Kempthorne biography

Governor Dirk Kempthorne was reelected as Idaho’s governor in November of 2002. He was first elected as Idaho’s 30th chief executive in 1998, following a six-year term in the United States Senate. Kempthorne began his commitment to public service as the highly successful mayor of Boise. During his seven years in office, he helped direct a renaissance in the state's capital city that resulted in record growth, economic development and numerous national honors and recognitions for quality of life, business climate and family issues. Kempthorne established a statewide voluntary immunization registry to help ensure that more Idaho children from birth to 18 months receive the full complement of vaccinations recommended by pediatricians. He also worked with the Legislature to enact an Idaho reading initiative, designed to have every Idaho child reading at grade level by the third grade. Following the devastating wildfires of 2000, he worked with fellow western governors and federal officials to fundamentally change the approach to forest health and wildfire management. Under his leadership, Idaho has developed wolf and grizzly bear management plans aimed at delisting the endangered species and protecting state's rights by giving the state management responsibilities. Idaho has instituted the first-ever tax credit for companies that expand high-speed voice and data broadband communications lines, and the state has provided funding for regional economic development experts in 12 regions of the state. These professionals work with local communities to attract and retain businesses. In his years of service as governor of Idaho, Kempthorne has signed into law more than 50 bills which have provided either significant tax relief or tax credits for Idahoans. Governor Kempthorne has been recognized by his peers as a national leader. His colleagues elected him as the chairman of the National Governor's Association in August of 2003. In this role, he has launched an initiative to bring a national focus on the looming crisis of long-term care. He has served as president of the Council of State Governments and chairman of the Western Governors Association. He serves on the executive committees of the National Governors Association and the Republican Governors Association. U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige appointed Governor Kempthorne to the national assessment governing board and U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge appointed him to the homeland security task force. Governor Kempthorne and his wife Patricia are both University of Idaho graduates and have two grown children, Heather and Jeff.