Brian Schweitzer

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Brian Schweitzer (official portrait photo as governor)

Brian David Schweitzer (born September 4, 1955 in Havre , Montana ) is an American politician of the Democratic Party . From January 3, 2005 to January 7, 2013 he was governor of the state of Montana.

Early years and political advancement

Brian Schweitzer comes from a ranchers family and was born the fourth of six children. His paternal ancestors were Russian Germans who emigrated to the United States in 1909, while his mother had Irish ancestors. He graduated from Colorado State University with a degree in Agriculture in 1978 . Two years later he received his Masters in Soil Science from Montana State University . Schweitzer then worked as an engineer for irrigation technology in Africa, Asia and Saudi Arabia, among others . In 1986 he returned to Montana. There he worked as a rancher and founded an irrigation technology company in Whitefish .

In 1992, Schweitzer was appointed to the US Department of Agriculture by President Bill Clinton , where he held various positions until 1999. In 2000 he ran in vain against Conrad Burns for the US Senate . In 2004, Brian Schweitzer stood for election to the governor of Montana. As a running mate he chose the moderate Republican John Bohlinger . He won with about 4% difference against the Republican Secretary of State Bob Brown .

Governor of Montana

During his tenure, Schweitzer campaigned for environmentally friendly bio-fuel and wind energy and promoted the protection of the open country. In general, Schweitzer was considered a great supporter of environmental protection. He raised his state's education budget to an all-time high. Schweitzer is also the Democrats' leading expert on agriculture and energy. He was one of the most popular politicians in America; so he regularly took top places in relevant opinion polls. In the elections on November 4, 2008 , he was confirmed in office with 65.4 percent of the vote against Republican Roy Brown .

After two terms in office, Schweitzer did not run again in the gubernatorial elections in 2012, according to the constitution. The election of his successor won again a Democrat in Steve Bullock . Brian Schweitzer is married and has three children.

Web links

Commons : Brian Schweitzer  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Jim Robbins: Pardons Granted 88 Years After Crimes of Sedition. The New York Times, May 3, 2006, accessed May 20, 2013 .
  2. ↑ a b c Governor grabs spotlight with bold initiatives and colorful characters. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on December 26, 2010 ; accessed on May 20, 2013 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.greatfallstribune.com
  3. ↑ Survey USA: APPROVAL RATINGS FOR ALL 50 GOVERNORS. October 19, 2006, accessed May 20, 2013 .
personal data
SURNAME Schweitzer, Brian
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Schweitzer, Brian David (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American Democratic Party politician
DATE OF BIRTH 4th September 1955
PLACE OF BIRTH Havre , Montana