Jeff Colyer
Encyclopedia
Jeffrey "Jeff" Colyer, M.D.
(born June 3, 1960) is the 49th and current Lieutenant Governor of Kansas
. A member of the Republican Party
, he previously served as a member of the Kansas Senate
(2009–2011) and of the Kansas House of Representatives
(2007–2009). He is also a physician
, specializing in plastic surgery
.
, where his father worked as a dentist
. He graduated from Thomas More Prep High School before enrolling at Georgetown University
, where he earned undergraduate degrees in economics and pre-med in 1981. After receiving a Master's degree in International Relations from Cambridge University in 1982, he obtained his Doctor of Medicine
degree from the University of Kansas
in 1986.
Colyer had residency training in general surgery at the Washington Hospital Center
(1986–1988, 1989–1991); in plastic surgery at the University of Missouri–Kansas City
(1991–1993); and in craniofacial/pediatric plastic surgery at the International Craniofacial Institute in Dallas, Texas
(1993–1994). In 1988, during his residency in at the Washington Hospital Center, he was named a White House Fellow
and served in the Executive Office of the President and Agency for International Development under Presidents
Ronald Reagan
and George H.W. Bush. He is one of only three Kansans to be named a White House Fellow since the program was started by President Lyndon Johnson; another was Sam Brownback
, under whom Colyer currently serves as lieutenant governor.
, and Kansas City, Missouri
. He also volunteered with the International Medical Corps
, providing medical care in such areas as Iraq
, Rwanda
, Kosovo
, Sierra Leone
, and Afghanistan
; his work earned him recognition on 60 Minutes
, PBS
, and People
magazine.
nomination in Kansas's 3rd congressional district
; he was defeated by Adam Taff, who lost the general election to incumbent Democrat
Dennis Moore
.
In 2006, Colyer was elected to the Kansas House of Representatives
from the 48th district, receiving 62% in a three-way race. As a freshman legislator, he was selected to serve as chairman of the 2007 Legislative Health Reform Task Force. In 2008, he was elected to the Kansas Senate
to represent the 37th district, receiving 63% in another three-way race.
Colyer financed $25,000 of his own campaign, more than any of his other donor groups.
announced that Jeff Colyer would be his running mate. Brownback and Colyer were elected on November 2, 2010, and assumeed office in January 2011. Colyer resigned his state Senate seat on January 10, 2011, prior to taking the oath of office as lieutenant governor.
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
(born June 3, 1960) is the 49th and current Lieutenant Governor of Kansas
Lieutenant Governor of Kansas
The Lieutenant Governor of Kansas is the lieutenant governor of the U.S. state of Kansas. The lieutenant governor is elected on a ticket with the governor for a four-year term...
. A member of the Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
, he previously served as a member of the Kansas Senate
Kansas Senate
The Kansas Senate is the upper house of the Kansas Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. State of Kansas. It is composed of 40 Senators representing an equal amount of districts, each with a population of at least 60,000 inhabitants. Members of the Senate are elected to a four year term....
(2009–2011) and of the Kansas House of Representatives
Kansas House of Representatives
The Kansas House of Representatives is the lower house of the Kansas Legislature, the legislative body of the U.S. State of Kansas. Composed of 125 state representatives from districts with roughly equal populations of at least 19,000, its members are responsible for crafting and voting on...
(2007–2009). He is also a physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
, specializing in plastic surgery
Plastic surgery
Plastic surgery is a medical specialty concerned with the correction or restoration of form and function. Though cosmetic or aesthetic surgery is the best-known kind of plastic surgery, most plastic surgery is not cosmetic: plastic surgery includes many types of reconstructive surgery, hand...
.
Early life and education
A fifth-generation Kansan, Jeff Colyer was raised in HaysHays, Kansas
Hays is a city in and the county seat of Ellis County, Kansas, United States. The largest city in northwestern Kansas, it is the economic and cultural center of the region. It is also a college town, home to Fort Hays State University...
, where his father worked as a dentist
Dentist
A dentist, also known as a 'dental surgeon', is a doctor that specializes in the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases and conditions of the oral cavity. The dentist's supporting team aides in providing oral health services...
. He graduated from Thomas More Prep High School before enrolling at Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
, where he earned undergraduate degrees in economics and pre-med in 1981. After receiving a Master's degree in International Relations from Cambridge University in 1982, he obtained his Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
degree from the University of Kansas
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The...
in 1986.
Colyer had residency training in general surgery at the Washington Hospital Center
Washington Hospital Center
Washington Hospital Center is the largest private hospital in Washington, D.C.. It serves as a teaching hospital for Georgetown University School of Medicine....
