Dave Heineman
Dave Heineman | |
---|---|
39th Governor of Nebraska | |
Incumbent | |
Assumed office January 20, 2005 |
|
Lieutenant | Rick Sheehy Lavon Heidemann John Nelson |
Preceded by | Mike Johanns |
Succeeded by | Pete Ricketts (elect) |
37th Lieutenant Governor of Nebraska | |
In office October 1, 2001 – January 20, 2005 |
|
Governor | Mike Johanns |
Preceded by | David Maurstad |
Succeeded by | Rick Sheehy |
Treasurer of Nebraska | |
In office January 2, 1995 – October 1, 2001 |
|
Governor | Ben Nelson Mike Johanns |
Preceded by | Dawn Rockey |
Succeeded by | Lorelee Hunt Byrd |
Personal details | |
Born | David Eugene Heineman May 12, 1948 Falls City, Nebraska, U.S. |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse(s) | Sally Ganem |
Residence | Governor's Mansion |
Alma mater | United States Military Academy |
Religion | Methodism |
Military service | |
Allegiance | United States |
Service/branch | United States Army |
Rank | Captain |
David Eugene "Dave" Heineman (born May 12, 1948) is an American politician who has been the 39th Governor of Nebraska since 2005. He is a member of the Republican Party. He was elected to full four-year terms in 2006 and 2010. At the end of his second full term, Heineman will become the longest-serving governor in Nebraska history with 10 years of service.
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Early life, education and career[edit]
Heineman was born in Falls City, Nebraska, the son of Irene (née Larkin) and Jean T. Heineman, a stock manager for J. C. Penney.[1] He lived in a variety of places in eastern Nebraska during his youth, eventually attending high school in Wahoo, Nebraska. He graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1970. He served five years in the U.S. Army, leaving with the rank of captain. He also graduated from the Army Ranger training program.[2]
Heineman served on the Fremont City Council from 1990 to 1994. He also served two terms as the Nebraska State Treasurer from 1995 to 2001. He was appointed the 37th Lieutenant Governor of Nebraska by Governor Mike Johanns on October 1, 2001 after David Maurstad resigned to take a post in the George W. Bush administration. He was elected to his first full term as lieutenant governor in 2002 as Johanns' running mate.
Heineman is married to Sally Ganem, a former elementary school principal. They have one son.[3]
Nebraska Governor[edit]
Heineman became Governor on January 20, 2005, following Mike Johanns' resignation to become United States Secretary of Agriculture in President George W. Bush's Cabinet. On April 11, 2005, he announced that he would be seeking election to a full four-year term. He had the backing of Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel, although he faced a difficult challenge in the Republican primary from former Nebraska Cornhuskers football coach and U.S. Representative Tom Osborne. He took 49 percent of the more than 197,000 votes cast, and Osborne 45 percent.[4]
In retrospect, the Lincoln Journal Star's analysis of the 2006 gubernatorial race attributed Heineman's win to his opposition to Class I rural school reorganization and the granting of resident college tuition rates to the children of illegal immigrants, helping him win over rural voters. This proved critical in the primary. While Osborne carried most of the Omaha and Lincoln areas, which cast more than two-thirds of Nebraska's vote, Heineman won by sufficient margins in western and central Nebraska to secure the nomination.[5]
Heineman defeated Democratic nominee David Hahn in the November 7, 2006, general election, capturing 73.4 percent of the vote—one of the most lopsided victories for a gubernatorial race in Nebraska history. He was reelected with 73.9 percent of the vote in 2010 over Democratic nominee Mike Meister, carrying every county in the state.
