Jane Dee Hull (; August 8, 1935 – April 16, 2020) was an American politician and educator. In 1997, she ascended to the office of

governor of Arizona 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 ...

following the resignation of

Fife Symington John Fife Symington III (; born August 12, 1945) is an American businessman and politician who served as the 19th governor of Arizona from 1991 until his resignation in 1997. A member of the Republican Party, he resigned from office following con ...

, becoming the state's 20th governor. Hull was elected in her own right the following year, and served until 2003. Hull was the first woman formally elected as Governor of Arizona, and the second woman to serve in the office after

Rose Mofford Rose Mofford (née Perica; June 10, 1922September 15, 2016) was an American civil servant and politician of the Democratic Party whose career in state government spanned 51 years. Beginning her career with the State of Arizona as a secretary, Moff ...

. She was a member of the Republican Party. A native of Kansas City,

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

, Hull was a graduate of the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. T ...

with a degree in education. Hull worked as an elementary school teacher while her husband studied to become an

obstetrician Obstetrics is the field of study concentrated on pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period. As a medical specialty, obstetrics is combined with gynecology under the discipline known as obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN), which is a surgic ...

. She moved to Arizona with her husband, Terry, in 1962 where he began working on the

Navajo Nation The Navajo Nation ( nv, Naabeehó Bináhásdzo), also known as Navajoland, is a Native American reservation in the United States. It occupies portions of northeastern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico, and southeastern Utah; at roughly , the ...

, while Jane raised the couple's four children and taught English. In 1964, the family moved to

Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

, where she continued to raise her family. A decade later, she started her political career, and became involved with Republican women groups, in addition to volunteering on political campaigns. In 1978, Hull was elected to her first political office, as a member of the Arizona House of Representatives. During her tenure in office, she would become House Majority Whip and Speaker of the House. In 1994, she was elected to the office of

Secretary of State of Arizona The secretary of state of Arizona is an elected position in the U.S. state of Arizona. Since Arizona does not have a lieutenant governor, the secretary stands first in the line of succession to the governorship. The secretary also serves as acti ...

, becoming the first Republican to hold the office in more than six decades. After ascending to the office of Governor of Arizona following Fife Symington's resignation, Hull was elected Governor in 1998 over former

Mayor of Phoenix The following is a list of the mayors of Phoenix, Arizona. Living former mayors of Phoenix There are six living former mayors of Phoenix, the oldest being John B. Nelson (served 1994, born 1936). The most recent death of a former mayor of ...

Paul Johnson, in a landslide election. Hull was constitutionally barred from running for a second full term in 2002, and retired from public service.

Early life and career

Hull was born Jane Dee Bowersock in Kansas City,

, the daughter of Mildred (Swenson) and Justin Bowersock, an editor of

The Kansas City Star ''The Kansas City Star'' is a newspaper based in Kansas City, Missouri. Published since 1880, the paper is the recipient of eight Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Star'' is most notable for its influence on the career of President Harry S. Truman and a ...

newspaper. Hull graduated from the

with a degree in education. She taught elementary school in

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

while her husband was a

public health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the det ...

physician there. She moved to

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

in 1962, first to the

, and later to

. After hearing a Barry Goldwater speech, she campaigned for him in the

United States presidential election The election of the president and the vice president of the United States is an indirect election in which citizens of the United States who are registered to vote in one of the fifty U.S. states or in Washington, D.C., cast ballots not dir ...

in 1964.

Legislative career

Hull entered politics in 1978, being elected to the Arizona House of Representatives 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 ...

. She served for seven terms, including two as

speaker of the House The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hungerf ...

, the first female speaker in Arizona history. In 1991, while she was speaker, the Arizona legislature experienced a major political scandal called AZSCAM, which resulted in the resignation or removal of ten members of the House and Senate. As a result, Speaker Hull instituted a number of ethics reforms to reestablish public confidence in the legislature. Politically, '' On The Issues'', a non-profit and non-partisan organization which records politicians' stances on issues, considers Hull to have been a

centrist Centrism is a political outlook or position involving acceptance or support of a balance of social equality and a degree of social hierarchy while opposing political changes that would result in a significant shift of society strongly to Left-w ...

or moderate Republican. Her record is considered to be

fiscally conservative Fiscal conservatism is a political and economic philosophy regarding fiscal policy and fiscal responsibility with an ideological basis in capitalism, individualism, limited government, and ''laissez-faire'' economics.M. O. Dickerson et al., '' ...

and socially

moderate Moderate is an ideological category which designates a rejection of radical or extreme views, especially in regard to politics and religion. A moderate is considered someone occupying any mainstream position avoiding extreme views. In American ...

