Jane Dee Hull
Encyclopedia
Jane Dee Hull was the second woman to serve as Governor of Arizona
, the first female Republican
governor of the state, and the first woman to be elected to the position.
, Hull graduated from the University of Kansas
with a degree in education. She taught elementary school in Kansas and, while her husband was a public health
physician there, in Navajo Nation
schools at Chinle, Arizona
.
She moved to Arizona
in 1962, after hearing a Barry Goldwater
speech. She campaigned for Barry Goldwater
in the United States presidential election, 1964
.
Hull entered politics in 1978 by being elected to the Arizona House of Representatives
as a Republican
. She served for seven terms, including two as Speaker of the House, the first female Speaker in Arizona history.
In 1991, while she was Speaker, the Arizona legislature experienced a major political scandal called AZSCAM, which resulted in the resignation or removal of ten members of the House and Senate. As a result, Speaker Hull instituted a number of ethics reforms to reestablish public confidence in the legislature.
Hull was elected Arizona Secretary of State in 1994. After Governor Fife Symington was forced to resign due to a felony conviction, Hull became governor on September 5, 1997. She was sworn in by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor
, herself a former Arizona legislator. Arizona has no lieutenant governor
, so the secretary of state, if holding office by election, stands first in the line of succession.
Hull was elected in her own right in 1998. This election was particularly significant because it was the first time in the history of the United States that all five of the top elected executive offices in one state were held by women: Hull; Betsey Bayless
, secretary of state; Janet Napolitano
, attorney general; Carol Springer
, treasurer; and Lisa Graham Keegan
, Arizona
Superintendent of Public Instruction. She was constitutionally barred from running for a second full term in 2002 (the Arizona constitution limits the Governor to eight consecutive years in office), and she was succeeded by Governor Napolitano, who defeated Matt Salmon
.
While she was governor, her relations with home state U.S. Senator John McCain
were strained. During the 2000 primary season
she endorsed his opponent, Texas Governor George W. Bush
, in the Arizona primary
. In return, Hull was touted as a possible nominee for U.S. Ambassador to Mexico.
After leaving office, she spent three months in New York City, as a public delegate from the United States to the United Nations General Assembly
(2004).
, Arizona.
Hull is perhaps best known in her role as governor for signing the death warrants of two foreign nationals, despite international pressure from Germany for a retrial.
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, the first female Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
governor of the state, and the first woman to be elected to the position.
Biography
Born Jane Dee Bowersock in Kansas City, MissouriKansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
, Hull graduated from the University of Kansas
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The...
with a degree in education. She taught elementary school in Kansas and, while her husband was a public health
Public health
Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals" . It is concerned with threats to health based on population health...
physician there, in Navajo Nation
Navajo Nation
The Navajo Nation is a semi-autonomous Native American-governed territory covering , occupying all of northeastern Arizona, the southeastern portion of Utah, and northwestern New Mexico...
schools at Chinle, Arizona
Chinle, Arizona
Chinle is a census-designated place in Apache County, Arizona, United States. The population was 5,366 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Chinle is located at ....
.
She moved to Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
in 1962, after hearing a Barry Goldwater
Barry Goldwater
Barry Morris Goldwater was a five-term United States Senator from Arizona and the Republican Party's nominee for President in the 1964 election. An articulate and charismatic figure during the first half of the 1960s, he was known as "Mr...
speech. She campaigned for Barry Goldwater
Barry Goldwater
Barry Morris Goldwater was a five-term United States Senator from Arizona and the Republican Party's nominee for President in the 1964 election. An articulate and charismatic figure during the first half of the 1960s, he was known as "Mr...
in the United States presidential election, 1964
United States presidential election, 1964
The United States presidential election of 1964 was held on November 3, 1964. Incumbent President Lyndon B. Johnson had come to office less than a year earlier following the assassination of his predecessor, John F. Kennedy. Johnson, who had successfully associated himself with Kennedy's...
.
Hull entered politics in 1978 by being elected to the Arizona House of Representatives
Arizona House of Representatives
The Arizona House of Representatives is the lower house of the Arizona Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Arizona. Its members are elected to two-year terms with a term limit of four consecutive terms...
as a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
. She served for seven terms, including two as Speaker of the House, the first female Speaker in Arizona history.
