Janet Huckabee
Encyclopedia
Janet McCain Huckabee is the wife of former 2008 Republican presidential candidate and former Arkansas
Governor Mike Huckabee
. She was the First Lady
of Arkansas from July, 1996 until January, 2007.
, the fourth of five siblings, and moved with her family as an infant to Hope, Arkansas
. Her mother, Pat House, served four terms as Hempstead County Clerk from 1965 to 1973. She graduated from Hope High School in 1973, and married her high school sweetheart Mike Huckabee in May of the following year. Within two years of their marriage, she was diagnosed with spinal cancer. Faced with the possibility of paralysis and the inability to have children, she underwent surgery and six weeks of radiation therapy. She eventually recovered and gave birth to three children: two sons, John Mark and David
, and a daughter, Sarah. Prior to becoming First Lady of Arkansas, she was involved with the Texarkana, Arkansas Parent Teacher Association, even serving two terms as its president. She also was active in the Beech Street First Baptist Church and with the ACTS-TV station. She has worked for the Texarkana Public Schools as a substitute teacher, for the St. Michael Hospital, and as a pharmacist's assistant.
nominee for Arkansas Secretary of State in the same year her husband was seeking a second term as Governor. She was defeated by the Democratic Party nominee, State Land Commissioner Charlie Daniels
. Her husband fared better in his re-election bid, defeating his Democratic opponent, State Treasurer Jimmie Lou Fisher
.
The following year, she earned an undergraduate degree in organizational management from John Brown University
. For a time, she worked in a management capacity with Hanke Brothers Construction Company of Hot Springs until her husband began his 2008 presidential bid.
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
Governor Mike Huckabee
Mike Huckabee
Michael "Mike" Dale Huckabee is an American politician who served as the 44th Governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007. He was a candidate in the 2008 United States Republican presidential primaries, finishing second in delegate count and third in both popular vote and number of states won . He won...
. She was the First Lady
First Lady
First Lady or First Gentlemanis the unofficial title used in some countries for the spouse of an elected head of state.It is not normally used to refer to the spouse or partner of a prime minister; the husband or wife of the British Prime Minister is usually informally referred to as prime...
of Arkansas from July, 1996 until January, 2007.
Biography
Janet McCain Huckabee was born on July 16, 1955, in Lake Charles, LouisianaLake Charles, Louisiana
Lake Charles is the fifth-largest incorporated city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, located on Lake Charles, Prien Lake, and the Calcasieu River. Located in Calcasieu Parish, a major cultural, industrial, and educational center in the southwest region of the state, and one of the most important in...
, the fourth of five siblings, and moved with her family as an infant to Hope, Arkansas
Hope, Arkansas
Hope is a small city in Hempstead County, Arkansas, United States. According to 2008 United States Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city was 10,378...
. Her mother, Pat House, served four terms as Hempstead County Clerk from 1965 to 1973. She graduated from Hope High School in 1973, and married her high school sweetheart Mike Huckabee in May of the following year. Within two years of their marriage, she was diagnosed with spinal cancer. Faced with the possibility of paralysis and the inability to have children, she underwent surgery and six weeks of radiation therapy. She eventually recovered and gave birth to three children: two sons, John Mark and David
David Huckabee
David Huckabee is a mortgage broker and one of United States 2008 presidential candidate Mike Huckabee's two sons. David Huckabee's wife Lauren, an attorney, worked on Mike Huckabee's campaign for president, having registered Mike as a candidate and having served as "Ballot Access and Delegate...
, and a daughter, Sarah. Prior to becoming First Lady of Arkansas, she was involved with the Texarkana, Arkansas Parent Teacher Association, even serving two terms as its president. She also was active in the Beech Street First Baptist Church and with the ACTS-TV station. She has worked for the Texarkana Public Schools as a substitute teacher, for the St. Michael Hospital, and as a pharmacist's assistant.
Political career
In 2002, she was the Republican PartyRepublican 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...
nominee for Arkansas Secretary of State in the same year her husband was seeking a second term as Governor. She was defeated by the Democratic Party nominee, State Land Commissioner Charlie Daniels
Charlie Daniels (politician)
Charlie Daniels is an American Democratic Party politician from Arkansas. He is currently Auditor for the state of Arkansas and previously served as Arkansas’s Secretary of State and Commissioner of State Lands.-Early Life and Career:...
. Her husband fared better in his re-election bid, defeating his Democratic opponent, State Treasurer Jimmie Lou Fisher
Jimmie Lou Fisher
Jimmie Lou Fisher , grew up in Paragould, Arkansas. She attended school at Delaplaine School in Delaplaine, Arkansas. She, at a very early age, became interested in politics, and aspired to be successful...
.
The following year, she earned an undergraduate degree in organizational management from John Brown University
John Brown University
The main campus in Northwest Arkansas has been the site of the university since it was founded in 1919. JBU has 2,183 students as of the 2011-2012 school year, 1,279 of which are traditional undergraduates. Of these, 878 live on campus. The Graduate School has 468 students...
. For a time, she worked in a management capacity with Hanke Brothers Construction Company of Hot Springs until her husband began his 2008 presidential bid.
External links
- "10 Things You Didn't Know About Janet Huckabee"' (U.S. News & World ReportU.S. News & World ReportU.S. News & World Report is an American news magazine published from Washington, D.C. Along with Time and Newsweek it was for many years a leading news weekly, focusing more than its counterparts on political, economic, health and education stories...
, 11 December 2007) - "Janet Huckabee: Wife of the Preacher Man" (article on Newsweek.com)