Gov. Steve Beshear was inaugurated as Kentucky’s 61st governor on Dec. 11, 2007. Before being elected as governor, Beshear has held a variety of positions in both the public and private sectors. In 1974, he began his political career when he was elected state representative; five years later, he was elected attorney general. He later became the lieutenant governor in 1983.
He spent his time in the private sector working for Stites and Harbison, a multi-state law firm. While working for Stites and Harbison, Beshear served as a board member for the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, and along with his management responsibilities as a senior executive, he was involved in counseling large and small business enterprises – the backbone of job development.
Beshear has participated in numerous Kentucky organizations, including Commerce Lexington, the Kentucky Horse Park Foundation, God's Pantry Food Bank, Bluegrass Tomorrow, the Kentucky World Trade Center and the UK College of Law Visiting Committee.
A native of Dawson Springs in Hopkins County, Beshear graduated from Dawson Springs High School. He received his bachelor and law degrees from the University of Kentucky. After completing law school, he served in the U.S. Army Reserves as an intelligence analyst. While studying at UK, he met his future wife, Jane. The couple has been married for 38 years, and has two sons and one grandson.
