In
office
January 1, 1991 – January 1, 2003
John Mathias Engler (born October 12, 1948) is an
American politician and a member of the Republican Party. He served
as the 46th Governor of Michigan from 1991 to 2003.
Engler has spent most of his adult life in government. He was
serving in the Michigan Senate when he enrolled at Thomas M. Cooley
Law School, and graduated with a Juris Doctor degree from Cooley,
having served as a Michigan State Senator since 1979. He was
elected Senate Majority Leader in 1984 and served there until
elected governor in 1990.
Engler serves on the Board of Advisors of the Russell Kirk Center
for Cultural Renewal, an educational organization that continues
the intellectual legacy of noted conservative icon and Michigan
native Russell Kirk. Engler also serves on the Board of Trustees of
the Marguerite Eyer Wilbur Foundation, which funds many Kirk Center
programs.
His administration was characterized by privatization of state
services, tax reduction, educational reform, welfare reform and
major reorganization of executive branch departments. In 1996 he
was elected Chairman of the Republican Governors Association.
