Kenneth Joel Rothman (October 11, 1935 – April 26, 2019) was an American
lawyer
A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...
and
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, a ...
from
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 ...
. He served as the 41st
Lieutenant Governor of Missouri from 1981 to 1985.
Biography
Rothman was born and raised in
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 ...
and attended public schools. He graduated from
Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis (WashU or WUSTL) is a private research university with its main campus in St. Louis County, and Clayton, Missouri. Founded in 1853, the university is named after George Washington. Washington University is r ...
with a
Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...
in
history
History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...
and
political science
Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...
and also received his law degree from Washington University.
Rothman served in the
Missouri Air National Guard
The Missouri Air National Guard (MO ANG) is the aerial militia of the State of Missouri, United States of America. It is, along with the Missouri Army National Guard, an element of the Missouri National Guard.
As state militia units, the units in ...
from 1953 to 1962 and was called to
active duty
Active duty, in contrast to reserve duty, is a full-time occupation as part of a military force. In the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth of Nations, the equivalent term is active service.
India
The Indian Armed Forces are considered to be one ...
during the
Berlin Crisis of 1961
The Berlin Crisis of 1961 (german: Berlin-Krise) occurred between 4 June – 9 November 1961, and was the last major European politico-military incident of the Cold War about the occupational status of the German capital city, Berlin, and of po ...
. He worked as a prosecutor for
St. Louis County before entering private law practice. Rothman's political career began with his election to 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 ...
in 1962 representing the
Clayton area. He was re-elected eight times. In 1973 he was chosen as
Majority Leader
In U.S. politics (as well as in some other countries utilizing the presidential system), the majority floor leader is a partisan position in a legislative body. and in 1976 he became
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 ...
.
In 1980 Rothman was elected Lieutenant Governor, defeating
Roy Blunt
Roy Dean Blunt (born January 10, 1950) is an American politician serving as the senior United States senator for Missouri, a seat he was first elected to in 2010. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the 33rd Missouri Sec ...
. In 1984, he was the
Democratic nominee for
Governor of Missouri
A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political_regions, political region, ranking under the Head of State, head of state and in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of ...
but was defeated by Republican
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 ...
.
From 2001, he served
of counsel to the law firm of Capes, Sokol, Goodman and Sarachan PC.
Rothman's ex-wife, Geri Rothman-Serot, was the Democratic nominee for the United States Senate against
Kit Bond
Christopher Samuel "Kit" Bond (born March 6, 1939) is an American attorney, politician and former United States Senator from Missouri and a member of the Republican Party. First elected to the U.S. Senate in 1986, he defeated Democrat Harriett W ...
in 1992. His son Daniel Rothman is an attorney in Des Moines Iowa. Ken Rothman was the first
Jew
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""Th ...
elected to statewide office in the history of Missouri.
Rothman died on April 26, 2019 in St. Louis, at the age of 83. His ex-wife politician Geri Rothman-Serot, a three-time survivor of breast cancer, died a few months later in Florida on July 2, 2019, of a rare form of bone cancer.
References
*
![Ken Rothman](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/46/Ken_Rothman.jpg)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rothman, Ken
1935 births
2019 deaths
Jewish American people in Missouri politics
Politicians from St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis alumni
Lieutenant Governors of Missouri
Lawyers from St. Louis
Missouri National Guard personnel
Speakers of the Missouri House of Representatives
Democratic Party members of the Missouri House of Representatives
Washington University School of Law alumni
Candidates in the 1984 United States elections