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| Affiliation | Republican |
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| Name | Matt Blunt |
| Address |
Strafford, Missouri , United States |
| Email | None |
| Website | None |
| Born |
November 20, 1970 |
| Died |
Still Living
(54 years) |
| Contributor | ... |
| Last Modifed | RBH
Jun 25, 2015 08:23pm |
| Tags |
Caucasian - Married - Navy - Baptist - Straight -
|
| Info | Matthew Roy "Matt" Blunt was elected Governor of Missouri on November 2, 2004. He is a Republican.
Blunt is the son of House Majority Whip Roy Blunt and his first wife, Roseann Blunt. After graduating from Jefferson City High School in Jefferson City, Missouri, Blunt was accepted into the United States Naval Academy where he received a bachelor's degree in history.
As an officer in the United States Navy, he went on to serve as an engineering officer aboard the USS Jack Williams and as the navigator and administrative officer on the USS Peterson. During his Naval career, Blunt received numerous commendations, including four Navy and Marine Corps Achievement medals.
Blunt and his wife, Melanie, were married in May, 1997. Their son, William Branch Blunt was born on March 9, 2005.
In 1998, Blunt was elected to the Missouri House of Representatives to represent the 139th legislative district. In 2000, he was elected Secretary of State; although only a first-term state representative, Blunt defeated the Speaker of the Missouri House of Representatives. Blunt was the only Republican elected to statewide office in Missouri in 2000.
Following the September 11, 2001 attacks, Blunt was called into active military service. After completing a six month tour of duty in Great Britain during Operation Enduring Freedom, he returned to complete his term as Secretary of State. He continues to serve in the Navy Reserve as a Lieutenant Commander as of January 2007.
On November 2, 2004, Blunt defeated State Auditor and current U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill and was elected Governor of Missouri.
Addressing the state's budget was a controversial issue early in Blunt's term as governor. Blunt insisted that state spending must be cut in order to keep the budget balanced. Particularly controversial were provisions eliminating the state's First Steps program and cutting to the state's Medicaid program. After a large lobbying effort by supporters of the First Steps program, it was restored to the budget before the final version was passed. Almost 100,000 Missourians lost their Medicaid coverage under Blunt's first budget.
Abortion and stem cell research have also been contentious issues during Blunt's term. Blunt opposes abortion, but has also opposed efforts to ban research procedures such as somatic cell nuclear transfer. There were efforts to pass such a ban in the Legislature during the 2005 session. In September 2005, Blunt called a special session of the Legislature specifically to address abortion. The Legislature passed the restrictions, and Blunt signed them into law.
In October 2005, Blunt announced his support for an initiative petition that would amend Missouri's Constitution to prohibit a ban on somatic cell nuclear transfer. Due to his position on this initiative, Missouri Right to Life announced that it no longer considers Blunt a pro-life politician.
In the area of education, Blunt proposed selling Missouri's student loan agency, known as MOHELA, and using the proceeds to pay for endowments and new construction for the state's public universities. Blunt has also proposed that school districts be required to spend at least 65% of their budgets on student instruction. Blunt has also offered his support for measures that would allow pharmacists to refuse to fill prescriptions for emergency contraception.
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