In 1991, while she was Speaker, the Arizona legislature experienced a major political scandal called AZSCAM, which resulted in the resignation or removal of ten members of the House and Senate. As a result, Speaker Hull instituted a number of ethics reforms to reestablish public confidence in the legislature.
Hull was elected Arizona Secretary of State in 1994. After Governor Fife Symington was forced to resign due to a felony conviction, Hull became governor on September 5, 1997. She was sworn in by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor
Sandra Day O'Connor
Sandra Day O'Connor is an American jurist who was the first female member of the Supreme Court of the United States. She served as an Associate Justice from 1981 until her retirement from the Court in 2006. O'Connor was appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1981...
, herself a former Arizona legislator. Arizona has no lieutenant governor
Lieutenant governor (United States)
In the United States, 43 of the 50 states have a separate, full-time office of lieutenant governor. In most cases, the lieutenant governor is the highest officer of state after the governor, standing in for that officer when he or she is absent from the state or temporarily incapacitated...
, so the secretary of state, if holding office by election, stands first in the line of succession.
Hull was elected in her own right in 1998. This election was particularly significant because it was the first time in the history of the United States that all five of the top elected executive offices in one state were held by women: Hull; Betsey Bayless
Betsey Bayless
Betsey Bayless was the Republican Secretary of State of Arizona from September 5, 1997 until January 6, 2003. She was appointed to fill the unexpired term of Jane Dee Hull...
, secretary of state; Janet Napolitano
Janet Napolitano
Janet Napolitano is the third and current United States Secretary of Homeland Security, serving in the administration of President Barack Obama. She is the fourth person to hold the position, which was created after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. A member of the Democratic Party, she was the 21st...
, attorney general; Carol Springer
Carol Springer
Carol Springer served as state treasurer of Arizona from January 1999 until January 2003. A Republican, she was elected in November 1998.During her tenure, all five of Arizona's statewide executive offices were held by women: Governor Jane Dee Hull, Secretary of State Betsey Bayless, Attorney...
, treasurer; and Lisa Graham Keegan
Lisa Graham Keegan
Lisa Graham Keegan is an American education reform advocate. Since 2010 she has been the CEO of the Education Breakthrough Network....
, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
Superintendent of Public Instruction. She was constitutionally barred from running for a second full term in 2002 (the Arizona constitution limits the Governor to eight consecutive years in office), and she was succeeded by Governor Napolitano, who defeated Matt Salmon
Matt Salmon
Matthew James "Matt" Salmon is a former Republican Congressional Representative from Arizona. In 2002, he lost to Janet Napolitano in a highly competitive Arizona governor's race.-Early life, education, and business career:...
.
While she was governor, her relations with home state U.S. Senator John McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
were strained. During the 2000 primary season
Republican Party (United States) presidential primaries, 2000
The 2000 Republican presidential primaries were the selection process by which voters of the Republican Party chose its nominee for President of the United States in the 2000 U.S. presidential election. Governor of Texas George W...
she endorsed his opponent, Texas Governor George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
, in the Arizona primary
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
. In return, Hull was touted as a possible nominee for U.S. Ambassador to Mexico.
After leaving office, she spent three months in New York City, as a public delegate from the United States to the United Nations General Assembly
United Nations General Assembly
For two articles dealing with membership in the General Assembly, see:* General Assembly members* General Assembly observersThe United Nations General Assembly is one of the five principal organs of the United Nations and the only one in which all member nations have equal representation...
(2004).
Legacy
An elementary school is named for Hull in ChandlerChandler, Arizona
-Demographics:As of the Census of 2010, there were 236,123 people, 86,924 households, and 60,212 families residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 73.3% White, 4.8% Black or African American, 1.5% Native American, 8.2% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 21.9% Hispanic or Latino, and 8.3%...
, Arizona.
Hull is perhaps best known in her role as governor for signing the death warrants of two foreign nationals, despite international pressure from Germany for a retrial.
Electoral history
External links
- Biography of Jane Dee Hull from the United States Mission to the United Nations
- Governor Jane Dee Hull (Jeff Scott's biography)