Matt Blunt facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Matt Blunt
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Official portrait, 2005
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| 54th Governor of Missouri | |
| In office January 10, 2005 – January 12, 2009 |
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| Lieutenant | Peter Kinder |
| Preceded by | Bob Holden |
| Succeeded by | Jay Nixon |
| 37th Secretary of State of Missouri | |
| In office January 8, 2001 – January 10, 2005 |
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| Governor | Bob Holden |
| Preceded by | Bekki Cook |
| Succeeded by | Robin Carnahan |
| Member of the Missouri House of Representatives from the 139th district |
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| In office January 6, 1999 – January 8, 2001 |
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| Preceded by | Phillip Wannemacher |
| Succeeded by | Brad Roark |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Matthew Roy Blunt
November 20, 1970 Greene County, Missouri, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse |
Melanie Anderson
(m. 1997) |
| Relations | Leroy Blunt (grandfather) Roy Blunt (father) Andrew Blunt (brother) |
| Children | 2 |
| Residences | Springfield, Missouri, U.S. |
| Education | United States Naval Academy (BA) |
| Profession | Naval officer |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Navy |
| Rank |  Lieutenant commander |
| Battles/wars | Operation Support Democracy Operation Enduring Freedom |
| Awards | Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (4) |
Matthew Roy Blunt (born November 20, 1970) is an American politician. He used to be a naval officer. He served as the 54th governor of Missouri from 2005 to 2009.
Before becoming governor, he spent ten years in the United States Navy. He also served as Missouri's Secretary of State.
Blunt won the 2004 Missouri gubernatorial election as the Republican candidate. He ran against Democratic candidate Claire McCaskill. He was the first Republican governor in 84 years to work with a Republican-controlled state legislature. This made it easier for him to pass his proposed laws.
At 33 years old, he was the second-youngest person ever elected governor of Missouri. Only Kit Bond was younger. Blunt decided not to run for a second term as governor. He announced this decision on January 22, 2008.
After his time as governor, Blunt worked as a consultant. In 2011, he became the president of the American Automotive Policy Council. This group represents car companies in Washington, D.C.. His father, Roy Blunt, also held many political jobs. He was Missouri's Secretary of State, a congressman, and a U.S. Senator.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Matt Blunt was born in 1970 in Greene County, Missouri. His parents are politician Roy Blunt and Roseann Ray Blunt. His father was first elected to office in 1984. He became the Secretary of State for Missouri.
Matt Blunt went to Jefferson City High School in Jefferson City, Missouri. After high school, he was accepted into the United States Naval Academy. He earned a bachelor's degree in history there in 1993.
Blunt married Melanie Anderson in May 1997. They have two sons. William Branch Blunt was born in 2005. Brooks Anderson Blunt was born in 2010. Blunt is a member of several groups. These include the State Historical Society of Missouri and the American Legion. He is also part of the Missouri Farm Bureau.
Matt Blunt served as an officer in the United States Navy. He worked as an engineering officer on the USS Jack Williams. He was also a navigator and administrative officer on the destroyer USS Peterson.
He took part in Operation Uphold Democracy. This involved a United Nations blockade of Haiti. He also helped with duties to stop Cuban migrants in 1994. During his time in the Navy, Blunt received many awards. These included four Navy and Marine Corps Achievement medals. He later joined the Navy Reserve.
After the September 11, 2001 attacks, Blunt was called back to active duty. This happened after he had been elected Secretary of State for Missouri. He completed a six-month tour of duty in Great Britain. This was during Operation Enduring Freedom. He continued to work full-time for Missouri during this time. He was a Lieutenant Commander in the Navy Reserve.
Early Political Career
In 1998, Blunt was elected to the Missouri House of Representatives. He represented the 139th legislative district for two years. In 2000, he was elected Missouri Secretary of State. He was a first-term state representative at the time. Blunt defeated Steve Gaw, who was the Speaker of the Missouri House.
