Bruce A. McPherson (born January 7, 1944) is an American politician who served as the 30th

California secretary of state The secretary of state of California is the chief clerk of the U.S. state of California, overseeing a department of 500 people. The secretary of state is elected for four year terms, like the state's other constitutional officers; the officeh ...

from March 30, 2005, to January 7, 2007. He is currently a member of the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors.

Early life and education

McPherson was born and raised in

Santa Cruz, California Santa Cruz ( Spanish for "Holy Cross") is the county seat and largest city of Santa Cruz County, in Northern California. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 62,956. Situated on the northern edge of Monterey Bay, Santa Cruz is a po ...

. He attended

Santa Cruz High School Santa Cruz High School is a comprehensive public school in Santa Cruz, California which originally opened in 1897 and now serves an enrollment of about 1,040 students in grades nine through twelve. It is part of the Santa Cruz City School Distr ...

, where he played football as a

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball, and block. Th ...

and baseball as a second baseman. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in journalism from

California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (California Polytechnic State University, Cal Poly"Cal Poly" may also refer to California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt in Arcata, California or California State Polytechnic Univ ...

in 1965.

Career

Prior to his political career, he worked as the editor of the ''

Santa Cruz Sentinel The ''Santa Cruz Sentinel'' is a daily newspaper published in Santa Cruz, California, covering Santa Cruz County, California, and owned by Media News Group. Ottaway Community Newspapers, a division of Dow Jones & Company bought the paper in 19 ...

'', a newspaper owned by his family. McPherson served as a member of the

California State Assembly The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature, the upper house being the California State Senate. The Assembly convenes, along with the State Senate, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The ...

from 1993 to 1996 and

California State Senate The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature, the lower house being the California State Assembly. The State Senate convenes, along with the State Assembly, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento. D ...

from 1996 to 2004. McPherson was defeated in the 2002 election for

Lieutenant Governor of California The lieutenant governor of California is the second highest executive officer of the government of the U.S. state of California. The lieutenant governor is elected to serve a four-year term and can serve a maximum of two terms. In addition to ...

by incumbent

Cruz Bustamante Cruz Miguel Bustamante (born January 4, 1953) is an American politician. He previously served as the 45th lieutenant governor of California from 1999 to 2007, serving under governors Gray Davis and Arnold Schwarzenegger. A member of the Democra ...

. He was nominated to replace former Secretary of State

Kevin Shelley Kevin Francis Shelley (born November 16, 1955) is an American politician, who was the 28th California Secretary of State from January 6, 2003, until his resignation on March 4, 2005. Early life Shelley was raised in San Francisco, the only son ...

, who resigned on March 4. McPherson, 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 ...

from Santa Cruz County, served his term as secretary until January 8, 2007. He was confirmed

unanimous Unanimity is agreement by all people in a given situation. Groups may consider unanimous decisions as a sign of social, political or procedural agreement, solidarity, and unity. Unanimity may be assumed explicitly after a unanimous vote or impli ...

ly by both Democratic-controlled houses of the

California State Legislature The California State Legislature is a bicameral state legislature consisting of a lower house, the California State Assembly, with 80 members; and an upper house, the California State Senate, with 40 members. Both houses of the Legislatu ...

after being nominated to replace Shelley, a Democrat, by Governor

Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July 30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, film producer, businessman, retired professional bodybuilder and politician who served as the 38th governor of California between 2003 and 2011. ''Time'' ...

. He lost his bid for a full term to Democrat

Debra Bowen Debra Lynn Bowen (born October 27, 1955) is an American attorney and politician who served as the Secretary of State of California from 2007 to 2015. Previously, she was a member of the California State Legislature from 1992 to 2006. In March 20 ...

in November 2006. McPherson left the Republican Party in June 2012 to register as "no party preference". In November 2012, McPherson was elected to the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors.Santa Cruz County Registrar of Voters
Santa Cruz County - Presidential General Election
, ''Santa Cruz County Registrar of Voters (December 4, 2012).

Personal life

He and his wife have one daughter. Their son, Hunter, was murdered in a 2001 San Francisco street robbery.Jaxon Van Derbeken
Murder verdict in case of state nominee's slain son
''

San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and Michael H. de Young. The pa ...

'' (March 3, 2005).

Electoral history

*1996 California State Senate, 15th District **Bruce McPherson (R) – 47.2% **

Rusty Areias Rusty may refer to something covered with rust or with a rust (color). Rusty is also a nickname for people who have red hair, have a rust-hued skin tone, or have the given name Russell. Rusty may also refer to: People * Rusty Anderson (born 1959 ...

(D) – 45.8% *2002 Republican Primary for California Lt. Governor **Bruce McPherson (R) – 86.2% **Ellie Michaels (R) – 13.8% *2002 California Lt. governor **

(D), (inc) – 49.4% **Bruce McPherson (R) – 41.8% *2006 California Secretary of State **

(D) – 48.4% **Bruce McPherson (R), (inc.) – 44.8% *2012 Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors, District 5 **Bruce McPherson (N/P) – 50.10%% **Eric Hammer (N/P) – 49.51%

References

External links

*
Biography from the California League of Women Voters
*
Man Found Guilty in Death of McPherson’s Son, Sac Union"Bruce McPherson… where are you?" - a revisited Q&A from Bruce to the residents of Boulder CreekJoin California Bruce McPherson
{{DEFAULTSORT:McPherson, Bruce 1944 births Republican Party California state senators Living people Republican Party members of the California State Assembly People from Santa Cruz, California County supervisors in California Secretaries of State of California 21st-century American politicians 20th-century American politicians California Polytechnic State University alumni Santa Cruz High School alumni