Joe Kernan

Joe Kernan (2008)

Mayor Joe Kernan meets US President Ronald Reagan (February 1988)

Joseph Eugene "Joe" Kernan (born April 8, 1946 in Chicago , Illinois , † July 29, 2020 in South Bend , Indiana ) was an American politician . He was the 48th governor of the state of Indiana between 2003 and 2005  .

Early years and political advancement

Joe Kernan attended St. Joseph High School in South Bend . He then studied government science until 1968 at the University of Notre Dame . In 1969 he joined the US Navy and was deployed as a naval aviator on the aircraft carrier " Kitty Hawk " . In May 1972 he was shot down during a reconnaissance flight over North Vietnam and was imprisoned for eleven months. After his release, he remained in the Navy until 1974. In the following years he worked for several companies in Indiana.

Kernan's political career began in South Bend. There he was a chamberlain from 1980 to 1984. Between 1987 and 1995 he served as mayor of this municipality. In 1996 he became a candidate of the Democratic Party for lieutenant governor elected by Indiana. In addition to this position, he was Indiana Secretary of Commerce and Agriculture until 2003. After incumbent Governor Frank O'Bannon suffered a stroke on September 8, 2003 while visiting Chicago, Kernan was installed as acting governor; after the governor's death on September 13th, he replaced him.

Indiana Governor

Kernan served as governor of Indiana between September 13, 2003 and January 1, 2005. With that he ended the term of office of his deceased predecessor. Kernan did not see himself as the manager of this post. He wanted to set new accents. With Kathy Davis , he appointed for the first time a woman lieutenant governor of Indiana. He initiated a reform of the government administration and tightened the ethical standards of government employees, also in order to put a stop to corruption. Kernan also counted on further improvements in the country's education system. In November 2004 he was defeated by Republican Mitch Daniels in the gubernatorial elections and therefore had to resign in January 2005.

Joe Kernan was married to Maggie McCoullough; he died in July 2020 at the age of 74 from complications from COVID-19 .

Web links

• Joe Kernan in the National Governors Association (English)
• Joe Kernan: Former governor of Indiana ( March 14, 2013 memento on the Internet Archive )
• Indiana Historical Bureau

Individual proof

1. ^ Former Indiana Gov. Joe Kernan dies at 74
2. ^ Joseph Kernan, Vietnam POW and Indiana Governor, Dies at 74