John N. Kennedy
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John Neely Kennedy (born November 21, 1951) is the Democratic state treasurer of Louisiana.
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[edit] Early life and career
Kennedy was born in Centreville, Mississippi, and grew up in Zachary in East Baton Rouge Parish. In the summer of 1969, Kennedy represented Louisiana in Washington, D.C. at Boys Nation.
He earned a bachelor's degree from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1973, a Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia at Charlottesville in 1977, and an advanced law degree (B.C.L.) from the University of Oxford in 1979. While a student at Vanderbilt, he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and senior class president. Prior to entering state government service, he was a partner in the law firm of Chafee, McCall, Phillips, Toler, and Sarpy, working in the Baton Rouge and New Orleans offices of the firm.
[edit] State government service
In 1988, Kennedy became special counsel in the office of Governor Charles E. "Buddy" Roemer, III. Two years later, he was appointed cabinet secretary and served in that post until 1992. In 1991, he was an unsuccessful Democratic candidate for state attorney general. The winner of the race was Democrat Richard Ieyoub of Lake Charles. Following his first stint in state government, Kennedy returned to the private practice of law until 1996. That same year, he was appointed secretary of the state Department of Revenue in the cabinet of Republican Governor Murphy J. "Mike" Foster, Jr. Kennedy left the position when he was elected state treasurer in 1999. He was reelected to a second term without opposition in 2003. In 2004, he was an unsuccessful Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate.
He ran a distant third in Louisiana's unique jungle primary, losing to the outright winner, Republican congressman David Vitter who polled more votes than Kennedy (15%), state senator Authur Morrell (3%), and Democratic congressman Christopher John (29%) combined to win in the primary for the seat without no runoff.
[edit] Personal life
In addition to his duties as state treasurer, Kennedy is an adjunct law professor at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge and a volunteer substitute teacher in the East Baton Rouge Parish public schools. He is married to the former Rebecca Ann Stulb, an attorney who worked in the same law firm as he. The couple lives with their son, Preston Kennedy, in Madisonville, a village in St. Tammany Parish. He is Methodist. He is unrelated to the Kennedy family of Massachusetts.
[edit] External links
- Louisiana Department of the Treasury - John Neely Kennedy, State Treasurer official state site
- Follow the Money - John Kennedy 2003 campaign contributions
- Junto Society - John Neely Kennedy biography
- Project Vote Smart - John Neely Kennedy (LA) profile
- State Treasurer John Kennedy official campaign site
- Treasure the Moment John Maginnis, Gambit Weekly, March 13, 2001
| State Treasurers of the United States | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
AK: Bill Corbus (R)* |
HI: Georgina K. Kawamura (R) |
ME: David Lemoine (D) |
NJ: Bradley Abelow (D) |
SD: Vern Larson (R) |
| *No treasurer in this state; closest equivalent listed | ||||
