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Indiana Governor Joseph E. Kernan - Biography
Joe Kernan, the oldest of nine children, graduated from St. Joseph's High School in South Bend. He was a catcher on the baseball team at the University of Notre Dame, and graduated from there in 1968 with a degree in Government.
Kernan entered the United States Navy in 1969 and served as a Naval Flight Officer aboard the U.S.S. Kitty Hawk. In May of 1972, Kernan was shot down by the enemy while on a reconnaissance mission over North Vietnam. He was held as a prisoner of war for nearly 11 months.
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Kernan was repatriated in 1973 and continued on active duty with the Navy until December 1974. For his service, Kernan received numerous awards, including the Navy Commendation Medal, two Purple Hearts and the
Distinguished Flying Cross.
After completing his Naval service, Kernan worked for Procter and Gamble in Cincinnati in 1975. He then returned to South Bend, where he worked for both the Schwarz Paper Company and the MacWilliams Corporation. He was South Bend's city controller from 1980 to 1984.
Joe Kernan was elected mayor of South Bend in 1987, 1991 and again in 1995, when he won with more than 82 percent of the vote. He is the longest serving mayor in the city's history.
In 1996, Frank O'Bannon and Joe Kernan were elected to the top two positions in Indiana government. The O'Bannon-Kernan team was elected for a second term in 2000. On September 13, 2003, Kernan was sworn in as Indiana's 48th governor following Governor O'Bannon's untimely death.
As lieutenant governor of Indiana, Kernan served as the president of the Indiana Senate, director of the Indiana Department of Commerce and commissioner of Agriculture.
Among Governor Kernan's accomplishments as lieutenant governor:
Agricultural Crisis Working Group. In 1998, Kernan pulled together support for farmers who were struggling through some of darkest times in the agricultural industry's history. What began as simply the Pork Crisis Working Group is now a bipartisan group of men and women who are on call to assist whenever necessary.
Insurance Industry Working Group. Also in 1998, the lieutenant governor created and led a group whose charge was to improve the economic climate for the state's already strong insurance industry. Some of its successes include a reduction in the insurance premium tax rate, a new demutualization law and a new associate's degree through Ivy Tech State College that focuses on the insurance industry.
Honorary Degree. The lieutenant governor was honored by his alma mater when he was chosen as the commencement speaker for the University of Notre Dame's graduation ceremonies. He was awarded an honorary doctorate during the 1998 event.
Reaching Out to Fellow Veterans. Lt. Governor Kernan launched the Veterans Outreach Initiative in 1999 - an effort to encourage veterans to take advantage of the state and federal benefits they have earned by serving our country. Thousands of veterans received information from the lieutenant governor, outlining their benefits and how to go about accessing them.
Indiana 21st Century Research and Technology Fund. As lieutenant governor, Kernan was chairman of the fund, established in 1999, which supports new business development in the high-tech, high-paying sectors of life sciences and computer technology. In three rounds of funding, more than $49 million in grants have been awarded to 43 academic-private sector partnerships, leveraging $95 million in matching funds.
International Trade. During Kernan's tenure as director of the state's Department of Commerce, Indiana stepped up its international presence. In 2001, despite the tragic events of September 11th, Indiana recorded its second highest export numbers in history. More than $14 billion worth of Hoosier goods were shipped outside the state. The state also added six countries to the list of locations where it has a foreign trade office or partnership, bringing the total to 14 worldwide.
Economic Development. Through the Indiana Department of Commerce and the state's other economic development related agencies, 400,000 Hoosier jobs were positively impacted during Kernan's tenure. Commerce alone helped bring 193 new companies into the state and assisted in the expansion of 2,147 existing businesses. Major successes included expansions at Eli Lilly and Co., Dow AgroSciences and Interactive Intelligence in Indianapolis, Toyota Motor Manufacturing in Princeton, Subaru-Isuzu in Lafayette and AM General in South Bend.
Tax Restructuring. In October 2001, Lt. Governor Kernan unveiled the administration's comprehensive plan to overhaul the state's tax system. The plan, which he developed with a group of bi-partisan fiscal and tax experts, was an effort to cut property taxes and create a tax system that would not only preserve the state's traditional manufacturing and agricultural base, but also grow the technology jobs of the future. In June 2002, the Indiana General Assembly passed a tax reform plan based on the lieutenant governor's work, encompassing all of his original goals. In addition, the plan included budgetary measures that ensured continued education funding vital to the state's future.
Energize Indiana. Following the success of the historic tax restructuring that took place in 2002, the O'Bannon-Kernan administration proposed a sweeping job creation plan called Energize Indiana. With unprecedented investment in research and technology, rural development, workforce development and intermodal transportation, the plan will create high-wage, high skill jobs in four high-tech business sectors: life sciences, advanced manufacturing, information technology and high-tech distribution.
Governor Kernan and his wife, First Lady Maggie Kernan, were married in 1974. They have a home in South Bend, where Mrs. Kernan works as a marketing specialist for 1st Source Bank. A Purdue University graduate who is active in community service, the first lady has been mentoring a child through a South Bend Community Schools program since 1994.
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