Ronnie Musgrove
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| Ronnie Musgrove | |
 David Ronald Musgrove |
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| In office January 11, 2000 – January 13, 2004 |
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| Lieutenant | Amy Tuck |
| Preceded by | Kirk Fordice |
| Succeeded by | Haley Barbour |
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| In office January 1996 – January 11, 2000 |
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| Governor | Kirk Fordice |
| Preceded by | Eddie Briggs |
| Succeeded by | Amy Tuck |
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| Born | July 29, 1956 Tocowa, Mississippi |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Dr. Melody B. Musgrove |
| Religion | Baptist |
| Website | Musgrove For Senate |
David Ronald "Ronnie" Musgrove (born July 29, 1956) is an American politician who was the Democratic Lieutenant Governor from 1996 to 2000 and the Governor from 2000 to 2004 of the U.S. state of Mississippi. He is currently running against incumbent Senator Roger Wicker for one of Mississippi's seats in the U.S. Senate.
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[edit] Personal life
Musgrove was born in Tocowa, Mississippi.
He is a graduate of Northwest Mississippi Community College, the University of Mississippi, and the University of Mississippi School of Law.
In 1977 Musgrove married his wife Melanie. In 2001, while he was in office, Musgrove and his wife divorced after 24 years of marriage.[1] The results and settlement of the divorce were sealed by the judge at the request of the Musgroves.[2] Musgrove married Melody Bounds on August 4, 2007[3].
[edit] Political career
Before being elected Governor, Musgrove was a two-term state senator and Lieutenant Governor under Kirk Fordice.
Musgrove defeated Republican opponent Mike Parker for the governor's office in the 1999 election. However, since neither candidate received a majority of the popular vote, the Mississippi House of Representatives had to select the winner.[4] They chose Musgrove.
In 1998 he was recognized nationally as a leader among his peers, serving as chair of the National Conference of Lieutenant Governors.[5]
As Governor, Musgrove served as vice chair of the National Governor's Association, as chair of the Southern Regional Education Board, as the chair-elect for the Southern States Energy Board, on the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards and the Executive Committee for the Democratic Governors' Association, where he served as vice chair of policy.
In 2000, as Governor he crafted a new jobs program for the state called the Advantage Mississippi Initiative (AMI).[6]
After losing his bid for re-election in 2003 to Republican challenger Haley Barbour, Musgrove returned to private practice with the law firm of Copeland, Cook, Taylor & Bush, P.A. in Ridgeland, Mississippi. He also teaches classes at his alma mater, the University of Mississippi in Oxford, Mississippi, as well as at Mississippi College School of Law in Jackson, Mississippi.
On January 4, 2008, Musgrove confirmed that he would be a candidate for the United States Senate special election in Mississippi in 2008 against Republican candidate Roger Wicker.[7]
[edit] Political views
[edit] Religion
In August 2003, Musgrove sent an invitation via state letterhead to display notorious judge Roy Moore's unconstitutional - as ruled by the U.S. Supreme Court - Ten Commandments monument in the Mississippi Capitol for a week in September. In the letter, Musgrove praised the judge, calling the Ten Commandments "the basis for our legal tradition" and announced that he would call on other governors to display the monument in their state capitols as well. Musgrove further wrote, "It would be my honor to host this monument as a symbol of every Mississippian's dedication to the fundamental principles of the Ten Commandments." Even further, Musgrove invoked "our Christian heritage," condemned "groups like the ACLU," and said there is "no freedom from religion." He called the removal of the Ten Commandments from the Alabama Supreme Court building a "tragedy".[8]
In 2001, Musgrove signed legislation requiring the motto "In God We Trust" to be displayed in every public school classroom, as well as the school auditoriums and cafeterias, throughout the state.[9][10]
[edit] Education
In July 2001, he signed a bill raising teacher pay in Mississippi to the current Southeastern average. The pay raise was implemented over 6 years with the first year consisting of no pay raise. By the time the pay raise had been fully implemented the Southeastern average had changed. Thus, according to the NEA Mississippi currently ranks 49th in teacher pay.
[edit] Gay rights
In 2000, Musgrove signed a bill into law banning lesbian and gay couples from adopting children, making Mississippi only the third state having done so. The law also says that Mississippi will not recognize adoptions from other states by lesbian and gay couples.[11][12]
[edit] Mississippi state flag
In 2000, the Mississippi Supreme Court ruled the Mississippi flag, a source of division among white and black Mississippians, wasn't official under state law. The state flag features prominently the Confederate Battle Flag. The court ruled the flag was officially adopted in 1894, but the law designating the state flag was not among those carried forward in a 1906 update of the state code. The judges left the decision to adopt, or not adopt, the flag to the Legislature and executive branch. In response to the ruling, Musgrove held a press conference to announce that he had issued an executive order the following day creating a 17-member commission to study the flag. In the executive order, Musgrove also called for continuing the use of the flag until the Legislature had received and reviewed the committee's report. During the press conference, flanked by a U.S. flag and the controversial state flag, Musgrove offered no indication of his opinion on the current flag or any possible future design.[13] The commission eventually came up with a new flag design that replaced the battle flag from the canton with a circular array of twenty stars (Mississippi is the 20th state) on a blue background. As campaigning for the flags began leading up to a referendum, Musgrove did endorse the new flag[14]. A referendum was held in April 2001 to determine whether the new flag would be adopted. The old flag won by a vote of 65% to 35%[15].
[edit] References
- ^ Parker, Suzi. "South scrambles to improve state of unions.(USA)", Christian Science Monitor, June 28, 2001.
- ^ The Sun Herald: Musgroves ask for sealed divorce
- ^ The Clarion-Ledger: Musgrove remarries at small ceremony
- ^ Ayres, B. Drummond, Jr.. "Tight Governor's Race Will Be Decided by Mississippi House of Representatives", New York Times, November 4, 1999.
- ^ Southern Governors' Association 2000 Annual Report bio
- ^ Business Wire: Advantage Mississippi Initiative Moves State to Leading Position in Economic Development
- ^ http://www.sunherald.com/306/story/279284.html
- ^ Freedom From Religion Foundation: Mississippi Governor Emulates Moore; Endorses Ten Commandments
- ^ People For the American Way: Back to School with the Religious Right
- ^ The New York Times: National News Briefs; 'In God We Trust' Motto For Mississippi Schools
- ^ CBS News: Mississippi Bans Gay Adoptions; Bans Gay Couples From Adopting Children
- ^ Baptist Press: Miss. governor, Baptist layman, signs homosexual adoption ban
- ^ The Clarion-Ledger: Musgrove creates advisory commission; Future of flag on line
- ^ The New York Times: Battle Lines Form Again on the Battle Flag
- ^ BBC News: Mississippi keeps Confederate flag
[edit] External links
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by Eddie Briggs |
Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi 1996–2000 |
Succeeded by Amy Tuck |
| Preceded by Kirk Fordice |
Governor of Mississippi 2000-2004 |
Succeeded by Haley Barbour |
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