Jonathan Weinzapfel is the 33rd mayor of Evansville, Indiana

Evansville, Indiana

Evansville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Indiana and the largest city in Southern Indiana. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 117,429. It is the county seat of Vanderburgh County and the regional hub for both Southwestern Indiana and the...

. He was elected in November 2003 and again in 2007. He is currently serving a four-year term that began January 1, 2008. He is a member of the Democratic

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...

 party.

Biography

Born to Ralph and Sylvia Weinzapfel in Evansville, Jonathan Weinzapfel's father is currently a member of the Posey County Council and his mother, Sylvia, is Executive Director of the YWCA

YWCA

The YWCA USA is the United States branch of a women's membership movement that strives to create opportunities for women's growth, leadership and power in order to attain a common vision—to eliminate racism and empower women. The YWCA is a non-profit organization, the first of which was founded in...

 in Evansville. He graduated from Reitz Memorial High School

Reitz Memorial High School

Reitz Memorial High School or Evansville Memorial High School outside of Evansville or simply Memorial High School inside Evansville, is a diocesan interparochial Catholic High school in Evansville, Indiana. It sits on a tract of land off Lincoln Avenue that was donated by Francis Joseph Reitz in...

 in 1984 and attended Indiana University Bloomington

Indiana University Bloomington

Indiana University Bloomington is a public research university located in Bloomington, Indiana, in the United States. IU Bloomington is the flagship campus of the Indiana University system. Being the flagship campus, IU Bloomington is often referred to simply as IU or Indiana...

 where he received a Bachelor's degree

Bachelor's degree

A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...

 in chemistry

Chemistry

Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....

. He earned his Master's degree

Master's degree

A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...

 from 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...

. When not in public service, Weinzapfel is an attorney and an adjunct professor at the University of Southern Indiana

University of Southern Indiana

The University of Southern Indiana is a public university in Vanderburgh County, Indiana. This publicly funded institution has been among the fastest growingcomprehensive state universities in Indiana. Record fall enrollment in 2010 reached 10,702...

.

Congressional run

In 1996 Weinzapfel ran for the United States House of Representatives

United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

 in the 8th District of Indiana. He was defeated in a close race by one-term incumbent John Hostettler

John Hostettler

John Nathan Hostettler , was a Republican candidate for the open U.S. Senate seat in the state of Indiana held by retiring Senator Evan Bayh. On December 3, 2009, Hostettler announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate, but lost to former Senator Dan Coats.Hostettler served in the U.S...

 after narrowly defeating (1%) State Representative Rick McConnell of Princeton, Indiana. In the primary, Weinzapfel carried the more liberal parts of Monroe and Vanderburgh Counties, while McConnell won more conservative parts of the 8th District.

Indiana House of Representatives

Weinzapfel went on to serve five years in the Indiana House of Representatives for District 76. In this capacity he served as the Chairman of the Courts and Criminal Code Committee, the Environmental Affairs Committee and the Environmental Quality Service Council.

He also served on the Financial Institutions, the Judiciary and the Public Health Committees. His accomplishments include helping to found the Southwestern Indiana Regional Development Commission. He served as the first president of the group. The Commission is representative of Gibson

Gibson County, Indiana

Gibson County is a county located in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Indiana and is included in the Evansville, Indiana–Kentucky Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2010, the population was 33,503. The county seat is Princeton.-Geography:...

, Posey, Vanderburgh and Warrick counties in order to promote economic development and to improve the quality of life in Southern Indiana.

Mayor of Evansville

His first term as Evansville Mayor began on January 1, 2004. Since taking office, Mayor Weinzapfel has focused on creating jobs and revitalizing downtown. He also started the Evansville Education Roundtable to provide a community-wide dialogue on improving education and has built a collaborative style of decision-making through his "Traveling City Hall" program.

In the 2008 Presidential Campaign he endorsed Barack Obama

Barack Obama

Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...

.

Gubernatorial Run

Due to his popularity in a politically competitive part of the state, there was some speculation of Weinzapfel running for governor in 2008 against incumbent Mitch Daniels

Mitch Daniels

Mitchell Elias "Mitch" Daniels, Jr. is the 49th and current Governor of the U.S. state of Indiana. A Republican, he began his first four-year term as governor on January 10, 2005, and was elected to his second term by an 18-point margin on November 4, 2008. Previously, he was the Director of the...

. He did not, however, enter the race. There has also been speculation that he may run in 2012 when it will be an open seat.

Personal

He lives near the University of Evansville

University of Evansville

The University of Evansville is a small, private university with approximately 3,050 students located in Evansville, Indiana. Founded in 1854 as Moores Hill College, it is located near the interchange of the Lloyd Expressway and U.S. Route 41. It is affiliated with the United Methodist Church...

. He is married to Patricia; they have three children: Nathaniel, Benjamin, and Eleanor. Patricia Weinzapfel is a former reporter for WFIE

WFIE

WFIE is the NBC-afifliated television station for the Tri-State area of Southwestern Indiana, Northwestern Kentucky and Southeastern Illinois that's licensed to Evansville, Indiana. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 46 from a transmitter in the Wolf Hills section of...

Channel 14 Evansville.