Kit Bond

Kit Bond
United States Senator from Missouri
In office January 3, 1987 – January 3, 2011
Preceded by	Thomas Eagleton
Succeeded by	Roy Blunt
47th and 49th Governor of Missouri
In office January 12, 1981 – January 14, 1985
Lieutenant	Kenneth Rothman
Preceded by	Joseph Patrick Teasdale
Succeeded by	John Ashcroft
In office January 8, 1973 – January 10, 1977
Lieutenant	William C. Phelps
Preceded by	Warren Eastman Hearnes
Succeeded by	Joseph Patrick Teasdale
28th Missouri State Auditor
In office 1971–1973
Governor	Warren E. Hearnes
Preceded by	Haskell Holman
Succeeded by	John Ashcroft
Chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship
In office January 4, 1995 – January 3, 2001
Preceded by	Dale Bumpers
Succeeded by	John Kerry
In office January 20, 2001 – June 6, 2001
Preceded by	John Kerry
Succeeded by	John Kerry
Personal details
Born	March 6, 1939 (1939-03-06) (age 72) St. Louis, Missouri
Nationality	American
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Linda Bond
Residence	Mexico, Missouri
Alma mater	Princeton University University of Virginia School of Law
Occupation	attorney
Religion	Presbyterian
Signature

Christopher Samuel "Kit" Bond (born March 6, 1939) is a former United States Senator from Missouri and a member of the Republican Party. First elected to the U.S. Senate in 1986, he defeated Democrat Harriett Woods by a margin of 53%-47%. He was re-elected in 1992, 1998, and 2004. On January 8, 2009, he announced that he would not seek re-election to a fifth term in 2010, and was succeeded by current Senator Roy Blunt on January 3, 2011.^[1] Following his retirement from the Senate, Bond became a partner at Thompson Coburn.^[2]

Before his career in the U.S. Senate, Bond served two terms as Governor of Missouri, from 1973 to 1977 and from 1981 to 1985. He was previously State Auditor of Missouri from 1971 to 1973.

Early life, education, and early career

A sixth-generation Missourian, Bond was born in St. Louis, Missouri, to Elizabeth Green and Arthur D. Bond.^[3] His father was captain of the 1924 Missouri Tigers football team and a Rhodes Scholar. His maternal grandfather, A.P. Green, founded A.P. Green Industries, a fireclay manufacturer and a major employer for many years in Bond's hometown Mexico, Missouri. Kit Bond graduated from Deerfield Academy in 1956, Princeton University in 1960, and the University of Virginia School of Law in 1963. From 1963 to 1964, Bond served as a law clerk to the Honorable Elbert Tuttle, then Chief Judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in Atlanta, Georgia. From 1964 to 1967, Bond practiced law at Covington & Burling in Washington, D.C.

Early political career

See also: United States House of Representatives elections, 1968

Bond moved back to his hometown of Mexico, Missouri in the fall of 1967, and ran for Congress in 1968 in Missouri's 9th congressional district, the rural northeastern part of the state. He defeated Anthony Schroeder in the August Republican primary, 56% to 44%, winning 19 of the district's 23 counties.^[4] In the November general election, Bond almost defeated incumbent Democratic U.S. Congressman Bill Hungate, 52% to 48%. Bond won eight of the district's 23 counties.^[5] Out of Hunsgate's five re-election campaigns, that 1968 election against Bond was his worst performance.^[6]

State Attorney General John Danforth hired Bond as an Assistant Attorney General in 1969, where Bond led the office's Consumer Protection Division. in 1970, at the age of 31, Bond was elected Missouri State Auditor.

Tenure as Governor

Bond won election for governor by a margin of 55% to 45%, making him, at 33 years of age, the youngest governor in the history of Missouri. Kit Bond was the first Republican in 28 years to serve as governor of Missouri.

