Brereton Jones

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Brereton Chandler Jones (born June 27, 1939) is an American political figure. He served as the Democratic Governor of Kentucky from 1991 until 1995.

Born in 1939 in Gallipolis, Ohio, Jones graduated from the University of Virginia in 1961. From a political family, Jones began his political career in West Virginia as a Republican, serving in the state's House of Delegates from 1965-1969 and eventually becoming the House Minority Leader. He later registered as a Democrat. A successful real estate developer, Jones moved to Kentucky after marrying Libby Lloyd, the daughter of Arthur Lloyd, the former Adjutant General of Kentucky.

In 1972, Jones and his wife Libby, an activist for farmland preservation, founded Airdrie Stud, a Thoroughbred horse farm in Woodford County. Jones ran as a darkhorse for Lieutenant Governor in 1987 and convincingly won in the Democratic primary against Paul E. Patton, who would later become Governor, and David L. Armstrong, the sitting Attorney General and later Mayor of Louisville. Relations between Jones and Governor Wallace G. Wilkinson deteriorated soon after they took office; the two were never close. Their rivalry became so strong that in the 1991 gubernatorial primary Wilkinson's wife Martha ran against Jones, ending her candidacy shortly before the election because polls showed that she would lose. Wilkinson was later involved in a multi-million dollar bankruptcy scandal. Jones defeated Congressman Larry Hopkins of Lexington in the 1991 general election by what was then the largest margin in history, 146,000 votes. He won the election 539,802 (64.7%) to 293,972 (35.3%) for Hopkins.

As governor, Jones' administration was the most environmentally friendly since the days of Governors Bert T. Combs and Edward T. Breathitt. His hiring of Phillip Shepherd as Secretary of Natural Resources shocked many in the coal industry who were dependent on this agency for permits to approve mountaintop removal and other strip mining projects. His administration also attempted to fix the growing health care problem in Kentucky, but the problem proved too large to overcome. Unfortunately, the health care crisis continues to be a problem in Kentucky and throughout the country. In 2005, more than half a million of Kentucky's labor force did not have health insurance, nineteen percent of the working-age population. http://www.kltprc.net/pubs/healthdata/DataBriefing4.pdf

Another of Jones' accomplishments was successfully pushing for a state constitutional amendment to allow Kentucky governors and other statewide elected officials to run for and serve a second consecutive term. The issue had been considered several times in the preceding decades, but had never been enacted. Jones' predecessor Wilkinson had sought such an amendment, but Wilkinson's insistence that he himself be eligible for succession was not something the General Assembly was willing to pass. Jones backed a succession amendment that specifically excluded himself and all other incumbents at the time.

At the end of his term as Governor, Jones retired to Airdrie Stud, which he and his wife Libby have continued to operate up to the present. Airdrie has bred a total of 100 stakes winners and is the original site of the first commercial Thoroughbred breeding operation in the United States, Winburn Farm.

Jones talked openly of running for governor in 2003 but did not enter the race. Jones has been active in seeking legislation to promote the horse industry in Kentucky, working to ensure that Kentucky continues to be the "Horse Capital of the World." Jones is a founding member and chairman of the Kentucky Equine Education Project (KEEP), an organization launched in 2004 to promote the state’s signature horse industry. http://www.equinealliance.com/

v • d • e Governors of Kentucky Shelby • Garrard • Greenup • Scott • Shelby • Madison • Slaughter • Adair • Desha • Metcalfe • J. Breathitt • J. Morehead • Clark • Wickliffe • Letcher • Owsley • Crittenden • Helm • Powell • C. Morehead • Magoffin • Robinson • Bramlette • Helm • Stevenson • Leslie • McCreary • Blackburn • Knott • Buckner • Brown • Bradley • Taylor • Goebel • Beckham • Willson • McCreary • Stanley • Black • Morrow • Fields • Sampson • Laffoon • Chandler • Johnson • Willis • Clements • Wetherby • Chandler • Combs • E. Breathitt • Nunn • Ford • Carroll • Brown Jr. • Collins • Wilkinson • Jones • Patton • Fletcher • Beshear Kentucky also had two Confederate Governors: George W. Johnson and Richard Hawes.