John Ashcroft

John Ashcroft
79th United States Attorney General
In office February 2, 2001 – February 3, 2005
President	George W. Bush
Deputy	Robert Mueller (acting) Larry Thompson James Comey
Preceded by	Janet Reno
Succeeded by	Alberto Gonzales
United States Senator from Missouri
In office January 3, 1995 – January 3, 2001
Preceded by	John Danforth
Succeeded by	Mel Carnahan (elect) Jean Carnahan
Chair of the National Governors Association
In office August 20, 1991 – August 4, 1992
Preceded by	Booth Gardner
Succeeded by	Roy Romer
50th Governor of Missouri
In office January 14, 1985 – January 11, 1993
Lieutenant	Harriett Woods Mel Carnahan
Preceded by	Kit Bond
Succeeded by	Mel Carnahan
38th Attorney General of Missouri
In office December 27, 1976 – January 14, 1985
Governor	Joseph Teasdale Kit Bond
Preceded by	John Danforth
Succeeded by	William L. Webster
29th Auditor of Missouri
In office January 8, 1973 – January 14, 1975
Governor	Kit Bond
Preceded by	Kit Bond
Succeeded by	George W. Lehr
Personal details
Born	John David Ashcroft (1942-05-09) May 9, 1942 (age 82) Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Janet Ashcroft ​ (m. 1967)​
Children	3, including Jay
Education	Yale University (BA) University of Chicago (JD)
Signature
John Ashcroft's voice John Ashcroft testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee on domestic intelligence and counterterrorism reforms after 9/11 Recorded July 25, 2002

John David Ashcroft (born May 9, 1942) is an American lawyer, lobbyist, and former politician who served as the United States Attorney General in the George W. Bush administration from 2001 to 2005. He previously held various positions in Missouri politics; as Auditor of Missouri (1973–1975), Attorney General of Missouri (1976–1985), Governor of Missouri (1985–1993), and as a United States Senator representing Missouri (1995–2001). He later founded The Ashcroft Group, a Washington D.C. lobbying firm.^[1]

Ashcroft graduated from Hillcrest High School in 1960 before receiving a J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School. After unsuccessfully running for the U.S. House of Representatives, he was elected Missouri State Auditor in 1974. He then served two consecutive terms as Missouri Attorney General and as Missouri Governor (a historical first for a Republican candidate in the state). He is only Republican to serve two full consecutive terms as governor to date. He also served one term as a U.S. Senator from Missouri until losing a race for a second term in 2000. Ashcroft had early appointments in Missouri state government and was mentored by John Danforth. He has written several books about politics and ethics.

After George W. Bush was elected president in 2000, he selected Ashcroft to serve as U.S. Attorney General. As Attorney General, Ashcroft was a key supporter of the USA Patriot Act following the September 11 attacks and the use of torture to suspected terrorists. Ashcroft stepped down as Attorney General in February 2005 and was replaced by Alberto Gonzales. Since 2011, Ashcroft sits on the board of directors for the private military company Academi (formerly Blackwater) and is a professor at the Regent University School of Law, a conservative Christian institution affiliated with the late televangelist Pat Robertson; he has also been a member of the Federalist Society. His son, Jay Ashcroft, is also a politician, serving as Secretary of State of Missouri since January 2017.^[2]