Brian Schweitzer facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Brian Schweitzer
23rd Governor of Montana
In office January 3, 2005 – January 7, 2013
Lieutenant	John Bohlinger
Preceded by	Judy Martz
Succeeded by	Steve Bullock
Personal details
Born	Brian David Schweitzer (1955-09-04) September 4, 1955 (age 69) Havre, Montana, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Nancy Hupp ​ (m. 1981)​
Children	3
Education	Colorado State University (BS) Montana State University (MS)
Occupation	Farmer, rancher, politician

Brian David Schweitzer (born September 4, 1955) is an American farmer and politician who served as the 23rd Governor of Montana from 2005 to 2013. Schweitzer served for a time as chair of the Western Governors Association as well as the Democratic Governors Association. He also served as President of the Council of State Governments.

Early life, education and early career

Schweitzer was born in Havre, Montana, the fourth of six children of Kathleen Helen (née McKernan) and Adam Schweitzer. His paternal grandparents were ethnic Germans from Kuchurhan in the Odesa Oblast (then in Russian Empire, now in Ukraine); his maternal grandparents were Irish. He is a first cousin, once removed, of entertainer Lawrence Welk (Schweitzer's paternal grandmother was Welk's aunt).

Following his high school years at Holy Cross Abbey, Canon City, Colorado in 1973, Schweitzer earned his Bachelor of Science degree in international agronomy from Colorado State University in 1978 and a Master of Science in soil science from Montana State University, Bozeman in 1980.

Upon finishing school, Schweitzer worked as an irrigation developer on projects in Africa, Asia, Europe and South America. He spent several years working in Libya and Saudi Arabia, and speaks Arabic. He returned to Montana in 1986, settling in Whitefish.

In 1993, the Clinton administration appointed Schweitzer to the United States Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency committee for Montana; he worked there for seven years.

2000 U.S. Senate election

Schweitzer speaking on the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

In 2000, Schweitzer ran for the U.S. Senate to challenge Republican incumbent Conrad Burns. Burns faced a difficult re-election campaign. In February 1999, he announced that he would break his 1988 promise to only hold office for two terms, claiming "Circumstances have changed, and I have rethought my position." Later that same month, while giving a speech about U.S. dependence on foreign oil to the Montana Equipment Dealers Association, Burns referred to Arabs as "ragheads". Burns soon apologized, saying he "became too emotionally involved" during the speech. Burns faced trouble regarding deaths from asbestos in Libby, Montana. While he initially supported a bill to limit compensation in such cases, he withdrew his support for the bill, under public criticism, and added $11.5 million for the town to an appropriations bill.

While Burns attempted to link Schweitzer with presidential candidate Al Gore, Schweitzer "effectively portrayed himself as nonpolitical". Schweitzer primarily challenged Burns on the issue of prescription drugs, organizing busloads of senior citizens to take trips to Canada and Mexico for cheaper medicine. Burns charged that Schweitzer favored "Canadian-style government controls" and claimed that senior citizens went to doctors to have "somebody to visit with. There's nothing wrong with them."

Schweitzer lost narrowly to Burns, with a 51% to 47% margin, despite being outspent two-to-one. Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore received just 33% of the vote in Montana in 2000.

Governor of Montana (2005–2013)

Governor Brian Schweitzer campaigning in Billings, Montana for Jon Tester in September 2006

Elections

When incumbent Governor Judy Martz announced she would not run for re-election in 2004, Schweitzer announced his candidacy. His running mate was John Bohlinger, a Republican state senator. He won the general election by defeating Montana Secretary of State Bob Brown 50%–46%.

In 2008, Schweitzer and Bohlinger won re-election to a second term by a landslide over Republican State Senator Roy Brown and his running mate Steve Daines; Schweitzer recurred 318,670 votes (65.4%), Brown received 158,268 votes (32.5%), and Libertarian candidate Stan Jones received 9,796 votes (2.0%).

Post-governorship

The same year Schweitzer completed his term as Montana Governor he was named to the board of directors of Stillwater Mining Company on May 2, and subsequently chosen as non-executive chairman on May 17, 2013.

Presidential and vice-presidential speculation

During his gubernatorial tenure, Schweitzer was mentioned by some political pundits as a potential running mate for Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential election. Schweitzer spoke in a prime-time slot at the 2008 Democratic National Convention, addressing the topic of American energy independence.

After leaving office at the end of 2012, Schweitzer was mentioned as a possible candidate for president. In February 2013, the National Journal reported that he indicated he was leaning towards a run for president in 2016 instead of running for the U.S. Senate in 2014; a Senate bid would have involved challenging Democratic U.S. Senator Max Baucus in a primary election. In April 2013, Baucus decided to retire. Soon thereafter, a Democrat associated with Schweitzer stated that Schweitzer was leaning toward a Senate bid in 2014. After Baucus' announcement, Schweitzer stated that he was concentrating on helping a dissident investor group take control of the Stillwater Mining Co. in south-central Montana. He subsequently became the chair of the Board of Stillwater Mine. When asked about the Senate race in June 2013, Schweitzer expressed uncertainty; however, Montana political analysts generally believed that he was considering a Senate run.

On July 13, 2013, Schweitzer stated he would not seek the U.S. Senate seat in Montana in 2014. In February 2015, Schweitzer stated that he has "no plans" to run for president in 2016. In October 2015, Schweitzer endorsed former Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley's campaign for the Democratic nomination for president and was named a national co-chair for O'Malley's campaign.

Personal life

Schweitzer married Nancy Hupp in 1981. The Schweitzers are the parents of three children: Ben, Khai, and Katrina.

Electoral history

See also

In Spanish: Brian Schweitzer para niños