Blunt was the only Republican elected to a statewide office in Missouri in 2000. He won the general election on November 7, 2000. He defeated Democratic opponent Steve Gaw with 51.4% of the vote. Gaw received 45.1%. Blunt was 29 on election day. He became the youngest person ever to win a statewide office in Missouri. His father had won the same office at age 34.
As Secretary of State, Blunt supported a state election reform bill in 2002. This bill was supported by both Republicans and Democrats. In 2004, Blunt made a rule. All electronic voting machines bought by the state had to produce a paper record for voters.
Governor of Missouri
2004 Election for Governor
Blunt had little opposition in the Republican primary election. He won with 534,393 votes (68.28%). In the main election, he ran against Missouri State Auditor Claire McCaskill. She had defeated the current Governor Bob Holden in the Democratic primary.
The first debate between Blunt and McCaskill was on October 18. McCaskill talked about her experience. Blunt said McCaskill would not support the Marriage protection amendment. This amendment was for the State Constitution. In the debates, Blunt said he would bring change to Missouri. President George W. Bush helped Blunt during his campaign. McCaskill kept her distance from Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry. This was because Bush was leading in Missouri.
Blunt won against McCaskill by a small margin. Surveys showed his conservative views on social issues helped him. President Bush's strong showing in Missouri also helped. Blunt had strong support in rural areas of the state. This helped him overcome McCaskill's leads in St. Louis and Jackson County. Blunt defeated McCaskill with 1,382,419 votes (50.83%). McCaskill received 1,301,442 votes (47.85%). Blunt became Missouri's second-youngest Governor.
Time as Governor
Matt Blunt became governor on January 10, 2005. It was the first time since 1921 that a Republican governor worked with Republican majorities. Both houses of the state legislature were Republican. Blunt and his supporters in the Missouri General Assembly quickly passed laws. They said these laws would help businesses and create jobs.
With legislative support, Blunt said in 2009 that he had passed almost all his policy ideas. Laws passed included tort reform measures. These changed the state's legal system. Changes were also made to the state's workers compensation laws.
Blunt's first year as governor was challenging. He received criticism from different groups. In February 2006, a poll showed his approval rating was 33%. This was one of the lowest for any governor. His approval among Republicans was 62%. But among Democrats, it was only 12%. This showed a big difference in support.
In September 2009, a state report was released. It showed medical malpractice claims in Missouri were at a 30-year low in 2008. This was thought to be because of Blunt's changes to injury settlements in 2005. The report also showed that medical malpractice insurers made a profit for the fifth year in a row.
Financial Policies
Blunt believed he needed to cut spending. He said the state was facing a financial crisis. He reduced state spending to keep the budget balanced. He did this without raising taxes. Some of his decisions were controversial. This included reducing coverage for social programs. These programs helped families.
Two years later, Governor Blunt started the MO HealthNet Initiative. This program aimed to give residents more choices. It also rewarded healthy behaviors. Some citizens became eligible for Medicaid coverage again.
In July 2007, Blunt signed an executive order. This launched the Missouri Accountability Portal (MAP). This website gives Missourians free online information. It shows how the state spends taxpayer money.
Blunt signed laws that cut taxes. He also created the Quality Jobs program. This program has been expanded by the next governor, Jay Nixon.
In 2005, Blunt and the Republican legislature changed the workers' compensation system. This made it harder for employees to get benefits. Businesses supported these changes. Labor unions were against them. Also in 2005, Blunt signed "tort reform" laws. These laws limited money juries could award in medical malpractice cases. They also put a cap on punitive damages. They lowered the maximum for non-economic damages. And they removed Missouri's shared liability law.
Laws and Initiatives
Blunt increased state funding for K-12 education every year. He signed a law that provided $335 million for college construction. He also expanded college scholarships. And he put a new school funding method into place. Blunt suggested selling Missouri's student loan agency, MOHELA. He wanted to use the money to pay for college improvements. He also proposed that school districts spend at least 65% of their budgets on student learning. After some criticism, he suggested this 65% should be a goal, not a strict rule.
