Bill Graves

Who is Bill Graves?

William Preston "Bill" Graves, was the 43rd Governor of Kansas from 1995 until 2003.

Graves was born in Salina, Kansas in 1953 to parents who owned a trucking firm. After graduating from Kansas Wesleyan University with a business degree, he worked in human resources.

In 1990, he was elected Kansas Secretary of State and in 1991, he was appointed as a representative of state governments to the Competitiveness Policy Council. He defeated Democratic Congressman Jim Slattery in the Republican sweeping elections of 1994 at the age of 41, and became one of the youngest Governors in Kansas history. A moderate Republican, Graves was known for his disputes with the conservative wing of the Kansas Republican Party. His term of office saw strong economic growth for Kansas after years of recession, and a continued excellence and emphasis on education. In 1997 Graves served as the Chairman of the Midwestern Governors Association. He won re-election in 1998 with 74% of the vote, which was the largest margin of victory by any Governor up for election in 1998, and one of the largest margins of victory in Kansas gubernatorial history. Graves was barred from running for a third term as Governor by Kansas state law, and was succeeded by Democrat Kathleen Sebelius in January 2003.