Ray Mabus

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Ray Mabus
60th Governor of Mississippi
In office January 12, 1988 – January 14, 1992
Lieutenant	Brad Dye
Preceded by	Bill Allain
Succeeded by	Kirk Fordice
Born	October 11, 1948 (1948-10-11) (age 59) Starkville, Mississippi
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Lynne Mabus

Raymond Edwin "Ray" Mabus, Jr. (born October 11, 1948) is an American business and political leader. Based in Mississippi, he works on international business matters, is involved in political campaigns, and serves on various corporate and charitable boards. Previously, he served as Governor of the U.S. state of Mississippi from 1988 to 1992 as a Democrat and as Ambassador to Saudi Arabia from 1994 to 1996.

[edit] Early life

Mabus was born in Starkville and is a fourth-generation Mississippian; he grew up in Ackerman, the only child of the owner of the local hardware store. After attending public schools, he graduated from the University of Mississippi, and holds a master's degree from Johns Hopkins and a law degree, magna cum laude, from Harvard Law School. He also served in the U.S. Navy aboard the cruiser USS Little Rock,^[1] and worked as a law clerk in the United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. .

[edit] Public service

Mabus began his professional career working in Washington as legal counsel to the U.S. House Agriculture Committee. Following the election of Governor William Winter, he returned to Mississippi to work in the governor's office, where the youthful staff -- which included Mabus, Dick Molpus, John Henegan and Andy Mullins -- earned the nickname "Boys of Spring" from a rival state legislator.^[2]

[edit] State Auditor

In 1983, Mabus was elected state auditor and served from 1984 to 1988, during which time he recovered millions in misspent or stolen public funds and participated in a large FBI sting operation.^[3] By the time it was finished, "Operation Pretense" ensnared 57 county supervisors in 25 counties, and all but two supervisors served time in prison. By raising the profile of the State Auditor's office, Mabus fundamentally changed how county government functioned in the state.^[4]

[edit] Governor

In 1987, he defeated Tupelo businessman Jack Reed in the gubernatorial election, becoming the youngest governor in the nation at the time. Mabus, who ran on the slogan "Mississippi Will Never Be Last Again,"^[5] was billed as "the face of the New South," much like his counterpart in Arkansas at the time, Bill Clinton. Mabus was featured in a 1988 New York Times Magazine cover story titled "The Yuppies of Mississippi; How They Took Over the Statehouse" which chronicled his challenges and successes.^[6]

During his time as governor, he passed B.E.S.T. (Better Education for Success Tomorrow), one of the most comprehensive education reform programs in America; gave teachers the largest pay raise in the nation; and was named one of Fortune Magazine’s top ten education governors.^[7] Mississippi also had record growth in new jobs, investment, tourism and exports.

Because of the gubernatorial succession amendment ratified in 1987, Mabus was eligible to become the first governor to serve two successive terms in more than 100 years, and he ran for reelection in 1991. He was narrowly defeated in the general election by Republican Kirk Fordice.^[8]

In a 1999 poll commissioned by the Jackson Clarion-Ledger, Mississippians selected Mabus as the best governor of the millennium.^[9]

[edit] Ambassador

Mabus was appointed by President Bill Clinton to be the United States ambassador to Saudi Arabia and served from 1994 to 1996. During his tenure, a 1994 border crisis involving Yemen was diffused,^[10] a 1994 crisis with Iraq was deterred,^[11] a 1995 terrorist attack was weathered,^[12] child custody disputes were addressed,^[13] and contracts worth more than $16 billion were signed between Saudi Arabian and American companies such as Boeing,^[14] AT&T^[15] and others. Also, Saudi Arabia officially abandoned the boycott of United States businesses that trade with Israel, and more than $8 million of proposed expenditures for the American mission were cut.

While living in Riyadh, Mabus made no secret of his roots, as an American and as a Mississippian. Visitors to his embassy office and his residence were welcomed by a cavalcade of items of interest from back home -- including the Ackerman phone book on his office coffee table and the Mississippi flag, next to the American flag -- as well as a story or two about Mississippi geography, history or current events.

[edit] Current activities

Mabus serves on various corporate and charitable boards, and is involved in international business. In addition, he frequently assists political campaigns, in Mississippi and nationally. In May 2007, he endorsed U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-IL, for president, and is serving as a senior adviser to the campaign.^[16]

In August 2007, he joined the board of Enersys, the world's largest manufacturer, marketer and distributor of industrial batteries.^[17] From 2006-April 2007, he was Chairman and CEO of Foamex International and helped lead it out of bankruptcy. Less than nine months after his appointment, Foamex emerged from Chapter 11, paid every qualified creditor 100 cents on the dollar, plus interest, and preserved equity.^[18]

[edit] Awards, honors, community service

He has been awarded the U.S. Department of Defense Distinguished Public Service Award, the U.S. Army’s Distinguished Civilian Service Award, the Martin Luther King Social Responsibility Award from the King Center in Atlanta, the National Wildlife Federation Conservation Achievement Award, the King Abdul Aziz Award from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the Mississippi Association of Educators’ Friend of Education Award.

He is active in many community activities, primarily focusing on education. Following Hurricane Katrina, he founded the Help and Hope Foundation, which works to meet the needs of children affected by the storm.

He is a member of the RAND Center for Middle East Public Policy^[19] and the Council on Foreign Relations,^[20] and is the Distinguished Lecturer on the Middle East at the University of Mississippi.

As a photographer, his photographs have raised tens of thousands of dollars for various Mississippi charities.

He has appeared on many television programs as an expert on the Middle East, including “60 Minutes” and “Nightline.”

[edit] Personal and family

Mabus lives in Mississippi with his wife Lynne. He has two daughters, Elisabeth (born 1990) and Annie (born 1992), and Lynne has a daughter, Kate (born 2001). He enjoys traveling, scuba diving, skiing, swimming, photography and other outdoor activities.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Mississippi Historical Society biography
• National Governors Association biography
• White House, Office of the Press Secretary, May 11, 1994 (intent to nominate)
• White House, Office of the Press Secretary, July 5, 1994 (Yemen issues)

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