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| Affiliation | Democratic |
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1985-01-01 |
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| Name | J. James Exon |
| Address |
Lincoln, Nebraska , United States |
| Email | None |
| Website | None |
| Born |
August 09, 1921
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| Died | June 10, 2005
(83 years)
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| Contributor | RP |
| Last Modifed | RBH
Jun 18, 2019 01:57am |
| Tags |
Army - Episcopalian -
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| Info | Early Career
Exon was born in Geddes, South Dakota in 1921 and attended the University of Omaha between 1939 and 1941. During World War II, Exon served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps.
After the war, he worked as the branch manager of a financial services institution. He founded Exon Office Supplies in Lincoln in 1953 and served as its president until 1971. Nebraska's Secretary of State refused to register Exxon because he considered the name was too similar to Exon's company. Exxon paid him to give his approval and was licensed in during his first term as Governor. Exon has not revealed how much he received.
He started his political career as a precinct worker for the Democrats. In 1964, he was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention for Nebraska and served as a delegate for that state in every convention between 1972 and 2004. He served as a member of the Nebraska Democratic State Central Committee between 1964 and 1968 and was a member of the Democratic National Committee from 1968 to 1970. Exon was Chair of the Nebraska Democratic Party in 1970 when he decided to run for Governor.
Governor of Nebraska 1971-1979
Exon's first bid for public office was his successful campaign for the Governor of Nebraska defeating incumbent Republican Norbert Tiemann. The term of the Governor was extended to four years before the election. He was re-elected in a landslide in 1974 and became the first Nebraska Governor to serve eight years in that position.
His repeated vetoes of the legislature's spending programs earned Exon the reputation as a fiscal conservative. He vetoed 141 bills in his final seven years as Governor or an average of 20 a year. Due to his ability to control expenditure and his reluctance to raise taxes, Exon won the support of many Nebraskans who normally voted Republican.
Senator from Nebraska 1979-1997
Exon's popularity as Governor carried over to his 1978 campaign to be elected as a US Senator as he was elected with 68 per cent of the vote. He had a reputation as a moderate Senator often working with Republicans on fiscal and military issues. While serving on the U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services, Exon was a strong defender of the B-2 stealth bomber.
In 1984, Exon had his closest election in his political career due to the popularity of President Reagan eventually winning re-election by 25,000 votes. He was re-elected again in 1990.
Exon helped to write and secure support for a spending reduction in the US budget of $14 billion in 1994 which he stated was his proudest political achievement. His Communications Decency Act of 1996 was Congress's first effort to try to prevent minors accessing pornography via the Internet. It was later overturned by the US Supreme Court.
Final Years 1997-2005
After his retirement, Exon served on a Committee established by Congress and led by John M. Deutch on the threat of weapons of mass destruction. In the report, Exon warned of the dangers if such weapons fell into the hands of terrorists and recommended the formation of an agency with a similar role to the Department of Homeland Security.
He was treated for cancer in the last years of his life, although he claimed in 2003 that it wasn't "highly malignant". Exon died of natural causes in Lincoln, Nebraska on June 10, 2005. He was the first person to lie in state for public viewing in the rotunda of the State Capitol building.
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| ENDORSEMENTS |
| MT US Senate - D Primary - Jun 06, 2006 |
D |
John Morrison |
| Supreme Court - Associate Justice - Jul 29, 1994 |
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| Supreme Court - Associate Justice - Oct 15, 1991 |
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Anthony M. Kennedy |
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| Supreme Court - Chief Justice - Sep 17, 1986 |
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Reject |
| Supreme Court - Associate Justice - Sep 17, 1986 |
R |
Antonin Scalia |
| Supreme Court - Associate Justice - Sep 21, 1981 |
R |
Sandra Day O'Connor |
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