John Murphy McMillan Jr. (born July 6, 1941) is an American politician who served as the 40th Treasurer of Alabama. He was elected as 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 ...

in November 2010 to the office of

Alabama Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries The Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries (ADAI) is an independent agency of the government of Alabama first created by an Act of the State Legislature on February 23, 1883. The Department is responsible for serving farmers and consum ...

. He was elected to a second four-year term in 2014. In 2018, McMillan won the Republican primary election for State Treasurer, and had no Democratic opposition on the general election ballot.

Political career

McMillan served as a Baldwin County Commissioner and as an Alabama state representative (elected in 1974 and 1978) representing Baldwin and

Mobile Mobile may refer to: Places * Mobile, Alabama, a U.S. port city * Mobile County, Alabama * Mobile, Arizona, a small town near Phoenix, U.S. * Mobile, Newfoundland and Labrador Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Mobile ( ...

counties as a Democrat. While in the Alabama state legislature McMillan chaired the Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Committee and was selected twice as the Alabama Wildlife Federation's "Conservation Legislator of the Year." Recently McMillan founded the Alabama Sportsmen's Caucus to serve as an advocate group for the outdoors business industry and for the rights of hunters, gun owners, and fishermen. McMillan served as the Alabama State Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources in the first administration of Gov.

Fob James Forrest Hood "Fob" James Jr. (born September 15, 1934) is an American civil engineer, entrepreneur, football player, and politician. He served as the 48th governor of Alabama, first as a Democrat, 1979–1983, and secondly as a Republican, 199 ...

(1980–1983). As Commissioner, McMillan won widespread praise for his part in the creation of the Alabama Trust Fund (originally called the Alabama Heritage Trust Fund), a plan to save the receipts from leases of offshore oil operations. This fund has grown from the original investment of just over $400 million to a sum approaching $4 billion. Additionally, McMillan spearheaded the rebuilding of Gulf State Park after the widespread destruction of

Hurricane Frederic Hurricane Frederic was an intense and damaging tropical cyclone that carved a path of destruction from the Lesser Antilles to Quebec, in particular devastating areas of the United States Gulf Coast. Though only five were killed directly, the US$ ...

. McMillan is the former chief executive (1985–2006) of the Alabama Forestry Association where he was a leader in the successful fight to defeat the Amendment One Tax Increase of 2003.John McMIllan, "Tax Plan Will Force Timberland Owners to Sell", ''Montgomery Advertiser'', August 10, 2003. As the head of this powerful statewide association, McMillan became known as an advocate for the rights of property owners and a consistent opponent of property tax increases. McMillan was named to the Alabama State Personnel Board by Governor

during the 1990s and reappointed to a second term by Governor

Bob Riley Robert Renfroe Riley (born October 3, 1944) is an American politician and businessman who served as the 52nd governor of Alabama from 2003 to 2011. A member of the Republican Party, he previously represented Alabama's 3rd district in the U. ...

. On the State Personnel Board McMillan has played a leading role in investigating alleged "kickbacks" to state employee union bosses. On November 2, 2010, McMillan defeated Democrat Glen Zorn for the post of Alabama Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries. McMillan received 862,901 votes to Zorn's 583,255. In June 2018, McMillan won Alabama's Republican primary election for the office of

State Treasurer In the state governments of the United States, 48 of the 50 states have the executive position of treasurer. New York abolished the position in 1926; duties were transferred to New York State Comptroller. Texas abolished the position of Texas ...

, besting two challengers. No Democrats qualified for the primary ballot, practically guaranteeing McMillan's victory in November's general election.

Education and personal life

John McMillan is a native of rural

Stockton, Alabama Stockton is an unincorporated community in Baldwin County, Alabama, United States. It is the nearest community to Bottle Creek Indian Mounds, a National Historic Landmark. The community is part of the Daphne-Fairhope-Foley metropolitan area. A ...

, where he worked as a boy (and as a young man after returning from college ) on his uncle's farm and in his father's sawmill. McMillan is a graduate of

Rhodes College Rhodes College is a private liberal arts college in Memphis, Tennessee. Historically affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA), it is a member of the Associated Colleges of the South and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges a ...

in Memphis. McMillan and his wife Kathryn have two grown sons, Murphy and William, and two grandchildren. McMillan is an avid outdoorsman who won the Governor's One-Shot Turkey Hunt in 2006. He is known as a dedicated

hunter Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...

deer Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the reindeer ...

wild turkey The wild turkey (''Meleagris gallopavo'') is an Upland game bird, upland ground bird native to North America, one of two extant species of Turkey (bird), turkey and the heaviest member of the order Galliformes. It is the ancestor to the domestic ...

, and other Alabama game, and also enjoys fishing with his family. His twin brother Steve McMillan died in April 2022.

Electoral history

References

External links

* , - {{DEFAULTSORT:McMillan, John 1941 births Alabama Commissioners of Agriculture and Industries American hunters County commissioners in Alabama Living people Democratic Party members of the Alabama House of Representatives People from Bay Minette, Alabama Rhodes College alumni State treasurers of Alabama American twins