Kay A. Orr
Encyclopedia
Kay Orr is a United States Republican Party
politician from the state of Nebraska
. She served as the 36th Governor
of Nebraska from 1987 to 1991.
, Orr attended the University of Iowa
. She moved with her family to Lincoln, Nebraska
in 1963. Shortly after moving there, she began volunteering as a Republican Party worker. She supported such politicians as Richard M. Nixon, Carl Curtis
, and Roman Hruska
, and in 1969 was named "Outstanding Young Republican Woman" in Nebraska.
State Treasurer
from 1981–1986, being appointed as Treasurer to fill a midterm vacancy, and subsequently being elected in her own right in 1982. In the 1986 general election, she defeated former Lincoln Mayor Helen Boosalis
in the first U.S. gubernatorial election in which both major party candidates were women, winning by a 53% to 47% margin.
Orr was the first Republican woman to be elected Governor in the United States, although a Republican woman, Vesta M. Roy
, served as the unelected Acting Governor of New Hampshire
from December 1982 to January 1983. To date, she is the only woman to have served as governor of Nebraska.
. The two main attacks on her gubernatorial record that Nelson pursued were her support of a proposed low-level nuclear waste dump and her having raised taxes in the state.
During the 2004 presidential election, Orr cast one of Nebraska's five electoral votes for George W. Bush
.
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...
politician from the state of Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
. She served as the 36th Governor
Governor of Nebraska
The Governor of Nebraska holds the "supreme executive power" of the State of Nebraska as provided by the fourth article of the Nebraska Constitution. The current Governor is Dave Heineman, a Republican, who assumed office on January 20, 2005 upon the resignation of Mike Johanns . He won a full...
of Nebraska from 1987 to 1991.
Background and political roots
Born as Kay Auonne Stark in Burlington, IowaBurlington, Iowa
Burlington is a city in, and the county seat of Des Moines County, Iowa, United States. The population was 25,663 in the 2010 census, a decline from the 26,839 population in the 2000 census. Burlington is the center of a micropolitan area including West Burlington, Iowa and Middletown, Iowa and...
, Orr attended the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
. She moved with her family to Lincoln, Nebraska
Lincoln, Nebraska
The City of Lincoln is the capital and the second-most populous city of the US state of Nebraska. Lincoln is also the county seat of Lancaster County and the home of the University of Nebraska. Lincoln's 2010 Census population was 258,379....
in 1963. Shortly after moving there, she began volunteering as a Republican Party worker. She supported such politicians as Richard M. Nixon, Carl Curtis
Carl Curtis
Carl Thomas Curtis was an American politician from the U.S. state of Nebraska. He served as a Republican in the House of Representatives and later the Senate ....
, and Roman Hruska
Roman Hruska
Roman Lee Hruska was a Republican U.S. Senator from the state of Nebraska. Hruska was known as one of the most vocal conservatives in the United States Senate during the 1960s and 1970s.-Life and career:...
, and in 1969 was named "Outstanding Young Republican Woman" in Nebraska.
State treasurer and governor
Orr served as NebraskaNebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
State Treasurer
State Treasurer
In the state governments of the United States, 49 of the 50 states have the executive position of treasurer. Texas abolished the position of Texas State Treasurer in 1996....
from 1981–1986, being appointed as Treasurer to fill a midterm vacancy, and subsequently being elected in her own right in 1982. In the 1986 general election, she defeated former Lincoln Mayor Helen Boosalis
Helen Boosalis
Helen G. Boosalis was a Nebraska Democratic Party politician.Helen Boosalis was born as Helen Geankoplis in Minneapolis, Minnesota to Greek immigrant parents, where she grew up working in her father's Minneapolis restaurant.In 1945 she married Michael Gus "Mike" Boosalis, a World War II veteran...
in the first U.S. gubernatorial election in which both major party candidates were women, winning by a 53% to 47% margin.
Orr was the first Republican woman to be elected Governor in the United States, although a Republican woman, Vesta M. Roy
Vesta M. Roy
Vesta M. Roy was a Republican New Hampshire politician, born in Dearborn, Michigan.As president of the state Senate, she served as acting governor of New Hampshire from December 29, 1982 until January 6, 1983 as a result of the death of Governor Hugh Gallen shortly before the inauguration of the...
, served as the unelected Acting Governor of New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
from December 1982 to January 1983. To date, she is the only woman to have served as governor of Nebraska.
1990 election and beyond
Orr was narrowly defeated for re-election as Governor in 1990 by conservative Democrat Ben NelsonBen Nelson
Earl Benjamin "Ben" Nelson is the senior U.S. Senator from Nebraska. He is a member of the Democratic Party and was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2000....
. The two main attacks on her gubernatorial record that Nelson pursued were her support of a proposed low-level nuclear waste dump and her having raised taxes in the state.
During the 2004 presidential election, Orr cast one of Nebraska's five electoral votes for George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
.
External links
- Governor Orr's papers at the Nebraska State Historical SocietyNebraska State Historical SocietyThe Nebraska State Historical Society is a Nebraska state agency, founded in 1878 to "encourage historical research and inquiry, spread historical information .....
- National Governors Association biography: Kay Orr
- 1989 Nebraska Proclamation: "Year of the Young Reader"
- Life Magazine: Kay Orr with Ronald Reagan