Missouri Governor Matt Blunt: Politician on the Rise

Missouri's Governor Matt Blunt is not just the second youngest Governor in state history but ranks as one of the youngest current governors in the United States.  Elected to office in November, 2004 at the age of 33, Blunt's star seems to be just rising.   A Republican, he comes from a political family with national clout.   His father, Roy Blunt, is a former Missouri state official and is currently serving as House Majority Whip in the United States Senate.  As the son of Roy and Roseann Blunt, young Matthew was born in Springfield on November 20, 1970.   His mother was Roy Blunt's first wife.

Raised in the Ozark city of Springfield (Missouri's third largest city), Blunt received an appointment to the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland after his high school graduation.   He graduated from the Naval Academy with a Bachelor's degree in History and became a Naval officer.  In 1998, he was elected as a Republican representative to the Missouri House of Representatives and represented the 139th district for a two year term of office.   After that term, Blunt ran for the office of Missouri Secretary of State and won the election, defeating the Speaker of the Missouri House of Representatives.   In 2000, he was the sole Republican elected to state office in Missouri.

After the terrorist attacks of 9/11/01, Blunt was called back to active duty.  He served six months as part of Operation Enduring Freedom in Great Britian and then returned to the Show-Me State to complete his term as Secretary of State.

On November 4, 2004, he won the race for Governor and defeated  his opponent, State Auditor Claire McCaskill by a majority vote. Blunt made history when he took office in January 2005 by becoming the first Republican governer since 1921 to take office with a  Republican majority in both houses of the Missouri Legislalture.