Matt Blunt

Matthew Roy Blunt (born November 20, 1970) is an American politician and former naval officer who served as the 54th governor of Missouri from 2005 to 2009.

He previously served ten years in the United States Navy and as Missouri secretary of state, a position in which he oversaw elections and ballot initiatives in the state.

Born in 1970 in Greene County, Missouri, Blunt is the son of politician Roy Blunt and his first wife Roseann Ray Blunt.

The senior Blunt was first elected to office in 1984 as Secretary of State for Missouri.

After graduating from Jefferson City High School in Jefferson City, Missouri, Matt Blunt was accepted into the United States Naval Academy, where he received a bachelor's degree in history in 1993.

His active duty service included participation in Operation Uphold Democracy, involving the United Nations blockade of Haiti, missions to interdict drug traffic off the South American coast, and on duties involved in the interdiction of Cuban migrants in 1994.

During his Naval career, Blunt received numerous commendations, including four Navy and Marine Corps Achievement medals.

He entered the Navy Reserve.

He was elected as US Representative in 1997 and as U.S. Senator (R-Missouri) in 2010.

Blunt and his wife Melanie were married in May 1997.

In 1998, Blunt was elected as a Republican to the Missouri House of Representatives to represent the 139th legislative district for a two-year term.

In 2000, he was elected Missouri Secretary of State; although only a first-term state representative, Blunt defeated the Speaker of the Missouri House of Representatives, Steve Gaw.

Blunt was the only Republican elected to statewide office in Missouri in 2000.

In the general election on November 7, 2000, Blunt defeated Democratic opponent Steve Gaw with 51.4% of the vote, to Gaw's 45.1%.

Blunt was 29 on election day, 30 at the time he assumed office, making him the youngest ever to win statewide office in Missouri.

His father had been elected to the same office at age 34.

Following the September 11, 2001 attacks, Blunt was called back into active naval service, after he had been elected to the office of Secretary of State for Missouri.

He completed a six-month tour of duty in Great Britain during Operation Enduring Freedom, during which time he continued to work full-time for the state as well.

He was a Lieutenant Commander in the Navy Reserve.

In August 2001, as Secretary of State, Blunt traveled to Israel along with a delegation of Republicans led by his father, Roy, to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

He promoted a state election reform bill in 2002, which won support of the Republican-controlled Senate and Democratic House.

Blunt won the 2004 Missouri gubernatorial election as the Republican nominee against Democratic nominee Claire McCaskill.

The election coincided with elections in the Missouri General Assembly, where Republicans maintained their majority; this made Blunt the first Republican governor to serve with a Republican legislature in 84 years, making his policy proposals easier to accomplish.

At age 33, he also became the second-youngest person ever elected governor after Kit Bond.

In 2004, Blunt required all electronic voting machines purchased by the state to produce a voter-verified paper ballot.

Blunt faced only token opposition in the Republican primary, which he won with 534,393 votes (68.28%).

In the general election, he faced Missouri State Auditor Claire McCaskill, who had defeated incumbent Governor Bob Holden in the Democratic primary.

The first of two debates between Blunt and McCaskill was held on 18 October where McCaskill compared her experience to Blunt's inexperience; while Blunt said that McCaskill would not support the Marriage protection amendment to the State Constitution.

In the two debates Blunt described himself as bringing change to Missouri and was assisted by President George W. Bush during the campaign.

McCaskill kept her distance from Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry due to Bush's lead in Missouri.

In the end Blunt narrowly defeated McCaskill with surveys showing his conservative stance on social issues and the strong showing of President Bush in Missouri helped him to victory.

Blunt obtained strong leads in the rural parts of the state which was sufficient to overcome McCaskill's leads in St. Louis and Jackson County.

Blunt defeated McCaskill by 1,382,419 votes (50.83%) to 1,301,442 (47.85%) and thus became Missouri's second-youngest Governor.

The couple has two sons, William Branch Blunt, born on March 9, 2005, and Brooks Anderson Blunt, born on January 1, 2010.

Blunt is a member of the State Historical Society of Missouri, the American Legion, and the Missouri Farm Bureau.

As an officer in the United States Navy, Blunt served as an engineering officer aboard the USS Jack Williams and as the navigator and administrative officer on the destroyer USS Peterson.

When Blunt took office on January 10, 2005, it was the first time in Missouri since 1921 that a Republican held the Governor's office with Republican majorities in both houses of the State Legislature.

Blunt and his allies in the Missouri General Assembly moved quickly to enact legislation that they said would create a positive business climate in the state and result in job growth.

Blunt did not seek a second term as governor, announcing his decision on January 22, 2008.

After working as a consultant, Blunt was hired as the president of the American Automotive Policy Council in 2011, representing the auto lobby in Washington, D.C. His father, Roy Blunt, has served in a variety of political offices, including as Missouri secretary of state and congressman, and in the U.S. Senate from 2011 to 2023.