Jeremiah Wilson "Jay" Nixon (born February 13, 1956) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 55th governor of Missouri from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 40th Missouri Attorney General from 1993 to 2009 and as a Missouri state senator from 1987 to 1993.
Born and raised in the city of De Soto, Nixon attended the University of Missouri and graduated with a degree in political science. He first entered politics at age 30 after he was elected to the Missouri Senate to represent Jefferson County. After an unsuccessful campaign for the U.S. Senate in 1988, he was elected Missouri Attorney General in 1992 and reelected in 1996. Following another failed U.S. Senate bid in 1998, he was reelected attorney general twice more in 2000 and 2004, serving a total of four terms, the longest tenure for an attorney general in state history.
In 2008, Nixon was elected governor in a landslide victory over Republican congressman Kenny Hulshof, and he was reelected in 2012. He was term limited in 2016 and was succeeded by Republican Eric Greitens. As of 2025, he is the most recent Democrat to serve as the governor of Missouri. After leaving public office he joined the Dowd Bennett law firm in St. Louis.
Early life and education Nixon was born and raised in De Soto, Missouri. His mother, Betty Lea Nixon (née Wilson), was a teacher and president of the local school board, and his father, Jeremiah "Jerry" Nixon, served as the city's mayor. One of his three paternal great-grandfathers, Abraham Jonas, was an early Jewish settler in Illinois and friend of former President Abraham Lincoln (one of Nixon's paternal great-grandmothers was Jewish, though Nixon is Methodist). His great-great-grandfather Charles Henry Jonas was the brother of Democratic U.S. Senator Benjamin F. Jonas of Louisiana and another, James Oscar Nixon, was a brother of U.S. Representative John Thompson Nixon of New Jersey. Another paternal ancestor, John Inskeep, served as Mayor of Philadelphia (from 1800 to 1801 and 1805 to 1806).
Nixon graduated with honors from the University of Missouri with a degree in political science.Senator to seek office. The Star-Herald. October 15, 1987. He worked at various construction jobs before receiving his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Missouri School of Law.Lindecke, Fred W. (April 19, 1988). Nixon Tests Oratory At Jackson Day Rally. St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
State legislature
In 1986, after a period of private practice in his hometown, Nixon ran for the Missouri Senate from a district in Jefferson County. He won an upset victory in the Democratic primary against two longtime Jefferson County lawmakersReilly, Mike (April 24, 1987). Democrats planning statewide comeback. Columbia Daily Tribune. and defeated his Republican opponent, Larry Callahan, in the general election with 64 percent of the vote. When the new Congress convened on January 7, 1987, Nixon was the only freshman member.Democrat From Festus Will Be Only Newcomer In State Senate. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. November 6, 1986. Nine days after his swearing in, Nixon introduced his first piece of legislation with a bill that would allow schools to purchase satellite dishes in order to provide better broadcasts.Satellite dishes plan. St. Joseph Gazette. January 17, 1987. Later that year, he received an award as an outstanding legislator from the Judicial Conference of Missouri.
In April 1987, Nixon expressed interest in running for the United States Senate in the 1988 election. Some members of the Missouri Democratic Party considered him a worthy candidate, given his upset victory for the state senate, but some remained critical of his lack of political experience. Nixon made his decision official when he announced his candidacy on October 6.Lindecke, Fred W. (October 7, 1987). Jay Nixon Files To Run Against Danforth In '88. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. He was endorsed by the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare (NCPSSM); Nixon welcomed the endorsement, but opponents criticized him for accepting an endorsement from a group "that has been roundly condemned by Missouri newspapers for using scare tactics and misleading information".Ball, Karen (June 25, 1988). Nixon backing prompts assault. Columbia Daily Tribune. Nixon lost the general election to Republican incumbent John Danforth by a wide margin. During the campaign, Danforth outspent Nixon 5–1 through Political Action Committees (PACs).Wretched Campaign Excesses. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. November 11, 1988.
In 1989, Nixon sponsored a bill that would mandate businesses with at least 25 employees to give pregnant workers maternity leave, but the Senate voted 17–16 against the bill.Leave Bill Backed For Maternity. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. March 8, 1989.CAPITAL BRIEFS. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. March 16, 1989. Nixon re-introduced the legislation in 1990, and although the Senate approved the bill,Young, Virginia (May 27, 1990). Bill Gives Leaves To Mothers. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Governor John Ashcroft vetoed it.Ashcroft vetoes maternity leave measure. The Kansas City Star. July 14, 1990. Nixon was reelected in November 1990, defeating Richard Ford, a Republican from Cedar Hill.Mosley, Jim (November 7, 1990). Shneider, Drick, McCarthy, Nixon Re-elected. St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Missouri Attorney General Nixon announced in September 1991 that he would run for state Attorney General.Nixon In Attorney General Race. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. September 24, 1991. During the Democratic primary campaign, fellow Democrat Mike Wolff, a law professor who was also seeking the nomination, accused Nixon of using his political influence to get a consumer fraud complaint in 1988 dropped by then-Attorney General William Webster. Nixon denied Wolff's accusation and said that Wolff sounded "like a desperate candidate".Attorney General candidates spar. St. Joseph News-Press. July 22, 1992. Nixon won the Democratic nomination and general election against Republican David Steelman.Missouri Democrats return. The Kansas City Star. November 6, 1992.
