NationMaster - Encyclopedia: J. James Exon

John James "Jim" Exon (August 9, 1921 – June 10, 2005) was an American Democratic politician. He served as the Governor of Nebraska from 1971 to 1979, and as a U.S. Senator from Nebraska from 1979 to 1997. Exon was a Nebraska Democrat who never lost an election. He was elected and re-elected governor in 1970 & 1974, elected to the Senate in 1978, and re-elected in 1984 and 1990. He is the only Nebraskan besides George Norris, the architect of Nebraska's Unicameral, to win five consecutive statewide elections. Image File history File links This is a government picture. ... August 9 is the 221st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (222nd in leap years), with 144 days remaining. ... 1921 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... June 10 is the 161st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (162nd in leap years), with 204 days remaining. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ... The Democratic Party is one of the two major political parties in the United States. ... List of Nebraska Governors David Butler Republican 1867-1871 William H. James Republican 1871-1873 Robert Wilkinson Furnas Republican 1873-1875 Silas Garber Republican 1875-1879 Albinus Nance Republican 1879-1883 James W. Dawes Republican 1883-1887 John Milton Thayer Republican 1887-1892 James E. Boyd Democratic 1892-1893 Lorenzo... 1971 is a common year starting on Friday (click for link to calendar). ... This page refers to the year 1979. ... Seal of the Senate The United States Senate is one of the two houses of the Congress of the United States, the other being the House of Representatives. ... State nickname: Cornhusker State Other U.S. States Capital Lincoln Largest city Omaha Governor Dave Heineman (R) Official languages English Area 200,520 kmÂ² (16th) - Land 199,099 kmÂ² - Water 1,247 kmÂ² (0. ... This page refers to the year 1979. ... 1997 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... George William Norris (July 11, 1861 - September 2, 1944) was a U.S. political figure. ...

1 Early Career
2 Governor of Nebraska 1971-1979
3 Senator from Nebraska 1979-1997
4 Final Years 1997-2005
5 References
- 5.1 Further Reading

Early Career

Exon was born in Geddes, South Dakota in 1921 and attended the University of Omaha between 1939 and 1941. During World War II, Exon served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps. Geddes is a city located in Charles Mix County, South Dakota. ... The U.S. Army Signal Corps was in a part of the United States Army founded in 1861 by Major Albert J. Myer, a physician by training. ...

After the war, he worked as the branch manager of a financial services institution. He founded Exon Office Supplies in Lincoln in 1953 and served as its president until 1971. Nebraska's Secretary of State refused to register Exxon because he considered the name was too similar to Exon's company. Exxon paid him to give his approval and was licensed in during his first term as Governor. Exon has not revealed how much he received. Exxon Mobil Corporation or ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM), headquartered in Irving, Texas, is an oil producer and distributor formed on November 30, 1999, by the merger of Exxon and Mobil. ...

He started his political career as a precinct worker for the Democrats. In 1964, he was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention for Nebraska and served as a delegate for that state in every convention between 1972 and 2004. He served as a member of the Nebraska Democratic State Central Committee between 1964 and 1968 and was a member of the Democratic National Committee from 1968 to 1970. Exon was Chair of the Nebraska Democratic Party in 1970 when he decided to run for Governor. Featured at the Democratic National Convention are speeches by prominent party figures. ... Tdfsdfsdfsdhe Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the principal dfsdcampaign and fund-raising organization affiliated with the United States Democratic Party. ...

Governor of Nebraska 1971-1979

Exon's first bid for public office was his successful campaign for the Governor of Nebraska defeating incumbent Republican Norbert Tiemann. The term of the Governor was extended to four years before the election. He was re-elected in a landslide in 1974 and became the first Nebraska Governor to serve eight years in that position.

His repeated vetoes of the legislature's spending programs earned Exon the reputation as a fiscal conservative. He vetoed 141 bills in his final seven years as Governor or an average of 20 a year. Due to his ability to control expenditure and his reluctance to raise taxes, Exon won the support of many Nebraskans who normally voted Republican.

Senator from Nebraska 1979-1997

Exon's popularity as Governor carried over to his 1978 campaign to be elected as a US Senator as he was elected with 68 per cent of the vote. He had a reputation as a moderate Senator often working with Republicans on fiscal and military issues. While serving on the U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services, Exon was a strong defender of the B-2 stealth bomber. The Committee on Armed Services is a committee of the United States Senate empowered with legislative oversight of the nations military, including the Department of Defense, military research and development, nuclear energy (as pertaining to national security), benefits for members of the military, the Selective Service System and other... The United States Air Force is the only agency in the world that operates the B-2 Spirit. ...

In 1984, Exon had his closest election in his political career due to the popularity of President Reagan eventually winning re-election by 25,000 votes. He was re-elected again in 1990. Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 â€“ June 5, 2004) was the 40th President of the United States (1981â€“1989) and the 33rd Governor of California (1967â€“1975). ...

Exon helped to write and secure support for a spending reduction in the US budget of $14 billion in 1994 which he stated was his proudest political achievement. His Communications Decency Act of 1996 was Congress's first effort to try to prevent minors accessing pornography via the Internet. It was later overturned by the US Supreme Court. [The Communications Decency Act (CDA) was Title V of the United States Telecommunications Act of 1996. ...

Final Years 1997-2005

After his retirement, Exon served on a Committee established by Congress and led by John M. Deutch on the threat of weapons of mass destruction. In the report, Exon warned of the dangers if such weapons fell into the hands of terrorists and recommended the formation of an agency with a similar role to the Department of Homeland Security. John M. Deutch was a figure of a great deal of controversy as head of the CIA. John Mark Deutch (born July 27, 1938) was the Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) from May 10, 1995 until December 14, 1996. ... The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is a Cabinet department of the federal government of the United States that is concerned with protecting the American homeland and the safety of American citizens. ...

He was treated for cancer in the last years of his life, although he claimed in 2003 that it wasn't "highly malignant". Exon died of natural causes in Lincoln, Nebraska on June 10, 2005. He was the first person to lie in state for public viewing in the rotunda of the State Capitol building. Nickname: Star City Location in Nebraska Founded -Incorporated 18671 1869 County Lancaster County Mayor Coleen Seng Area - Total - Water 195. ... The Nebraska State Capitol The Nebraska State Capitol (aka The Tower on the Plain), located in Lincoln, Nebraska, is the capitol and seat of government of the U.S. state of Nebraska. ...

References

The Exon Library
Exon's Congressional biography
New York Times article on Exon's death
Los Angeles Times article on Exon's death
Political Graveyard article on James Exon
Frederick C. Luebke Nebraska: An Illustrated History University of Nebraska Press 1995 pages 368-370 ISBN 0-8302-2902-X

Contents

Early Career GA_googleFillSlot("encyclopedia_square");

Governor of Nebraska 1971-1979

Senator from Nebraska 1979-1997

Final Years 1997-2005

References

Further Reading

Early Career