(1986–1988, 1989–1991); in plastic surgery at the University of Missouri–Kansas City
University of Missouri–Kansas City
The University of Missouri–Kansas City is a public university located in Kansas City, Missouri, USA. It is a branch of the University of Missouri System. Its main campus is in Kansas City's Rockhill neighborhood east of the Country Club Plaza...
(1991–1993); and in craniofacial/pediatric plastic surgery at the International Craniofacial Institute in Dallas, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
(1993–1994). In 1988, during his residency in at the Washington Hospital Center, he was named a White House Fellow
White House Fellows
The White House Fellows program was established by President of the United States Lyndon B. Johnson in October 1964. President Johnson articulated that the mission of the program was "to give the Fellows first hand, high-level experience with the workings of the federal government and to increase...
and served in the Executive Office of the President and Agency for International Development under Presidents
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
and George H.W. Bush. He is one of only three Kansans to be named a White House Fellow since the program was started by President Lyndon Johnson; another was Sam Brownback
Sam Brownback
Samuel Dale "Sam" Brownback is the 46th and current Governor of Kansas. A member of the Republican Party, he served as a U.S. Senator from Kansas from 1996 to 2011, and as a U.S. Representative for Kansas's 2nd congressional district from 1995 to 1996...
, under whom Colyer currently serves as lieutenant governor.
Medical career
In 1994, Colyer opened his own plastic/craniofacial surgery practice in Overland Park, KansasOverland Park, Kansas
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 149,080 people, 59,703 households, and 39,702 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,627.0 people per square mile . There were 62,586 housing units at an average density of 1,102.9 per square mile...
, and Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
. He also volunteered with the International Medical Corps
International Medical Corps
International Medical Corps is a global humanitarian nonprofit organization dedicated to saving lives and relieving suffering through health care training and relief and development programs...
, providing medical care in such areas as Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, Rwanda
Rwanda
Rwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
, Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
, Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
, and Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
; his work earned him recognition on 60 Minutes
60 Minutes
60 Minutes is an American television news magazine, which has run on CBS since 1968. The program was created by producer Don Hewitt who set it apart by using a unique style of reporter-centered investigation....
, PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
, and People
People (magazine)
In 1998, the magazine introduced a version targeted at teens called Teen People. However, on July 27, 2006, the company announced it would shut down publication of Teen People immediately. The last issue to be released was scheduled for September 2006. Subscribers to this magazine received...
magazine.
Political career
In the 2002 U.S. House of Representatives elections, Colyer was an unsuccessful candidate for the RepublicanRepublican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
nomination in Kansas's 3rd congressional district
Kansas's 3rd congressional district
Kansas's 3rd congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Kansas. Located in eastern Kansas, the district encompasses Wyandotte and Johnson counties, which include the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, and portions of Douglas County, which includes part of the college town...
; he was defeated by Adam Taff, who lost the general election to incumbent Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Dennis Moore
Dennis Moore
Dennis Moore is a former U.S. Representative for , serving from 1999 until 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party...
.
In 2006, Colyer was elected to the Kansas House of Representatives
Kansas House of Representatives
The Kansas House of Representatives is the lower house of the Kansas Legislature, the legislative body of the U.S. State of Kansas. Composed of 125 state representatives from districts with roughly equal populations of at least 19,000, its members are responsible for crafting and voting on...
from the 48th district, receiving 62% in a three-way race. As a freshman legislator, he was selected to serve as chairman of the 2007 Legislative Health Reform Task Force. In 2008, he was elected to the Kansas Senate
Kansas Senate
The Kansas Senate is the upper house of the Kansas Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. State of Kansas. It is composed of 40 Senators representing an equal amount of districts, each with a population of at least 60,000 inhabitants. Members of the Senate are elected to a four year term....
to represent the 37th district, receiving 63% in another three-way race.
Committee assignments
Colyer served on these legislative committees:- Assessment and Taxation
- Financial Institutions and Insurance
- Joint Committee on Health Policy Oversight
- Public Health and Welfare
Major donors
Some of the top contributors to Colyer's 2008 campaign, according to the National Institute on Money in State Politics:- Jeff Colyer (self-finance), American Society of Plastic Surgeons, Koch Industries, Kansas Medical Society, Kansas Republican Senatorial Committee
Colyer financed $25,000 of his own campaign, more than any of his other donor groups.
Gubernatorial Campaign
On June 1, 2010, U.S. Senator Sam BrownbackSam Brownback
Samuel Dale "Sam" Brownback is the 46th and current Governor of Kansas. A member of the Republican Party, he served as a U.S. Senator from Kansas from 1996 to 2011, and as a U.S. Representative for Kansas's 2nd congressional district from 1995 to 1996...
announced that Jeff Colyer would be his running mate. Brownback and Colyer were elected on November 2, 2010, and assumeed office in January 2011. Colyer resigned his state Senate seat on January 10, 2011, prior to taking the oath of office as lieutenant governor.