Kirk Fordice

Daniel Kirkwood "Kirk" Fordice (born February 10, 1934 in Memphis , Tennessee , † September 7, 2004 in Jackson , Mississippi ) was an American politician and from 1992 to 2000 governor of the state of Mississippi.

Early years

Kirk Fordice studied civil engineering at Purdue University until 1957 . The following two years he was an officer in the US Army , whose reserve he was a member until 1977, where he made it up to Colonel. After serving two years in the military, Fordice settled in Vicksburg , where he started his own construction company and soon became a millionaire. Politically, Fordice was a member of the Republican Party . Until 1991, however, he held no political office.

Mississippi Governor

In 1991, Kirk Fordice was elected as the new governor of his state. He was the first Republican in this office since Adelbert Ames , who held office from 1874 to 1876. Fordice was also the first governor of his state who was directly re-elected following a reform of the state constitution and thus could serve for eight years between January 14, 1992 and January 10, 2000. He promoted the economy and industry of his state, which led to an unexpected economic boom. However, he was also considered very conservative and advocated the death penalty and a stricter penal system. On the race question he was also conservative to reactionary. He refused an apology for the racism in Mississippi state history. When speaking against financial support for companies owned by minorities, the governor wore a tie with the flag of the Confederate States . Fordice also refused to increase the education budget, even though Mississippi was only 49th among all US states at the time. He let the teachers who threatened to strike know that any striking teacher would be fired immediately. Governor Fordice was also an opponent of same-sex marriages.

Another résumé

After his governorship, Kirk Fordice lived in Madison . He was divorced twice and had four children in total. The ex-governor died of leukemia in September 2004 .

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personal data
SURNAME	Fordice, Kirk
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Fordice, Daniel Kirkwood (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	American politician
DATE OF BIRTH	February 10, 1934
PLACE OF BIRTH	Memphis , Tennessee
DATE OF DEATH	September 7, 2004
Place of death	Jackson , Mississippi