As the state's Attorney General, Nixon created the Environmental Protection Division to enforce Missouri's environmental laws. Attorneys in this division take legal action to stop the pollution of the state's air, water and soil and to look after Missouri's agricultural interests. Successful litigation by the division has resulted in the cleanup of polluted sites and millions of dollars awarded to the state. His aggressive actions in the Attorney General's Office earned him national recognition. Barrister magazine named him one of the 20 outstanding young lawyers in the nation, and the Missouri Jaycees selected him one of Ten Outstanding Young Missourians. Prior to becoming Attorney General, he was recognized by the Conservation Federation of Missouri for his environmental work as a state senator.
In 1998, Nixon again unsuccessfully ran for the U.S. Senate, losing in the general election to Kit Bond. During his tenure as Attorney General, Nixon oversaw the state's involvement in the court settlements that ended mandatory urban busing in St. Louis and Kansas City's public schools. Nixon opposed the states desegregation programs, arguing that it would be a drain on states resources. This angered African-American leaders in the state, who refused to endorse him. Bond, a Republican, would go on to win a third of black voters, per exit polling.
During the 2000 election season, Nixon filed a writ of prohibition to prevent Edward Joseph Manley III, a candidate for Jefferson County sheriff, from appearing on the Democratic primary ballot. He argued that Manley's 1980 conviction for assault with intent to kill disqualified him from running for the position as per state law.Nixon wants felon removed from ballot. Columbia Daily Tribune. April 30, 2000. Circuit court judge M. E. Williams, who had overseen the charges against Manley, ruled in favor of Nixon and removed Manley from appearing on the ballot.Rowden, Tim (May 8, 2000). Judge orders sheriff candidate Manley off the primary ballot. St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Nixon argued to reinstate Missouri's campaign contribution limits to the United States Supreme Court in Nixon v. Shrink (2000), which was successful on his part.
In 2003, Nixon filed lawsuits against EchoStar and Xentel, two out-of-state businesses that allegedly made telemarketing calls to Missouri residents in violation of the state's "no call law".Suits filed under no-call law against two firms. The Springfield News-Leader. August 28, 2003.Suhr, Jim (August 28, 2003). Missouri sues Florida company, alleging violations of no-call law. The Naples Daily News. Associated Press. The following year, a state judge ordered Xentel to pay $75,000 to the state of Missouri, which they did. However, the company continued to call consumers within the state. In 2008, Xentel agreed to settle the lawsuit and paid Missouri $80,000.Firm will pay $80,000 on Missouri No-Call law. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. February 5, 2008.
The Missouri Information Analysis Center (MIAC) issued a report titled "The Modern Militia Movement" on February 20, 2009, informing the Missouri State Highway Patrol of several groups of people who could possibly be linked to domestic militia groups. According to the report, these groups included white Christians, supporters of third-party presidential candidates Ron Paul, Bob Barr, and Chuck Baldwin, as well as opponents of gun control, illegal immigration, abortion, the Federal Reserve System, and the Internal Revenue Service. Following a joint letter from Paul, Barr, and Baldwin condemning the report, Nixon and the MIAC issued an apology concerning the report and stated that it will no longer be displayed on any official state websites.
Governor of Missouri 2008 campaign
In November 2005, Nixon filed with the Missouri Ethics Commission to launch a gubernatorial campaign. In a Research 2000 poll in January 2006, Nixon led over Republican Governor Matt Blunt by eight points. Blunt announced on January 22, 2008, that he would not seek a second term. By the filing deadline on March 25, 2008, three Democratic and five Republican candidates had filed.
Nixon won the Democratic nomination on August 5, the same day Kenny Hulshof won the Republican nomination.Young, Virginia (August 7, 2008), Hulshof, Nixon promise change, St. Louis Post-Dispatch Pre-election polling showed Nixon regularly leading Hulshof, and he eventually opened up a 20-point lead two days before the election.Public Policy Polling On November 4, Nixon defeated Hulshof by a margin of 19 points. The election coincided with the 2008 presidential election, and despite Nixon's landslide win, Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama lost Missouri to Republican John McCain.
First term (2009–2013)
Nixon was inaugurated as governor on January 12, 2009, sworn in by chief justice of the Missouri Supreme Court, Laura Denvir Stith.Livengood, Chad (January 13, 2009). Nixon takes office. The Springfield News-Leader.
Nixon took office amid the Great Recession, and to combat this he focused on creating jobs, investing in education, and strengthening the state's economy while keeping the budget in balance. In January 2009, Nixon proposed keeping the same funding level to public universities on behalf of the schools not increasing their tuition fees, which was generally met favorably.Tang, Didi (January 24, 2009). MSU applauds Nixon decision about funding. The Springfield News-Leader. Nixon also negotiated four tuition freezes for students at public higher education institutions.