Roy Romer

Roy Romer
Romer in 2019
Superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District
In office June 7, 2000 – November 13, 2006
Preceded by	Ramon C. Cortines(acting)
Succeeded by	David L. Brewer III
General Chair of theDemocratic National Committee
In office January 21, 1997 – September 25, 1999 Served withSteven Grossman(national chair)
Preceded by	Chris Dodd
Succeeded by	Ed Rendell
Chair of theNational Governors Association
In office August 4, 1992 – August 17, 1993
Preceded by	John Ashcroft
Succeeded by	Carroll A. Campbell Jr.
39thGovernor of Colorado
In office January 13, 1987 – January 12, 1999
Lieutenant	Mike Callihan Samuel H. Cassidy Gail Schoettler
Preceded by	Richard Lamm
Succeeded by	Bill Owens
Treasurer of Colorado
In office March 23, 1977 – January 13, 1987
Governor	Richard Lamm
Preceded by	Sam Brown
Succeeded by	Gail Schoettler
Personal details
Born	Roy Rudolf Romer (1928-10-31)October 31, 1928 Garden City, Kansas,U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Bea Miller (died 2023)
Children	7 (includingPaulandChris)
Education	Colorado State University(BA) University of Colorado Boulder(LLB) Yale University
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	US Air Force
Battles/wars	Korean War

Roy Rudolf Romer(born October 31, 1928) is an American politician who served as the39th Governor of Coloradofrom 1987 to 1999, and subsequently as thesuperintendentof theLos Angeles Unified School Districtfrom 2000 to 2006.

Background and personal life

Romer was born inGarden City, Kansas,on October 31, 1928, the son of Margaret Elizabeth (Snyder) and Irving Rudolph Romer.He grew up in the southeastern Colorado town ofHolly.Romer received a bachelor's degree inagricultural economicsfromColorado State Universityin 1950, where he served for one year as President of the Associated Students of Colorado State University. He later received a law degree from theUniversity of Colorado School of Lawin 1952.He also studied ethics for one year atYale Divinity School,and was a legal officer in theU.S. Air Force.

Romer was married to Beatrice Miller Romer for 70 years, until her death in 2023.They had seven children, includingPaul Romer,a Nobel Prize-winning economist, andChris Romer,who was elected to a Colorado State Senate seat from Denver in 2006.His granddaughter,Rachel Romeris the co-founder and CEO ofGuild Education.

Early professional activities

In the 1950s and 1960s, Romer was an attorney inDenver.He was also active in the management of his family's agricultural operations throughout Colorado.

Political career

Colorado state government

Romer as governor.

Romer served in theColorado House of Representativesfrom 1958 to 1962 and in theColorado Senatefrom 1962 to 1966. In 1966, Romer unsuccessfully challenged Republican U.S. SenatorGordon Allott.

Romer was ColoradoState Treasurerfrom 1977 to 1987 (winning re-election to full four-year terms in 1978 and 1982), and a member of the governor's cabinet. Romer was first elected as governor in 1986, and re-elected in 1990 and 1994; he was the second Colorado governor to serve three terms.In 1997, Romer, along with Utah GovernorMichael O. Leavittand Wyoming GovernorJim Geringer,led a bipartisan team of 19 state governors in the founding ofWestern Governors University.

National political positions

Romer chaired theDemocratic Governors Associationin 1991. In 1992, he was co-chairman of the Democratic National Platform Committee. Romer served as national vice chair of theDemocratic Leadership Council,and was a national co-chairman of the Clinton-Gore '96 campaign. In 1997, Romer was elected to serve as general chairman of theDemocratic National Committee.

From 1992 to 1993, Romer served as chair of theNational Governors Association.In 1994–1995 he chaired theEducation Commission of the States,and in 1995, was part of a bipartisan effort by the nation's governors to reformMedicaid.

Romer v. Evans

In law, his name is associated with the anti-discrimination suitRomer v. Evansthat was brought to theSupreme Courtduring his tenure as Governor of Colorado. Though he was opposed to the amendment to the Constitution of Colorado in question, he defended the law, which prevented protected status based upon homosexuality orbisexuality,in state and federal court in his position as Governor during litigation. The Supreme Court ultimately ruled against the state's defense ofAmendment 2,that it had “a rational relationship to legitimate state interests". The Court then invalidated Amendment 2 under thedue process clause of the Fourteenth Amendmentof the Federal Constitution. The state ultimately failed to give a "rational basis"to the purpose of the law. The case did not go as far to ruling that gays and lesbians are protected as intermediate or strict scrutiny under the Fourteenth Amendment and left that question to lower federal and state courts to decide.

Romer v. Grant

In October 2004, Roy Romer and theLos Angeles Unified School Districtfiled suit in the United States District Court, Central District of California against David Grant, a former student of the Los Angeles Unified School District. The suit cited false endorsement of theLanham Act,violation of theCan-Spam Act,California Statutory Cyber Piracy, violation of the right of publicity under California statutory and common law, and California statutoryunfair competition.

The lawsuit alleged David Grant attempted to lure the district's 700,000 students to a pornographic website. Roy Romer and the Los Angeles Unified School District subsequently settled the suit by paying Grant $360,000.00 in exchange for the domain name royromer.com.

Professional activities

On June 7, 2000,he becameSuperintendentof theLos Angeles Unified School District,where he served for six years. On October 12, 2006, the Los Angeles Board of Education unanimously namedDavid L. Brewer IIIas his successor.

On April 25, 2007, Roy Romer began his service as the chairman and lead spokesman forStrong American Schools,a nonprofit project responsible for runningEd in 08,an information and initiative campaign funded by theBill and Melinda Gates Foundationand theEli and Edythe Broad foundation,aimed at encouraging 2008 presidential contenders to include education in their campaign policies.

Honors and awards

In 2008, Roy Romer Middle School in Los Angeles was named after him and it was first opened to students in September of that year.

References

• Colorado State Archives
• National Governor's Association
• The Political Graveyard

External links

• AppearancesonC-SPAN