Kenny Guinn
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| Kenny C. Guinn | |
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27th Governor of Nevada
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| In office January 1, 1999 – January 1, 2007 |
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| Lieutenant | Lorraine Hunt |
| Preceded by | Bob Miller |
| Succeeded by | Jim Gibbons |
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| Born | August 24, 1936 Garland, Arkansas |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Dema Guinn |
| Profession | Banker, Educator |
| Religion | Episcopalian |
Kenneth Carroll "Kenny" Guinn (born August 24, 1936) is an American educator and businessman who was a two-term Governor of Nevada from 1999 to 2007. Guinn is a member of the Republican party.
He was born in Garland, Arkansas and grew up in Exeter, California. He and his wife Dema, whom he married in Reno on July 7, 1956, have two sons, Jeff and Steve.
Kenny Guinn earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in physical education from Fresno State College. He received his Bachelor of Arts in 1957. Guinn later earned a Doctorate in Education from Utah State University in 1970.
Guinn served as superintendent of the Clark County School District from 1969 to 1978. From 1978 to 1987, Guinn served as Vice President of Nevada Savings and Loan. From 1987 to 1988, he was President and Chairman of the Board of PriMerit Bank. From 1988 to 1993, he was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Southwest Gas Corporation and from 1993 to 1997 he was the Chairman of the Board of Directors for Southwest Gas. He briefly served as interim President of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas from 1994 to 1995. On May 22, 2007, it was announced that he was elected to serve on the board of directors for Las Vegas-based MGM MIRAGE.
As governor of Nevada, Guinn developed a reputation as a moderate Republican who appealed to many Democrats. Many conservative critics derided the governor as a "RINO," or "Republican in Name Only." Such criticisms reached a fever pitch during the 2004 legislative session when Gov. Guinn shepherded through a one-billion dollar tax increase, the largest in Nevada history. In percentage terms, Gov. Guinn's 2004 tax hike stands as the largest percentage tax increase ever imposed by one of the 50 states.
In the 2002 election, he garnered 68% of the vote versus Democrat Joe Neal's 22%, which meant that a significant number of Democrats voted for Guinn. In November 2005, Time magazine named him one of the five best governors in the U.S. ([1], [2]) Guinn left office as one of the most popular governors in the nation, according to public opinion surveys.
Guinn declined to endorse his successor, Jim Gibbons, the Republican nominee for Governor of Nevada in 2006 due to bitter disagreements between the two politicians. Guinn has simply stated that he hoped a Republican would succeed him as governor. Gibbons defeated the Democratic nominee Dina Titus and like Guinn, she also holds a Ph.D.
Guinn's second term as Governor expired January 1, 2007. Prior to leaving office, he enjoyed an approval rating of 66%.
There was speculation that President George W. Bush would nominate the popular Guinn for a position at the White House or in federal government after the end of his gubernatorial term; however, Guinn's 2006 defiance of the Veterans Administration in issuing a military headstone for fallen Wiccan Nevada National Guardsman Sergeant Patrick Stewart when the VA refused to do so because of his faith has placed this in jeopardy.[3]
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This article or section is missing citations or needs footnotes. Using inline citations helps guard against copyright violations and factual inaccuracies. (July 2007) |
| Preceded by Bob Miller |
Governor of Nevada 1999–2007 |
Succeeded by Jim Gibbons |
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