Phil Bryant facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Phil Bryant
64th Governor of Mississippi
In office January 10, 2012 – January 14, 2020
Lieutenant	Tate Reeves
Preceded by	Haley Barbour
Succeeded by	Tate Reeves
31st Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi
In office January 10, 2008 – January 10, 2012
Governor	Haley Barbour
Preceded by	Amy Tuck
Succeeded by	Tate Reeves
40th Auditor of Mississippi
In office November 1996 – January 10, 2008
Governor	Kirk Fordice Ronnie Musgrove Haley Barbour
Preceded by	Steve Patterson
Succeeded by	Stacey Pickering
Member of the Mississippi House of Representatives from Hinds County
In office 1991–1996
Personal details
Born	Dewey Phillip Bryant (1954-12-09) December 9, 1954 (age 70) Moorhead, Mississippi, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Deborah Hays ​ (m. 1976)​
Children	2
Education	Hinds Community College University of Southern Mississippi (BA) Mississippi College (MA)

Dewey Phillip Bryant (born December 9, 1954) is an American politician. He served as the 64th governor of Mississippi from 2012 to 2020. He is a member of the Republican Party.

Before becoming governor, he was the 31st lieutenant governor of Mississippi from 2008 to 2012. He also served as the 40th state auditor of Mississippi from 1996 to 2008. Bryant was first elected governor in 2011. He won against Johnny DuPree, a Democratic candidate. He was re-elected in 2015, defeating Robert Gray.

Early Life and School

Phil Bryant was born in Moorhead, in Sunflower County. His father, Dewey C., was a diesel mechanic. His mother, Estelle R., stayed home to care for their three boys. When Phil was young, his family moved to Jackson, the state capital.

Bryant went to Council McCluer High School for his junior and senior years.

He later studied at Hinds Community College. He earned a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from the University of Southern Mississippi. He also received a master's degree in political science from Mississippi College in Clinton. Mississippi College also gave him an honorary law degree. He taught Mississippi political history there before and during his first term as governor.

Political Career Highlights

Bryant speaking with a constituent, 2008

Before working in government, Phil Bryant was a deputy sheriff in Hinds County. He worked there from 1976 to 1981. He also worked as an insurance claims investigator.

After being elected to the Mississippi House of Representatives, Bryant became Vice Chairman of the House Insurance Committee.

Governor Kirk Fordice chose Bryant to be the State Auditor in 1996. Bryant was then elected to a full term as auditor in 1999 and again in 2003. As auditor, he helped give law enforcement officers in his office the power to make arrests.

In 2007, he was elected Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi. He won against the Democratic candidate, Jamie Franks.

In 2011, Bryant was elected Governor of Mississippi. He defeated the Democratic candidate, Johnny DuPree.

After leaving public office in 2019, Bryant helped start BSS Global, a consulting company.

Governor of Mississippi

Becoming Governor in 2011

Bryant won the Republican primary election for governor in 2011. On November 8, he won the general election. He defeated the Democratic candidate, Johnny DuPree, with about 61% of the votes.

First Term as Governor

On January 10, 2012, Phil Bryant officially became the 64th Governor of Mississippi.

Re-election in 2015

Bryant speaking at a rally in December 2016

Governor Bryant ran for re-election in 2015. He won the Republican primary with over 91% of the votes. On November 5, he won the general election against Democratic candidate Robert Gray. He received about 66% of the votes.

Mississippi has a rule that a governor can only serve two terms in their lifetime. Because of this, Bryant could not run for a third term in 2019.

Second Term as Governor

In 2015, some people wanted to change the flag of Mississippi. They wanted to remove a symbol that reminded some people of the Confederacy. Governor Bryant believed that voters should decide on the state flag.

On April 5, 2016, Bryant signed House Bill 1523. This law allowed government workers and private businesses to refuse certain services based on their religious beliefs. Governor Bryant stated that the law supported religious freedom, as protected by the U.S. Constitution.

On February 21, 2017, Bryant announced that he would make emergency budget cuts. This was the third time he had to cut budgets for state agencies. These cuts were needed because the state did not have as much money as expected.

In January 2019, Bryant supported a bill about "civil forfeiture." This is a process where law enforcement can take property from people suspected of crimes. This can happen even if they are not found guilty in court. The bill would have allowed property worth up to $20,000 to be taken without a judge's approval.

During his second term, reports looked into how public officials used campaign money. These reports showed that Governor Bryant did not use his campaign funds for personal spending. He closed his campaign fund with most of the money going to a political action committee called Imagine Mississippi PAC.

Electoral History

See also

In Spanish: Phil Bryant para niños