Bond's residency qualifications to be governor were challenged but upheld the Missouri Supreme Court in 1972. Missouri law said the governor had to be a resident for 10 years. In the 10 years before his run, he had attended college in Virginia, clerked for a federal appeals court judge in Atlanta, worked for a firm in Washington, D.C., applied to take the bar in Virginia and Georgia, registered a car in Washington, DC and applied for a marriage license in Kentucky. The Court sided with him noting that residence "is largely a matter of intention" and did not require "actual, physical presence." The court ruled that a residence was "that place where a man has his true, fixed and permanent home and principal establishment, and to which whenever he is absent he has the intention of returning."^[7]

In 1976, he was on the short list of to be Gerald Ford's vice presidential running mate.^[8]

In many ways Bond governed as a moderate during his first term as governor: for example, he drew criticism from conservatives for his support of the Equal Rights Amendment. While governor, on June 25, 1976 he signed an executive order rescinding the Extermination Order against Mormons issued by Governor Lilburn Boggs on October 27, 1838. In 1976, in a surprising upset, Bond was narrowly defeated for re-election by Democrat Joseph P. Teasdale, then Jackson County Prosecutor. Teasdale's tenure was rocky, and in 1980 Bond made a successful comeback, defeating fellow Republican and incumbent Lieutenant Governor Bill Phelps in the primary, and Teasdale in November. Among Bond's most noted accomplishments was taking the Parents As Teachers program statewide.

Bond served as the Chairman of the Midwestern Governors Association in 1983. Bond was succeeded as governor in 1985 by John Ashcroft, also a Republican. Ashcroft later served alongside Bond in the Senate.

U.S. Senate

Elections

After Sen. Thomas Eagleton decided not to run for re-election, Bond was elected Senator in 1986, defeating Lieutenant Governor Harriett Woods by 53% to 47% . Bond was re-elected in 1992 by less than expected over St. Louis County Councilwoman Geri Rothman-Serot. In 1998 Bond decisively defeated Attorney General Jay Nixon and Libertarian Tamara Millay after a hard-fought campaign, and in 2004 he won re-election over Democratic challenger State Treasurer Nancy Farmer with 56 percent of the vote.

Facing the expiration of his fourth full term in January 2011, Bond announced on January 8, 2009 that he did not plan to seek a fifth term and would not run for re-election in November 2010.^[1]

Missouri Apollo 17 Goodwill Moon Rock

In the last few days of his long political career, Kit Bond through his staff, solved a mystery that had intrigued the press, Missouri politicians and member of academia for much of 2010. Missouri state officials had wrongly believed up until June 8, 2010, that they had the very rare and very valuable Apollo 17 Goodwill Moon Rock at its state museum, when all they had was the Missouri Apollo 11 moon rock. On June 8, 2010, the state woke up to a reality that their 5 million dollar piece of Apollo 17 history was missing.^[9][10] In cleaning out his Senatorial office in December 2010, it was uncovered that Kit Bond had inadvertently taken the Goodwill Moon Rock when he left the Governor's Office, and kept it for decades. Bond returned the Missouri Goodwill Moon Rock to the current Governor of Missouri. Kit Bond was one of three former Governors who each took their state moon rocks upon leaving office, the other two were the former Governor's of Colorado and West Virginia.^[11][12]

Committees

• Committee on Appropriations
  • Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies
  • Subcommittee on Defense
  • Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development
  • Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government
  • Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs
  • Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (Ranking Member)
• Committee on Environment and Public Works
  • Subcommittee on Clean Air and Nuclear Safety
  • Subcommittee on Green Jobs and the New Economy (Ranking Member)
  • Subcommittee on Superfund, Toxics and Environmental Health
• Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship
• Select Committee on Intelligence (Vice Chairman)

Political positions

Environmental record

The environmental watchdog group Republicans for Environmental Protection (REP) has given Bond an exceptionally low rating of –2 for the 109th United States Congress, citing anti-environment votes on seven out of seven issues deemed critical by the organization. According to the 2006 REP scorecard, Bond supported oil drilling both offshore and in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, while opposing a bill for “efficiency and renewable-resource programs to improve energy security, lower costs, and reduce energy-related environmental impacts."^[13] He strongly favors zero-carbon energy from nuclear power.^[14]

Torture

Bond has opposed setting forth interrogation methods used by the Central Intelligence Agency to conform to the U.S. Army Field Manual. While drawing criticism for being one of only nine senators to oppose such a bill, Bond made it clear from his remarks on the floor that he does not favor or approve of torture, but he does not approve of making interrogation techniques public information on the basis that it would allow enemy combatants to train and prepare themselves for what they might go through if captured. Bond also drew criticism when, during a debate he made a comment comparing waterboarding to swimming, stating "There are different ways of doing it. It's like swimming, freestyle, backstroke," in response to the question "do you think that waterboarding... constitutes torture?"^[15]

Free trade

Bond has been a great supporter of expanding free trade to the third world, and he believes in giving presidential authority to fast track trade relations.^{[citation needed]} He has voted for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) and believes in permanently normalizing trade relations with China and Vietnam.

