Brereton Jones

Brereton Chandler Jones (born May 27, 1939 in Gallipolis , Ohio ) is an American politician and former governor of the state of Kentucky .

Early years and political advancement

Jones graduated from the University of Virginia in 1961 . His political ascent began in West Virginia . There he was a member of the Republican Party between 1965 and 1969 in the House of Representatives . He later left the Republicans and joined the Democratic Party . After moving to Kentucky in 1972, he and his wife Libby founded a stud where pedigree horses were bred. Jones was also in the real estate business. In 1987, he surprisingly became an outsider Democratic candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky. He won elections and served as deputy to Governor Wallace Wilkinson for the next four years . However, the relationship between the two men was strained. When the next gubernatorial elections were due in 1991 , Wilkinson was banned from running because of a constitutional clause. Wilkinson's wife failed in the primary election for nomination. Lieutenant Governor Jones was elected a Democratic candidate.

Kentucky governor

Jones won the actual election with 64.7% of the vote against Larry Hopkins , who got 35.3% of the vote. His term of office began on December 10, 1991 and ended on December 12, 1995. As governor, he was very committed to environmental protection and angered the industry, especially the owners of coal mines, on which he imposed restrictions on coal mining. He also tried to solve the problem of health insurance in Kentucky. But this venture got stuck in the beginning. As recently as 2005, the lack of health insurance was a problem not only in Kentucky but in other parts of the United States as well. In Kentucky, more than 500,000 workers had no health insurance in 2005, representing 19% of the working population. The governor also pushed through a constitutional amendment for Kentucky that allowed elected officials, including the governor, to serve a second contiguous term in their respective offices. His predecessor Wilkinson had already made an attempt in this direction, but failed because of the demand that the regulation should apply to himself. Jones avoided this problem by agreeing to a transitional clause that excluded him and all other incumbents from a second term before the new constitution came into force. Thanks to solid budgetary policies, Brereton Jones is one of the few governors to have a budget surplus.

Another résumé

After the end of his tenure, Jones returned to horse breeding. His horses have now won many awards and the stud has earned an international reputation. In 2003, Jones had toyed with the idea of ​​reapplying for governor. However, he decided against this plan and decided not to run. He still takes care of his stud. Jones is married to Libby Lloyd and the couple have two children.

Web links

• Brereton Jones at the National Governors Association (English)