Bill Graves Net Worth, Income, Salary, Earnings, Biography

Governor of Kansas from 1995 to 2003, William Preston “Bill” Graves (born January 9, 1953) was the 43rd Governor of Kansas. Graves’ parents, who ran a trucking company, welcomed him into the world in 1953 in Salina, Kansas. After earning a business degree from Kansas Wesleyan University, he went on to work in the human resources department. In 1990, he was elected Secretary of State of Kansas, and in 1991, he was named to the Competitiveness Policy Council as a representative of state governments in the United States. At the age of 41, he beat Democratic Congressman Jim Slattery in the Republican sweeping elections of 1994, becoming one of Kansas’s youngest governors in the state’s history and becoming one of the state’s youngest governors overall. Although Graves identified as a moderate Republican, he was well-known for his disagreements with members of the extreme side of the Kansas Republican Party. During his tenure as governor, Kansas saw significant economic recovery after years of recession, as well as continuing excellence and focus on education. Graves served as Chairman of the Midwestern Governors Association from 1997 to 1998. In 1998, he was re-elected with 74 percent of the vote, which was the greatest margin of victory achieved by any Governor who was up for re-election that year and one of the highest margins of win in Kansas gubernatorial history at the time.

 Due to Kansas state law, Graves was ruled unable to seek for a third term as Governor. Graves was replaced as Governor by Democrat Kathleen Sebelius in January 2003. Among others who served with him as lieutenant governor were Sheila Frahm (1995–1996), whom he selected to replace Bob Dole’s Senate seat, and Gary Sherrer (1996–2003), both of whom were appointed to the Senate by him. Immediately after his time as Governor, he was elected President of the American Trucking Associations (ATA). Graves was one of five previous governors of Kansas who were interviewed for “The Kansas Governor,” a public television programme on the state’s history. He was considered a potential contender to succeed Norman Mineta as Secretary of Transportation, but he was emphatic that he did not desire the position of Secretary. Although this is the case, Governor Sebelius wrote to President Obama, aggressively advocating for the nomination of her Republican predecessor.

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