Government reform

While Bond voted in favor in banning members of Congress from receiving gifts from lobbyists^{[citation needed]}, he has generally opposed campaign reform. He voted against the McCain Feingold Act for bipartisan campaign finance solutions. Bond also voted against limiting contributions from corporations or labor.

Social issues

Bond received an 11% rating from the NAACP.^[16] He has voted consistently against same-sex marriage, supporting the proposed constitutional ban of it.

On June 25, 1976 Kit Bond officially ordered the recension of Executive Order Number 44 issued by Lilburn W. Boggs that ordered the expulsion or extermination of all Mormons from the State of Missouri and issued an apology to the Mormons on behalf of all Missourians.^[17][18]

As governor of the state of Missouri in 1983, Bond signed a declaration of recognition in support of the group known as the Northern Cherokee, now called the Northern Cherokee Nation of the Old Louisiana Territory attempting to grant a form of State recognition by way of executive order. This act was part of the group's attempt to gain Federal Recognition and to receive the related benefits for the group.^[19][20][21]

Dismissal of U.S. attorneys controversy

Main article: Dismissal of U.S. attorneys controversy

In October 2008, Bond apologized to former U.S. Attorney Todd Graves, after a U.S. Justice Department report cited Bond for forcing Graves out over a disagreement with Representative Sam Graves.^[22] Following the report, Attorney General Michael Mukasey appointed a special prosecutor to investigate whether former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and other officials involved in the firings of nine U.S. attorneys broke the law.^[23] Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington filed an Ethics Committee complaint against Bond over his role in the ouster of Graves.^[24]

In 2009, it was revealed according to White House documents that Graves was put on a dismissal list a month after White House e-mail indicated that his replacement was part of a deal between Bond and the Bush administration.^[25] The e-mail suggested that Graves was replaced with a candidate favored by Bond for clearing the way for an appointment of a federal judge from Arkansas on the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals.^[25]

Personal life

Bond's son Sam returned in the fall of 2007 from his second tour of duty in Iraq, and is an officer in the United States Marine Corps.

In 1994, Bond's wife, Carolyn, filed for a divorce, which was finalized the following year. Bond married Linda Pell, now Linda Bond, in 2002. She grew up in the Kansas City suburb of Gladstone and works as a consultant to the National Republican Senatorial Committee. She and Bond had dated for about a year before they were engaged on May 17, 2001, and had also dated in 1996 and 1997. It is her second marriage as well.

After winning his second term as Governor, Bond sued his investment manager and Paine Webber, alleging his $1.3 million trust fund had been drained. He was one of several clients who sued, and he settled in 1996 for $900,000.^{[citation needed]}

In 2009, Bond co-authored a book with Lewis Simons entitled The Next Front: Southeast Asia and the Road to Global Peace with Islam.^[26]

Bond has permanent vision loss in one eye, which he attributes to undiagnosed amblyopia during childhood.^[27][28]

Post Government career

After leaving office in January 2011, Bond joined the law firm of Thompson Coburn.^[2][29]

Bond serves as a co-chair of the Housing Commission at the Bipartisan Policy Center's Housing Commission.^[30]

In August 2011, Bond announced that he would join alliantgroup's strategic advisory board and serve as a senior adviser for the firm.^[31]

Bond formally launched his own firm, Kit Bond Strategies, in November 2011.^[32]

Honors named for Kit Bond

• Christopher S. Bond Bridge (Hermann)
• Christopher S. Bond Bridge, Kansas City

Electoral history

On January 8, 2009, Senator Bond announced that he will not be seeking re-election in 2010.^[33]

