Bernie Buescher

Who is Bernie Buescher?

Bernie Buescher is the former secretary of state of Colorado. A Democrat, he was appointed to the office in 2009 by Governor of Colorado Bill Ritter to fill the vacancy left by the resignation of Republican Mike Coffman.

Bernie Buescher is a fourth generation Coloradoan who was born and raised in Grand Junction and has lived there most of his life. After the untimely death of his father, when Bernie was 15 years old, Bernie’s mother, Vickey Buescher, worked hard to put her three children through college and her example taught them that through hard work they could achieve their goals. While at Grand Junction High School, Bernie was the co-editor of the school newspaper. After graduation, he went on to college at Notre Dame and graduated with an accounting degree which he used to help put himself through law school. While at Notre Dame, Bernie met his future wife, Mary Beth. They have been married for 37 years and they have four adult children, Michael, Elizabeth, Marcia, and Susan, and two grandchildren. Bernie and Mary Beth both received their law degrees from the University of Colorado in 1974.

After law school, Bernie and Mary Beth returned to Grand Junction where they raised their family. They became immersed in issues facing the community and together, Bernie and Mary Beth were named "Citizens of the Year" for 2004 by the Grand Junction Chamber of Commerce to honor their community involvement.