Governor of Arizona

First term (1997–1999)

Hull was elected Arizona Secretary of State in 1994. After Governor

was forced to resign due to a felony conviction, Hull became governor on September 5, 1997. She was sworn in by

U.S. Supreme Court Justice The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point of ...

Sandra Day O'Connor Sandra Day O'Connor (born March 26, 1930) is an American retired attorney and politician who served as the first female associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1981 to 2006. She was both the first woman nominated and th ...

, herself a former Arizona legislator. Arizona has no lieutenant governor, so the secretary of state, if holding office by election, stands first in the line of succession.

1998 gubernatorial campaign

Hull was elected governor in her own right in 1998. This election was particularly significant because it was the first time in the history of the United States that all five of the top elected executive offices in one state were held by women: Hull; Betsey Bayless, secretary of state;

Janet Napolitano Janet Ann Napolitano (; born November 29, 1957) is an American politician, lawyer, and university administrator who served as the 21st governor of Arizona from 2003 to 2009 and third United States secretary of homeland security from 2009 to 20 ...

, attorney general; Carol Springer, treasurer; and

Lisa Graham Keegan Lisa Graham Keegan (born July 20, 1959) is an American education reform advocate and the author of the parenting book '' Simple Choices''. She is the principal partner of the Keegan Company, an education policy consulting firm and the executativ ...

, Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Second term (1999–2003)

While she was governor, Hull's relations with home state

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

John McCain were strained. During the 2000 Presidential primary season she endorsed his opponent, Texas Governor

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

, in the Arizona primary. Hull is known for having signed into law the bill that resulted in the "alt-fuels" scandal of 2000. The resulting law promised car buyers up to 60 percent off new vehicles if they were converted to run on alternative fuels like propane or

natural gas Natural gas (also called fossil gas or simply gas) is a naturally occurring mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons consisting primarily of methane in addition to various smaller amounts of other higher alkanes. Low levels of trace gases like carbo ...

, yet it did not properly cap the number of buyers eligible for the program nor did it require buyers to use the new fuels. Instead of the $10 million the program was supposed to cost, it ended up costing Arizona $200 million before lawmakers changed the rules.

Post-governorship

Hull was constitutionally barred from running for a second full term in 2002 (the Arizona constitution limits the Governor to two consecutive terms, or parts of terms, even when he or she ascends to the office in the middle of a term), and she was succeeded by Janet Napolitano, who defeated

Matt Salmon Matthew James Salmon (born January 21, 1958) is an American politician who served as a U.S. representative from Arizona from 1995 to 2001 and again from 2013 until 2017. A member of the Republican Party, he retired from office after representin ...

. After leaving office, she spent three months in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, as a public delegate from the United States to the

United Nations General Assembly The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; french: link=no, Assemblée générale, AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as the main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ of the UN. Curr ...

(2004). After the death of

on September 15, 2016, Hull became the oldest living Governor of Arizona, in addition to being the oldest living

. An elementary school is named for Hull in Chandler.

Personal life

Hull married Terry Hull, an

in 1954. They had four children. Hull died on April 16, 2020 at age 84; her husband had died earlier on the same day.

Electoral history

Legacy

Hull, at the end of her term in 2002, said “I just hope people remember me as a straight shooter.””Former Arizona Gov. Jane Dee Hull and her husband die within hours of each other,” Arizona Republic (April 19, 2020).

References

External links

Biography of Jane Dee Hull
from the United States Mission to the United Nations

(Jeff Scott's biography)

(Synopsis by Arizona Republic) * , - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Hull, Jane Dee 1935 births 2020 deaths 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American women politicians 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians Republican Party members of the Arizona House of Representatives Arizona State University alumni Republican Party governors of Arizona People from Chinle, Arizona Politicians from Kansas City, Missouri Politicians from Phoenix, Arizona Secretaries of State of Arizona Speakers of the Arizona House of Representatives University of Kansas alumni Women legislative speakers Women state governors of the United States Women state legislators in Arizona Women state constitutional officers of Arizona