According to his website, Heineman worked with the Nebraska Legislature to pass the "largest tax relief package in Nebraska history". The website describes him as a "leader for Nebraska’s agricultural industry", stating that he secured trade deals for the export of wheat, soybeans, and other commodities.[6]
In 2010, Heineman signed two bills restricting abortion. One of these banned abortions at and after 20 weeks of pregnancy, based on the claim that fetuses of that age can feel pain; the other required that women seeking abortions be screened for mental-health problems.[7]
In March 2014, together with Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning, Heineman brought Nebraska into a lawsuit filed by Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster against California's egg production standards; in a press release, Heineman stated "This is about protecting Nebraska’s farmers and ranchers from the potential for regulatory burdens that hamper interstate trade."[8] In October 2014, federal judge Kimberly Mueller dismissed the lawsuit, rejecting the states' challenge to Proposition 2, California's prohibition on the sale of eggs laid by caged hens kept in conditions more restrictive than those approved by California voters in a 2008 ballot initiative. [9][10][11][12] Heineman had previously squared off against the Humane Society of the U.S., a champion of Proposition 2.[13]
In April 2014, Heineman signed a bill striking the word "firearms" from the list of those items a governor may suspend during a state of emergency.[14]
In June 2011, Heineman became the first sitting governor to endorse Mitt Romney's presidential campaign.[15]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ http://fremonttribune.com/news/local/article_38efffb6-7ccb-5137-9963-31b0db64425e.html
- ^ "About The Governor". Retrieved 2008-07-30.
- ^ "First Lady - Sally Ganem". Retrieved 2008-07-30.
- ^ http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/washington/politics-nebraska.html[dead link]
- ^ Don Walton (2006-05-10). "Gov. turns back Osborne". JournalStar.com. Retrieved 2008-07-30.
- ^ "About The Governor". Governor Dave Heineman. Retrieved 2012-12-06.
- ^ "Nebraska Governor Signs Landmark Abortion Bills". Fox News. April 13, 2010.
- ^ "Nebraska joins California lawsuit over egg issues." Lincoln Journal Star. 2014-03-05. Retrieved 2014-10-14.
- ^ http://brownfieldagnews.com/2014/03/05/nebraska-joins-missouris-lawsuit-california/
- ^ http://m.sfgate.com/food/article/Judge-tosses-suit-by-6-states-over-California-law-5797844.php
- ^ http://www.politico.com/morningagriculture/1014/morningagriculture15540.html
- ^ http://www.sacbee.com/2014/10/02/6757006/judge-tosses-lawsuit-challenging.html
- ^ http://nebraskaradionetwork.com/2014/08/27/state-fair-provides-stage-to-proclaim-agricultures-importance-audio/
- ^ http://www.nraila.org/legislation/state-legislation/2014/4/nebraska-emergency-powers-protection-bill-signed-into-law.aspx
- ^ http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0611/56680.html
External links[edit]
- Governor Dave Heineman official Nebraska government site
- Dave Heineman for Governor
- Dave Heineman at DMOZ
Political offices | ||
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Preceded by Dawn Rockey |
Treasurer of Nebraska 1995–2001 |
Succeeded by Lorelee Hunt Byrd |
Preceded by David Maurstad |
Lieutenant Governor of Nebraska 2001–2005 |
Succeeded by Rick Sheehy |
Preceded by Mike Johanns |
Governor of Nebraska 2005–present |
Succeeded by Pete Ricketts Elect |
Preceded by Christine Gregoire |
Chairperson of National Governors Association 2011–2012 |
Succeeded by Jack Markell |
United States order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
Preceded by Joe Biden as Vice President |
Order of Precedence of the United States Within Nebraska |
Succeeded by Mayor of city in which event is held |
Succeeded by Otherwise John Boehner as Speaker of the House of Representatives |
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Preceded by Brian Sandoval as Governor of Nevada |
Order of Precedence of the United States Outside Nebraska |
Succeeded by John Hickenlooper as Governor of Colorado |
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- 1948 births
- American Methodists
- Governors of Nebraska
- Lieutenant Governors of Nebraska
- State treasurers of Nebraska
- Living people
- Nebraska Republicans
- People from Fremont, Nebraska
- People from Saunders County, Nebraska
- People from Red Willow County, Nebraska
- People from Jefferson County, Nebraska
- People from Richardson County, Nebraska
- People from Dundy County, Nebraska
- Republican Party state governors of the United States
- United States Army officers
- United States Military Academy alumni