Dirk Kempthorne

Dirk Kempthorne
49thUnited States Secretary of the Interior
In office May 26, 2006 – January 19, 2009
President	George W. Bush
Preceded by	Gale Norton
Succeeded by	Ken Salazar
Chair of theNational Governors Association
In office August 19, 2003 – July 20, 2004
Preceded by	Paul Patton
Succeeded by	Mark Warner
30thGovernor of Idaho
In office January 4, 1999 – May 26, 2006
Lieutenant	Butch Otter Jack Riggs Jim Risch
Preceded by	Phil Batt
Succeeded by	Jim Risch
United States Senator fromIdaho
In office January 3, 1993 – January 3, 1999
Preceded by	Steve Symms
Succeeded by	Mike Crapo
51stMayor of Boise
In office January 6, 1986 – January 5, 1993
Preceded by	Richard Eardley
Succeeded by	H. Brent Coles
Personal details
Born	Dirk Arthur Kempthorne (1951-10-29)October 29, 1951 San Diego,California,U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Patricia Kempthorne ​ (m.1977)​
Children	2
Education	San Bernardino Valley College University of Idaho(BA)

Dirk Arthur Kempthorne(born October 29, 1951) is an American politician who served as the 49thUnited States Secretary of the Interiorfrom 2006 to 2009 under PresidentGeorge W. Bush.A member of theRepublican Party,he previously served as aUnited States SenatorfromIdahofrom 1993 to 1999 and the 30thgovernor of Idahofrom 1999 to 2006.

Kempthorne was first elected to public office asMayor of Boisein 1985, where he served for seven years. He serves as a co-chair of the Democracy Project at theBipartisan Policy Center.In November 2010, he was appointed president and CEO of theAmerican Council of Life Insurers.

Early life, education and early career

Raised inSan Bernardino,California,Kempthorne graduated fromSan Gorgonio High Schoolin San Bernardino. He attendedSan Bernardino Valley College,then transferred north to theUniversity of IdahoinMoscow,where he graduated in 1975 with a degree inpolitical science,and served a term asstudent body president.Upon graduation Kempthorne served as an assistant to the director of theIdaho Department of Landsand then as executive vice president of the Idaho Home Builders Association.

In 1982, Kempthorne managed the gubernatorial campaign for Lieutenant GovernorPhil Batt,who lost to the incumbent Democrat, GovernorJohn V. Evans.In 1983 Kempthorne became state public affairs manager forFMC Corporation.

Kempthorne and his wife,Patricia Kempthorne,also a UI graduate, have two adult children, Heather and Jeff.

Kempthorne is ofCornishancestry.

Political career

Mayor of Boise

Kempthorne's first major political victory came at age 34, when he was electedmayorofBoisein 1985. As mayor, Kempthorne became very popular and was unopposed for reelection in 1989.

U.S. Senate

Senator Kempthorne

In 1992,U.S. SenatorSteve Symmsdecided not to seek a third term and Kempthorne pursued the Republican nomination for the seat. In the general election, Kempthorne defeatedDemocraticU.S. RepresentativeRichard H. Stallings.

In the Senate, Kempthorne sponsored and helped pass theUnfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995,a bill meant to prohibit Congress from imposing unfunded federal mandates on states.The bill aimed to:

[C]urb the practice of imposing unfunded Federal mandates on States and local governments; to strengthen the partnership between the Federal Government and State, local and tribal governments; to end the imposition, in the absence of full consideration by Congress, of Federal mandates on State, local, and tribal governments without adequate funding, in a manner that may displace other essential governmental priorities; and to ensure that the Federal Government pays the costs incurred by those governments in complying with certain requirements under Federal statutes and regulations, and for other purposes.

Also in 1995, Senator Kempthorne introducedamendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act.This bill was signed into law byPresident Clintonon August 6, 1996.

During his six years in the Senate, Kempthorne scored a "0" on the League of Conservation Voters' legislative scorecards every year except 1993, when he scored 6 percent on the basis of one vote against funding a rocket booster for the space program that environmentalists judged harmful to the environment. His overall LCV score for that period was less than 1%.

U.S. Senate elections in Idaho (Class III):Results 1992

Year		Democrat	Votes	Pct		Republican	Votes	Pct
1992		Richard Stallings	208,036	43.5%		Dirk Kempthorne	270,468	56.5%

Source:

Governor of Idaho

Kempthorne was expected to run for reelection in1998,but instead decided to run for the open seat for governor. The incumbent,Phil Batt,shocked the state by announcing his retirement after only one term in office, citing his age (71) as the prime factor in his decision. Kempthorne's Senate seat would be won by Republican congressmanMike CrapoofIdaho Falls.

Kempthorne won the gubernatorial election in a landslide, receiving 68 percent of the vote while hisDemocraticopponent,Robert C. Huntley,received only 29 percent. He was reelected in 2002 with 56 percent of the vote; his Democratic opponent,Jerry Brady,polled 42 percent. Kempthorne's campaign spent nearly $200,000 more than it had received in contributions prior to the election; he spent the next two years raising funds to pay off the campaign debt.