United States Senate election in Missouri, 2004

Kit Bond (R) (inc.) 56%

Nancy Farmer (D) 42.8%

Kevin Tull (Lib.) 0.7%

Don Griffin (Constitution) 0.4%

United States Senate election in Missouri, 1998

Kit Bond (R) (inc.) 52.7%

Jay Nixon (D) 43.8%

Tamara Millay (Lib.) 2%

Curtis Frazier (U.S. Taxpayers) 1%

James F. Newport (Reform) 0.5%

United States Senate election in Missouri, 1992

Kit Bond (R) (inc.) 51.9%

Geri Rothman-Serot (D) 44.9%

Jeanne Bojarski (Lib.) 3.2%

United States Senate election in Missouri, 1986

Kit Bond (R) 52.6%

Harriet Woods (D) 47.4%

1980 Missouri Gubernatorial Election

Kit Bond (R) 52.6%

Joseph P. Teasdale (D) 47%

Helen Savio (Socialist Workers) 0.3%

Footnotes

1. ^ ^{a b} "Sen. Kit Bond of Mo. announces retirement". United Press International. 2009-01-08. http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/01/08/Sen-Kit-Bond-of-Mo-announces-retirement/UPI-17941231455897/. Retrieved 2009-11-17. 
2. ^ ^{a b} Carney, Timothy (January 5, 2011). "The Great 2010 Cashout: Kit Bond to K Street, not selling D.C. house". Washington Examiner. http://washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/2011/01/great-2010-cashout-kit-bond-k-street-not-selling-dc-house. 
3. ^ "Genealogy of Christopher Samuel "Kit" Bond". rootsweb.com. Robert Battle. http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~battle/senators/bond.htm. Retrieved November 17, 2009. 
4. ^ http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=375004
5. ^ http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=179420
6. ^ http://www.ourcampaigns.com/CandidateDetail.html?CandidateID=17931
7. ^ Would Rahm pass the Kit Bond residency test?
8. ^ TheHill.com - Senators say whether they’d agree to be vice president
9. ^ Janese Silvey (July 8, 2010). "Moon Rocks discovery a false alarm: Apollo 17 keepsake still missing after all". Columbia Daily Tribune. http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/2010/jul/08/moon-rock-discovery-a-false-alarm/. 
10. ^ “Missouri State Museum Doesn't Have Apollo 17 Rock” Associated Press (The News Courier), July 9, 2010.
11. ^ Janese Silvey (December 23, 2010). "Moon Rock found in Kit Bond's Office". Columbia Daily Tribune. http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/2010/dec/23/missing-moon-rock-uncovered/. 
12. ^ Jim Salter (Associated Press) (December 23, 2010). "Missing moon rock from Apollo 17 back in Missouri". Victoria Advocate. http://www.victoriaadvocate.com/news/2010/dec/23/bc-mo-missouri-moon-rock1st-ld-writethru/?business&texas. 
13. ^ Republicans for Environmental Protection 2006 Scorecard
14. ^ ": United States Senator Kit Bond :: Contact :". Bond.senate.gov. 2009-10-23. http://bond.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=ContactUs.Newsletters&ContentRecord_id=831a5745-98ce-8529-5a84-d846885bcf46&Region_id=&Issue_id=. Retrieved 2010-08-29. 
15. ^ Online NewsHour: Debate | Lawmakers Mull CIA Tape Probe | December 11, 2007 | PBS
16. ^ "Kit Bond on Civil Rights". ontheissues.org. On the Issues. http://www.ontheissues.org/Domestic/Kit_Bond_Civil_Rights.htm. Retrieved November 11, 2009. 
17. ^ Walley, Katie. "The growing Mormon church". Columbia Missourian. http://www.columbiamissourian.com/stories/2007/07/28/growing-mormon-church/. Retrieved 2010-08-29. 
18. ^ "Branson Missouri: Mormon Massacre and Apology". Bransonmissouri.missourinetizen.com. 2008-09-16. http://bransonmissouri.missourinetizen.com/2008/09/mormon-massacre-and-apology.html. Retrieved 2010-08-29. 
19. ^ Gilbert, Joan (1996). The Trail of Tears across Missouri. Columbia, Missouri: The Curators of the University of Missouri. p. 100. ISBN 0-8262-1063-5. http://books.google.com/books?id=b0lM1PN6WmEC. Retrieved November 17, 2009. 
20. ^ Bond, Christopher S. (June 22, 1983). "Proclamation: Office of the Governor State of Missouri". angelfire.com. ncolt. http://www.angelfire.com/mo2/ncnolt/Missouri_Bond.html. Retrieved November 17, 2009. 
21. ^ Federalism and the State Recognition of Native American Tribes: A Survey of State-Recognized Tribes and State Recognition Processes Across the United States By Alexa Koenig and Jonathan Stein pages 60-64
22. ^ "Kit Bond apologizes for staff's role in firing of federal prosecutor". The News Leader. September 30, 2008. http://www.news-leader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080930/BLOGS09/80930039. Retrieved 2007-05-17. ^{[dead link]}
23. ^ "Prosecutor will investigate firings of nine U.S. Attorneys". The Miami Herald. September 29, 2008. http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics/AP/story/706763.html. Retrieved 2007-05-17. ^{[dead link]}
24. ^ "Group files ethics complaint against Bond". Kansas City Star. September 29, 2008. http://primebuzz.kcstar.com/?q=node/14724. Retrieved 2007-05-17. 
25. ^ ^{a b} Johnson, Carrie (August 11, 2009). "Documents Detail Campaign to Oust U.S. Attorney". washingtonpost.com. The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/11/AR2009081102104_2.html. Retrieved 2009-08-11. 
26. ^ Meyers, Jim (September 30, 2009). "Kit Bond: Negotiating with Iran Leads to 'Nightmare' Scenario". newsmax.com. Newsmax Media. http://www.newsmax.com/headlines/kit_bond_islam_iran_obama/2009/09/30/266749.html. Retrieved December 2, 2009. ^{[dead link]}
27. ^ U.S. Senator raises awareness of amblyopia - - Ophthalmology Times
28. ^ Geriatrics and Nursing Facility
29. ^ "Bond joins St. Louis-based law firm Thompson Coburn". St. Louis Post Dispatch. January 4, 2011. http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/article_1602bbee-1277-5d83-894a-ed05a4cdb16a.html. Retrieved November 18, 2011. 
30. ^ "Housing Commission". bipartisanpolicy.org. Bipartisan Policy Center. http://www.bipartisanpolicy.org/projects/housing. Retrieved November 18, 2011. 
31. ^ "Kit Bond joins alliantgroup as adviser". St. Louis Business Journal. August 25, 2011. http://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/news/2011/08/25/kit-bond-joins-alliantgroup-as-adviser.html. Retrieved November 18, 2011. 
32. ^ "Senator Bond Launches Kit Bond Strategies" (Press release). Kit Bond Strategies. November 8, 2011. http://kitbondstrategies.com/pressreleasenov11.htm. Retrieved November 18, 2011. 
33. ^ Bond will not seek another term By MANU RAJU The Politico 1/8/09 10:33 AM EST