Blunt signed bills to expand Missouri's right to carry firearms. At a meeting in 2007, Blunt signed a law. This law stopped firearms from being taken during declared states of emergency.
Blunt signed an immigration bill. This bill stopped "sanctuary cities" in Missouri. It required checking legal employment status for public employees. It also allowed canceling state contracts for companies hiring illegal immigrants. Public agencies had to check the legal status of people applying for welfare. It made transporting illegal immigrants for bad purposes a crime. And it punished employers who knowingly hired illegal immigrants.
In 2006, Blunt signed a law. It required gasoline sold in Missouri to contain 10% ethanol. Blunt has supported developing biomass, biofuels, wind power, and solar energy. These are all alternative energy sources. Air quality is still a problem for the state. This is due to a lot of coal burning.
In his 2008 State of the State speech, Blunt suggested a one-week sales tax break. This would be for Energy Star-certified new appliances. Missouri became the fourth state to have such a tax break. Also in 2008, Blunt and Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe signed an important agreement. It was about protecting water quality across state lines.
Executive Actions
Blunt issued Executive Orders and programs. These encouraged universities to work together. They also offered tax relief and research funds. He supported "life science" start-up companies. He also created a program to reward insurance companies. This program encouraged them to invest in biotech stocks.
Blunt promoted Missouri as a good place for bioscience. In 2005, Governor Blunt created the Missouri Life Sciences Trust Fund. This fund used money from a tobacco settlement. It used the money for biotech efforts. In January 2006, Gov. Blunt created the Lewis and Clark Discovery Initiative (LCDI). This program aimed to spread biotechnology across the state. The LCDI gets its money from the Missouri higher-education learning assistance fund (MOHELA).
Approval Ratings
Blunt's approval ratings slowly went up during his time in office. A poll in early 2008 showed Blunt with a 57% approval rating. On January 22, 2008, Blunt surprised many. He announced he would not run for re-election. Polls had shown he was behind the likely Democratic candidate, Attorney General Jay Nixon.
Other Activities
As Governor, Blunt was a member of several groups. These included the National Governors Association. He was also part of the Southern Governors' Association. And he belonged to the Republican Governors Association.
He was the Commander-in-Chief of the Missouri National Guard. Governor Blunt visited Missouri National Guard troops. They were serving in Afghanistan, Iraq, Kosovo, Kuwait, and on the Mexican border.
Blunt had been called to active duty when he was Secretary of State. So, questions came up about what would happen if the governor was called to service. If Blunt had been called for military duty while governor, he would have had to do one of two things. He would either transfer his powers to Lieutenant Governor Peter Kinder. Or he would resign from the Naval Reserve.
Career After Governorship
Before becoming president of the American Automotive Policy Council in 2011, Blunt had other roles. He was on the board of Copart, a car salvage company. He was also an advisor for Solamere Capital. This is a private equity firm. He worked as a consultant for Cassidy & Associates. This is a lobbying firm in Washington, D.C. He was also a partner with The Ashcroft Group. This is a consulting firm started by former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft. Blunt has continued to support more openness in government spending. He also advocates for changes to lawsuits and improving public education.
Blunt has criticized cuts to education funding. He believes they will hurt Missouri's future. He wrote that states will either protect welfare programs or prepare for the future through education. He has also questioned cutting state scholarship funding for private colleges. He wrote that private schools and their students have become a target as education funding is cut.
President of the American Automotive Policy Council
In February 2011, Matt Blunt was chosen as president of the American Automotive Policy Council (AAPC). The AAPC is a group created by General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler. This group works in Washington, D.C. Its main goal is to promote the important economic contribution of U.S.-based car companies. Blunt was chosen to lead this group because of his leadership in Missouri. Missouri is a top state for making cars and car parts.
Images for kids
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Official portrait, 2005
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Governor Matt Blunt visits Louisiana
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Col. Steve Arthur presents Missouri Governor Matt Blunt with an American flag flown on a combat mission over Afghanistan and certificate following a bill-signing ceremony in Warrensburg, Missouri in 2008
