Asa Hutchinson
William Asa Hutchinson II (/ˈeɪsə/, AY-sə; born December 3, 1950) is an American attorney, businessman, and politician. He was the 46th Governor of Arkansas from 2015 to 2023. He is a Republican. He was the administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration during the George W. Bush administration from 2001 to 2003.[1] Before, he was a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1997 to 2001. Hutchinson unsuccessfully ran for President of the United States in the 2024 election.[2][3]
Asa Hutchinson | |
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| 46th Governor of Arkansas | |
| In office January 13, 2015 – January 10, 2023 | |
| Lieutenant | Tim Griffin |
| Preceded by | Mike Beebe |
| Succeeded by | Sarah Huckabee Sanders |
| Chair of the National Governors Association | |
| In office July 8, 2021 – July 15, 2022 | |
| Vice Chair | Phil Murphy |
| Preceded by | Andrew Cuomo |
| Succeeded by | Phil Murphy |
| Vice Chair of the National Governors Association | |
| In office August 5, 2020 – July 8, 2021 | |
| Chair | Andrew Cuomo |
| Preceded by | Andrew Cuomo |
| Succeeded by | Phil Murphy |
| Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Border and Transportation Security | |
| In office January 23, 2003 – March 1, 2005 | |
| President | George W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Randy Beardsworth (acting) |
| 8th Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration | |
| In office August 8, 2001 – January 23, 2003 | |
| President | George W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Donnie R. Marshall |
| Succeeded by | Karen Tandy |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Arkansas's 3rd district | |
| In office January 3, 1997 – August 6, 2001 | |
| Preceded by | Tim Hutchinson |
| Succeeded by | John Boozman |
| Chair of the Arkansas Republican Party | |
| In office January 1, 1991 – December 31, 1995 Serving with Sheffield Nelson (1990–1992) | |
| Preceded by | Ken Coon |
| Succeeded by | Lloyd Vance Stone Jr. |
| United States Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas | |
| In office September 1, 1982 – January 20, 1985 | |
| President | Ronald Reagan |
| Preceded by | Larry McCord |
| Succeeded by | Michael Fitzhugh |
| Personal details | |
| Born | William Asa Hutchinson II December 3, 1950 Bentonville, Arkansas, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Susan Burrell (m. 1973) |
| Children | 4 |
| Relatives | Tim Hutchinson (brother) |
| Education | Bob Jones University (BA) University of Arkansas (JD) |
| Signature |  |
Early life
Hutchinson was born in Bentonville, Arkansas. He is a descendant of Alexander Simpson Hutchinson, a government official and slave owner in South Carolina and Arkansas.[4][5][6] He earned his bachelor's degree from Bob Jones University in 1972. He received his J.D. from the University of Arkansas School of Law in 1975.
Legal career
In 1982, President Ronald Reagan hired Hutchinson as the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas. At age 31, Hutchinson was the nation's youngest U.S. Attorney. He helped prosecute a white supremacist organization founded by polygamist James Ellison.[7]
Early political career
In 1986, Hutchinson unsuccessfully ran against Democratic U.S. Senator Dale Bumpers. He successfully ran for the United States House of Representatives in 1996, representing Arkansas's 3rd congressional district.
Hutchinson resigned from the U.S. House when President George W. Bush picked him to be Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration. In 2003, Bush appointed Hutchinson as the Under Secretary for border and transportation security at the newly created Department of Homeland Security. Hutchinson retired from the Bush administration in 2005.
Governor of Arkansas
In 2006, Hutchinson was the Republican nominee for Governor of Arkansas, but lost to Democratic nominee Mike Beebe. In 2014, Hutchinson was again the Republican nominee for governor, this time beating the Democratic nominee, U.S. Representative Mike Ross. He was reelected in 2018.
While serving as governor, Arkansas started having executions again in 2017 after having executed no one since 2005.[8][9][10] Under his time as governor, over 17,000 Arkansans lost their Medicaid coverage over a rule Hutchinson pushed for which required them to work.[11]
In February 2019, Hutchinson signed a bill into law that would criminalize abortion should Roe v. Wade be overturned.[12]
From 2020 to 2021, Hutchinson was vice chair of the National Governors Association. From 2021 to 2022, he was chair of the association.
