Tom Schweich

Thomas A. Schweich (October 2, 1960 – February 26, 2015) was an American politician, diplomat, attorney, and author.

He wrote his first book, Protect Yourself From Business Lawsuits (…and Lawyers Like Me) (Simon & Schuster), in 1998, and it became the best selling business law book on Amazon.com.

Schweich began his public service career in 1999, when he was named Chief of Staff for former U.S. Senator John Danforth's investigation of the federal government's actions in connection with the 1993 FBI siege of the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas; a siege which resulted in the deaths of over 80 people, including 23 children.

The investigation concluded that the Davidians died as a result of a suicide pact, but it also uncovered numerous instances of negligent conduct in the way that the federal government conducted the siege.

John Danforth appointed Schweich to be his chief of staff when he was the United States Ambassador to the United Nations.

Schweich also served as chief of staff to the next two ambassadors to the United Nations, Anne W. Patterson and John R. Bolton.

During his time serving the United Nations delegation, he helped the delegation uncover the Oil for Food Scandal, a scheme by Saddam Hussein to circumvent United Nations sanctions using bribery and kickbacks to U .N. and other officials.

He wrote his second book, Crashproof Your Life: A Comprehensive Three-Part Plan for Avoiding Financial Disasters (McGraw-Hill), in 2002.

He wrote his third book, Staying Power (McGraw-Hill), in 2003.

In addition, he recorded an audio series on personal finance entitled "Protect Your Wealth," which was released in 2004.

In 2005, Schweich became the second-highest ranking and then highest-ranking international law enforcement official in the U.S. State Department as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State and Acting Assistant Secretary of State at the Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs.

He directed four thousand people located in dozens of countries with a budget of more than 2.5 billion dollars.

He was subsequently appointed Coordinator for Counternarcotics and Justice Reform in Afghanistan and was accorded the rank of Ambassador by President George W. Bush.

In the 2010 election, Schweich was elected State Auditor, defeating Democratic incumbent Susan Montee.

In 2010, Schweich sought and won the Republican nomination for Missouri State Auditor, defeating Missouri State Representative Allen Icet with 58.6% of the vote.

In the general election, he faced incumbent and Democratic nominee Susan Montee.

Schweich defeated Montee on November 2, 2010, with a 51% to 45% margin of victory.

A member of the Republican Party, Schweich served as State Auditor of Missouri from 2011 until his death in 2015.

Prior to being elected State Auditor, he served as the U.S. Coordinator for Counternarcotics and Justice Reform in Afghanistan.

While in that position, he was given the rank of Ambassador by U.S. President George W. Bush.

He was reelected in 2014 without opposition.

Schweich made history in the 2014 election when the Democratic party failed to field a candidate against him.

The race marks the first time in 144 years that a Republican has run for a Missouri statewide office without any Democratic opposition.

Democrats attributed Schweich's implementation of an anti-embezzlement program, rapid response team, and grading system, strong fundraising numbers, and broad bipartisan support of his audits as reasons why he did not draw Democratic opposition for re-election.

In the general election, he was re-elected with 73% of the vote to Libertarian Sean O'Toole's 20% and Constitution nominee Rodney Farthing's 7%.

In 2015, Schweich announced he would run for Governor of Missouri in the 2016 election.

On February 26, 2015, he died as a result of injuries sustained from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Schweich was born in St. Louis, Missouri, the son of Brigitte, who was Christian and Julius Schweich, who was Jewish.

He was a fifth generation Missourian and a graduate of Missouri's public school system.

Schweich was not Jewish but believed that there was an anti-Semitic whispering campaign preceding his death which suggested that he was Jewish.

One investigative reporter has been unable to determine the authenticity of the claims, and whether or not they were being used for political gain.

His paternal grandfather was Jewish.

Schweich attended an Episcopal church.

Schweich received his undergraduate degree from Yale University, and he obtained his Juris Doctor degree from Harvard Law School.

After law school he joined the oldest law firm in Missouri, Bryan Cave.

As a partner at Bryan Cave, Schweich specialized in corporate compliance, helping to manage internal audits and investigations for large companies.

On January 28, 2015, Schweich announced he would run for Governor of Missouri, setting the stage for a Republican primary with former Missouri House Speaker Catherine Hanaway.

In addition to his public service career, Schweich was an avid numismatist and a collector of movie memorabilia.

He wrote three books and numerous articles on topics including business law, numismatic history and international relations.

Accolades for his work include three literary awards from the American Numismatic Association.