James W. Neely (born 1951) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

politician and physician who served as a member of the

Missouri House of Representatives The Missouri House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the Missouri General Assembly. It has 163 members, representing districts with an average size of 37,000 residents. House members are elected for two-year terms during general elections ...

from 2013 to 2021. He is also the long-term care medical director of the Cameron Regional Medical Center.

Early life and education

After graduating from Grandview High School in 1969, Neely enrolled in the

Army ROTC The Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps (AROTC) is the United States Army component of the Reserve Officers' Training Corps. It is the largest Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) program which is a group of college and university-based offic ...

program at the

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou, MU, or Missouri) is a public land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus University of Missouri System. MU was founded in ...

where he graduated with a

Bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

in business administration. After served as an officer in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

, Neely graduated with a

Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO or D.O., or in Australia DO USA) is a medical degree conferred by the 38 osteopathic medical schools in the United States. DO and Doctor of Medicine (MD) degrees are equivalent: a DO graduate may become lice ...

degree from the University of Health Sciences College of Medicine in Kansas City.

Career

Neely previously served on the Cameron School Board from 1995 to 2005. A member of the Republican Party, he was elected to the

in 2012.

2020 Missouri gubernatorial election

He was a candidate for the Republican nomination for

governor of Missouri 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 ...

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...

. Among his primary reasons behind running for governor were a discontent with how state government is being run, and a desire to help resolve issues in education, healthcare, and criminal reform. Neely placed third in the Republican primary in a field of four candidates.

Electoral history

State representative

Governor

References

Living people Republican Party members of the Missouri House of Representatives Place of birth missing (living people) University of Missouri alumni 21st-century American legislators American osteopathic physicians Candidates in the 2020 United States elections 1951 births 21st-century Missouri politicians {{Missouri-politician-stub