External links

• Biography at WhoRunsGov.com at The Washington Post
• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
• Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
• Congressional profile at GovTrack
• Congressional profile at OpenCongress
• Issue positions and quotes at On The Issues
• Current Bills Sponsored at StateSurge.com
• Financial information at OpenSecrets.org
• Staff salaries, trips and personal finance at LegiStorm.com
• Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
• Appearances on C-SPAN programs
• Collected news and commentary at The New York Times
• Lawmakers Investigate CIA Interrogation Tape Disposal PBS Newshour, December 11, 2007, transcript of interview with Gwen Ifill

Political offices
Preceded by Haskell Holman	Missouri State Auditor 1971–1973	Succeeded by John Ashcroft
Preceded by Warren E. Hearnes	Governor of Missouri 1973–1977	Succeeded by Joseph P. Teasdale
Preceded by Joseph P. Teasdale	Governor of Missouri 1981–1985	Succeeded by John Ashcroft
Preceded by Dale Bumpers	Chairman of the Senate Small Business Committee 1995–2001	Succeeded by John Kerry
United States Senate
Preceded by Thomas Eagleton	United States Senator (Class 3) from Missouri 1987-2011 Served alongside: John Danforth, John Ashcroft, Jean Carnahan, Jim Talent, Claire McCaskill	Succeeded by Roy Blunt
Party political offices
Preceded by Lawrence K. Roos	Republican Party nominee for Governor of Missouri 1972, 1976, 1980	Succeeded by John Ashcroft
Preceded by Gene McNary	Republican Party nominee for United States Senator from Missouri (Class 3) 1986, 1992, 1998, 2004	Succeeded by Roy Blunt

Persondata
Name	Bond, Kit
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	March 6, 1939
Place of birth	St. Louis, Missouri
Date of death
Place of death