Idaho Gubernatorial Elections:Results 1998–2002

Year		Democrat	Votes	Pct		Republican	Votes	Pct		3rd Party	Party	Votes	Pct
1998		Robert Huntley	184,142	29.1%		Dirk Kempthorne	258,095	67.7%		Peter Rickards	Independent	12,388	3.2%
2002		Jerry Brady	171,711	41.7%		Dirk Kempthorne(inc.)	231,566	56.3%		Daniel L.J. Adams	Libertarian	8,187	2.0%

U.S. Secretary of the Interior

Kempthorne is sworn in asSecretary of the Interioron June 7, 2006.

On March 16, 2006, Kempthorne was nominated by PresidentGeorge W. Bushto replaceGale Nortonas the 49thSecretary of the Interior.On May 10, 2006, Kempthorne's nomination was approved by voice vote by theUnited States Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.He was confirmed by the full Senate on May 26 and resigned as Idaho Governor to accept the position the same day. Lieutenant GovernorJim Rischsucceeded Kempthorne as Idaho Governor, filling out the remaining months of his term. Kempthorne is the second Idahoan to hold the Cabinet post. Former GovernorCecil Andruswas the Secretary of the Interior under PresidentJimmy Carter,serving from 1977 to 1981.

Upon Kempthorne's appointment as Secretary of the Interior, environmental groups characterized him as someone who has "almost always favored changing laws like theEndangered Species Actand theSafe Drinking Water Actto make them more favorable to commercial interests. "

As Secretary of the Interior, Kempthorne was criticized for not placing any plants or animals on the federal endangered species list since his confirmation on May 26, 2006. As of September 2007, Kempthorne held the record for protecting fewer species over his tenure than any Interior Secretary in United States history, a record previously held byJames G. Wattfor over 20 years.

In December 2007, as a result of a long-term investigation and resignation of former Deputy Assistant SecretaryJulie MacDonald,Inspector GeneralEarl Devaneyfound "abrupt and abrasive, if not abusive" managementat the department under Kempthorne's supervision. U.S. SenatorRon Wyden,chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests, attributed the "untold waste of hundreds of thousands of taxpayers' dollars" to MacDonald's actions.Of the department, Representative Nick J. Rahall II, chairman of the House Natural Resources said "The results of this investigation paint a picture of something akin to a secret society residing within the Interior Department that was colluding to undermine the protection of endangered wildlife and covering for one another's misdeeds."

In September 2008, Devaney reported wrongdoing by current and former employees of theMinerals Management Service,an agency under Kempthorne's administration that collects about $10 billion in oil and gas royalties annually, and one of the government's largest sources of revenue other than taxes. According toThe New York Times,"Eight officials in the royalty program accepted gifts from energy companies whose value exceeded limits set by ethics rules—including golf, ski and paintball outings; meals and drinks; and tickets to a Toby Keith concert, a Houston Texans football game and a Colorado Rockies baseball game... The investigation also concluded that several of the officials" frequently consumed alcohol at industry functions, had used cocaine and marijuana, and had sexual relationships with oil and gas company representatives. "The New York Times reports a whistleblower had officially complained about the wrongdoings in the spring of 2006, prior to Kempthorne's being sworn into the office.

Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne joins federal and island leaders for a group picture at the Insular Areas Health Summit

On December 16, 2008, theCenter for Biological Diversityannounced intent to sue the Interior Department under Kempthorne for introducing "regulations... that would eviscerate our nation's most successful wildlife law by exempting thousands of federal activities, including those that generate greenhouse gases, from review under the Endangered Species Act." The lawsuit, which is critical of policy advocated by Kempthorne and President George W. Bush, was filed in the Northern District of California by the CBD,GreenpeaceandDefenders of Wildlife.According to the CBD, "The lawsuit argues that the regulations violate the Endangered Species Act and did not go through the required public review process. The regulations, first proposed on August 11th, were rushed by the Bush administration through an abbreviated process in which more than 300,000 comments from the public were reviewed in 2-3 weeks, and environmental impacts were analyzed in a short and cursory environmental assessment, rather than a fullerenvironmental impact statement."

In 2009, CNN correspondentCampbell Browncriticized Kempthorne for using "$235,000 of [taxpayer] money to renovate his office bathroom at the Department of Interior." According to Brown, the costs included a shower, a refrigerator, and a freezer hidden behind lavish wood paneling, as well as "DK" monogrammed towels.Donald Swain, Chief of the Interior Department's National Business Center said the towels do not exist. He further says the project came in $10,000 under budget and was approved by the General Services Administration.

See also

• Wise Use Movement
• List of people from San Bernardino, California § Politics
• List of people from Idaho
  • List of people from Boise, Idaho
• List of University of Idaho people § Government
• List of mayors of Boise, Idaho
• List of governors of Idaho
• List of United States senators from Idaho
• List of new members of the 103rd United States Congress
• List of United States senators in the 103rd Congress
• List of United States senators in the 104th Congress
• List of United States senators in the 105th Congress
• List of former United States senators

References

This article incorporatespublic domain materialfrom theBiographical Directory of the United States Congress

External links

• United States Congress."Dirk Kempthorne (id: K000088)".Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• AppearancesonC-SPAN