John Garamendi
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| John Garamendi | |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 8, 2007 |
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| Governor(s) | Arnold Schwarzenegger |
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| Preceded by | Cruz Bustamante |
| Succeeded by | Incumbent |
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| Born | January 24, 1945 (age 62) Mokelumne Hill, California |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Patricia W. Garamendi |
John Raymond Garamendi (born January 24, 1945) is a U.S. politician and a member of the Democratic Party. He became the 46th Lieutenant Governor of California on January 8, 2007. He had previously been the California State Insurance Commissioner from 2003–2007, having previously been the first occupant of that office from 1991–1995. He was the U.S. Deputy Secretary of the Interior from 1995–1998.
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[edit] Early years
Born in Mokelumne Hill, California of Basque descent, Garamendi received a Bachelor's degree in business from the University of California, Berkeley and a Master of Business Administration from the Harvard Business School. He served in the Peace Corps in Ethiopia from 1966 to 1968. Garamendi is an Eagle Scout and recipient of the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award.
[edit] Political career
Garamendi won election to the California State Assembly in 1974 and to the State Senate in 1976. Garamendi ran unsuccessfully in the 1982 Democratic gubernatorial primary, where he was defeated by Tom Bradley and in the 1986 Democratic primary for California State Controller when he lost to Gray Davis, but in 1990 was successful in his campaign to become California's first Commissioner of Insurance.
Instead of seeking re-election to the Insurance Commissioner's office in 1994, Garamendi ran for Governor of California but lost the Democratic primary by 15% to State Treasurer Kathleen Brown, [1] who in turn lost the general election by 15% to incumbent Republican Governor Pete Wilson. [2]
Shortly thereafter, President Bill Clinton appointed Garamendi to serve as Deputy Secretary of the Interior, the second-highest post in the U.S. Department of the Interior.
After four years in the private sector, Garamendi won election to a second term as Insurance Commissioner by less than 5%. [3] Seven months into his term as Insurance Commissioner, on August 7, 2003, Garamendi announced his candidacy for Governor in the gubernatorial recall election but dropped out two days later in favor of Lieutenant Governor Cruz Bustamante.
Halfway through his term as Insurance Commissioner, on July 16, 2004, Garamendi announced his candidacy for the 2006 race to replace the term-limited Bustamante as Lieutenant Governor. [4] Bustamante had run to replace Garamendi as Insurance Commissioner.
Former Vice President Al Gore had endorsed Garamendi for Lt. Governor. Garamendi was also endorsed by the Sierra Club, the California Teachers Association, the California League of Conservation Voters, the Peace Officers Research Association of California, the California Professional Firefighters Association, former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle and former Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt, to name a few.
In the June 6, 2006 Democratic primary, Garamendi defeated state senators Liz Figueroa and Jackie Speier, receiving 43% of the vote. The margin of votes between Garamendi and Speier was very tight during much of the election night, with each receiving about 40% of the vote, but in later returns Garamendi pulled ahead. In November 2006 he faced Republican Tom McClintock and several candidates from smaller political parties in the general election. California elects governors and lieutenant governors separately; state treasurer Phil Angelides was the Democratic nominee for Governor of California, but Garamendi could not, in any formal sense, be called Angelides's running mate. Garamendi was elected Lieutenant Governor with 49% of the vote to 45% for Tom McClintock.
[edit] Family
Garamendi is married and has six children. His wife, Patti, ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Congress in 1992 against Republican Richard Pombo. His daughter Ashley, a student at the University of California Davis, was involved in a car accident when she flipped her SUV in West Sacramento on her way home for the Winter Break Holiday in 2006, she was charged with operating a motor vehicle with alcohol in her system, an infraction, she was 20 at the time with a BAC of 0.04. Ashley Garamendi Charged
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- "Notable Former Volunteers / Government". Peace Corps official site. Accessed 5 January 2007.
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Eugene A. Chappie |
California State Assemblymember 5th district 1974 – 1976 |
Succeeded by David Knowles |
| Preceded by Clare L. Berryhill |
California State Senator 1st district 1977 – 1990 |
Succeeded by Patrick Johnston |
| Preceded by None |
California Insurance Commissioner 1991 – 1995 |
Succeeded by Chuck Quackenbush |
| Preceded by Harry W. Low |
California Insurance Commissioner 2003 – 2007 |
Succeeded by Steve Poizner |
| Preceded by Cruz Bustamante |
Lieutenant Governor of California Served Under: Arnold Schwarzenegger 2007 – present |
Incumbent |
| Preceded by Barbara Lawton |
United States order of precedence as of 2007 |
Succeeded by Carol Molnau |
| Insurance Commissioners of California |
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| Garamendi • Quackenbush • Kelso • Low • Garamendi • Poizner |
| Persondata | |
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| NAME | Garamendi, John |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | California politician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | January 24, 1945 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Mokelumne Hill, California |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
