Governor Jeremiah W. (Jay) Nixon

Jeremiah W. (Jay) Nixon became governor of Missouri on January 11, 2009, and was sworn in for his second term in 2012.

After practicing law for several years, Nixon was elected to the Missouri State Senate in 1986. He was first elected the state’s attorney general in 1992 and served four terms. In 2000, as a result of a settlement with one of Missouri’s largest insurance companies, he helped found the Missouri Foundation for Health, which provides health care services to needy Missourians throughout the state.

As governor, Nixon worked to make government more efficient, effective and responsive to the needs of Missouri families. He worked across the aisle to balance the budget every year without raising taxes and revitalize Missouri’s auto industry – securing historic investments from Ford, General Motors and automotive suppliers around the state. The governor’s commitment to fiscal discipline helped protect Missouri’s AAA credit rating, while enabling smart investments to improve education, expand access to mental health services and help communities struck by natural disasters rebuild and recover.

Nixon received his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Missouri. He and his wife Georganne have two sons.