As the country faces a war on American soil for the first time since the Civil War, another heartland native steps up in defense of his country. Attorney General John Ashcroft, a familiar face in Missouri politics, takes the reins as the country’s top law officer.

Though born in Chicago, Ashcroft was raised in the Ozark Mountain country of Springfield, Mo. He left the state to earn a bachelor’s degree from Yale University and a law degree from the University of Chicago. By 1973 he was back in Missouri as the state auditor. Later he continued his work at the capitol as the state’s attorney general. His bipartisan work with the political parties in Missouri prompted his colleagues to vote him to chairman of the National Association of Attorneys General.

In 1984 Ashcroft was voted governor of Missouri and held that position for two terms. During that time, his strong advocacy of educational spending prompted Fortune magazine to rate him as one of the top education governors in the country. Financial World and City and State magazines found Missouri to be one of the best financially managed states in the union under his tenure. After leaving the governor’s mansion, Ashcroft served as a Missouri U.S. senator from 1994 to 2000.

In December 2000, after his loss of the senate seat, Ashcroft was appointed by President George W. Bush to the Attorney General’s office. “As I looked around to find the appropriate person to lead this important office, I looked for three things,” said Bush. “One, a person of unquestionable integrity. Secondly, somebody who knows how to manage, an executive, somebody who can handle a large agency. And thirdly, I wanted someone who would have a commitment to fair and firm and impartial administration of justice. I’m confident I found that person in John Ashcroft.”

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