2024 presidential campaign
In May 2022, Hutchinson said he would think about running for president in 2024 even if former President Donald Trump ran again.[13]
On April 2, 2023, Hutchinson announced his candidacy for the 2024 Republican Party presidential primaries.[14][15]
Hutchinson announced the suspension of his campaign on January 16, 2024, the day after the Iowa Republican caucus.[3]
Personal life
In 1973, Hutchinson married Susan Burrell. They have four children.[16]
Hutchinson's older brother, Tim, is a former U.S. representative and U.S. senator.
Asa Hutchinson Media
Asa Hutchinson's 105th Congress portrait
Hutchinson during a press conference on campaign finance reform in 1998
Hutchinson as Undersecretary for Border and Transportation Security
Hutchinson and U.S. Representative Frank Wolf tour a DEA drug testing facility in Northern Virginia in 2001
Hutchinson campaigning for governor in 2006
Hutchinson greeting Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue in 2017
Hutchinson meeting with President Donald Trump and Laura Kelly in 2020
Hutchinson meeting with President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and a bipartisan group of governors and mayors in 2021
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References
- ↑ "Did Bush-Era DEA Endorse Medical Marijuana?". The Weed Blog. Retrieved Jan 14, 2015.
- ↑ Wiersema, Alisa (April 2, 2023). "ABC News exclusive: Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson announces 2024 presidential run". ABC News. https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/abc-news-exclusive-former-arkansas-gov-asa-hutchinson/story?id=98238115. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Vakil, Caroline (January 16, 2024). "Hutchinson drops out of 2024 GOP primary". The Hill. Archived from the original on January 16, 2024. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
- ↑ Hutchinson, Frederick McAlpine (1947). The Hutchinson family of Laurens County, South Carolina, and descendants. Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center. Houston, Texas: A. Jones Press.
- ↑ "A S Hutchison in the 1850 U.S. Federal Census - Slave Schedules". Ancestry Library. 1850.
Name: A S Hutchison; Residence Date: 1850; Residence Place: Laurens, South Carolina, USA; Number of Enslaved People: 12
- ↑ "A S Hutchison in the 1860 U.S. Federal Census - Slave Schedules". Ancestry Library. 1860.
Name: A S Hutchison; Residence Date: 1860; Residence Place: Brewer, Pike, Arkansas, USA; Number of Enslaved People: 8
- ↑ Selyukh, Alina (December 21, 2012). "U.S. gun lobby ally to lead NRA plan for armed guards at schools". Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/article/usa-guns-nra-hutchinson-idUSL1E8NL91O20121221. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
- ↑ "Arkansas' governor opens up about his rapid execution schedule". NBC News. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
- ↑ "Arkansas' governor is 'fighting back' to execute five men in 10 days. But why?". The Guardian. April 18, 2017. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
- ↑ Dwyer, Colin (April 14, 2017). Federal Court Blocks 7 Executions Set For 11-Day Span In Arkansas. https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/04/14/523948641/courts-block-7-executions-set-for-11-day-span-in-arkansas. Retrieved April 15, 2017.
- ↑ Hardy, Benjamin (December 17, 2018). "Update: Work requirement ends Medicaid coverage for 4,600 more Arkansans in December". Arkansas Times. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
- ↑ Gstalter, Morgan (February 19, 2019). Arkansas governor signs 'trigger' abortion ban bill. https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/430695-arkansas-governor-signs-trigger-abortion-ban-bill. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
- ↑ Cole, Devan (May 1, 2022). "Arkansas GOP governor says he's considering 2024 bid and would run even if Trump does". CNN. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
- ↑ Stracqualursi, Veronica; Iyer, Kaanita (April 2, 2023). "Former Arkansas Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson announces White House bid". CNN. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
- ↑ Wiersema, Alisa (April 2, 2023). "ABC News exclusive: Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson announces 2024 presidential run" (in en-US). ABC News. https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/abc-news-exclusive-former-arkansas-gov-asa-hutchinson/story?id=98238115. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
- ↑ Edmonds, Revis (July 18, 2019). "Susan Burrell Hitchinson". Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
Other websites
- Governor Asa Hutchinson official government site
- Asa Hutchinson on Getting Our Country Back on Track
- Asa Hutchinson at Curlie
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Voting record maintained by The Washington Post