, including Arnold, Town and Country, Wildwood, Chesterfield, and Oakville.McDermott, Kevin. "Mis ...
in the
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
.
The seat was open because the incumbent,
Jim Talent
James Matthes Talent (born October 18, 1956) is an American politician who was a U.S. Senator from Missouri from 2002 to 2007. He is a Republican and resided in the St. Louis area while serving in elected office.
After serving for eight years ...
, decided to run for governor. He narrowly lost the Republican primary to
Todd Akin
William Todd Akin (July 5, 1947 – October 3, 2021) was an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2001 to 2013. He was a member of the Republican Party. Born in New York City, Akin grew up in the Greater St. Louis ...
by about 50 votes.
In 2004, McNary ran to become St. Louis County Executive, a position vacated by
Buzz Westfall
George "Buzz" Westfall (March 19, 1944 – October 27, 2003) was an American lawyer and politician. He served in the elected offices of Prosecuting Attorney (1978–1990) and County Executive (1991–2003) of St. Louis County, Misso ...
's death.
He lost to
Charlie Dooley
Charlie A. Dooley is an American politician. A Democrat, he served as the County Executive of St. Louis County, Missouri until January 1, 2015. Dooley was the first African American to hold this position.
Early life and career
Dooley grew u ...
with a margin of 45.8% to 52.9%.
In 2006, Governor
Matt Blunt
Matthew Roy Blunt (born November 20, 1970) is an American former naval officer and politician who served as the 54th Governor of Missouri from 2005 to 2009. Before his election as governor, Blunt served ten years in the United States Navy, was e ...
appointed McNary the
Executive Director of the Missouri Gaming Commission.
McNary was in that position while St. Louis got two new casinos and while the $500 loss limit was ended.
McNary left his job at the Missouri Gaming Commission when two new Democratic appointees made it possible for him to be removed from his post.
He then ran for assessor of St. Louis County in 2012.
The Republican Central Committee of St. Louis County chose L.K. "Chip" Wood as the Republican nominee for the position, in a 23-21 vote. McNary has five children and nine grandchildren.
One of his children is former
Missouri State Rep. Cole McNary
Cole may refer to:
Plants
* Cole crops of the genus ''Brassica'', especially cabbage, kale, or rape (rapeseed).
People
* Cole (given name), people with the given name Cole
* Cole (surname), people with the surname Cole
Companies
*Cole Motor ...
.
Electoral history
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:McNary, Gene
Living people
Missouri Republicans
1935 births
County executives of St. Louis County, Missouri
Indiana University alumni
Methodists from Missouri
People from Muncie, Indiana