William Preston Graves (born January 9, 1953) is an American former politician who was the 43rd governor of Kansas from 1995 until 2003. He is a member of the Republican Party.
Early life Graves was born in Salina, Kansas on January 9, 1953. His parents owned a trucking firm. After graduating from Kansas Wesleyan University with a business degree, he worked in human resources.
Career
In 1986, he was elected Kansas Secretary of State and in 1991, he was appointed as a representative of state governments to the Competitiveness Policy Council.
He defeated Democratic Congressman Jim Slattery in the Republican sweeping elections of 1994 at the age of 41. In 1997 Graves was the Chairman of the Midwestern Governors Association.
He won re-election in 1998. Graves was barred from running for a third term as governor by Kansas state law, and was succeeded by Democrat Kathleen Sebelius in January 2003. Serving with him as lieutenant governor were Sheila Frahm (1995–1996), whom he appointed to fill Bob Dole's seat in the Senate, and Gary Sherrer (1996–2003).
Post-gubernatorial tenure Following his tenure as governor, he became president of the American Trucking Associations.American Trucking Associations
In the 2018 race for governor, Graves endorsed Democratic candidate and eventual winner Laura Kelly over Republican Kris Kobach. Four years later, Graves again endorsed Kelly as she won re-election over Republican Derek Schmidt. In the 2026 U.S. Senate election, Graves endorsed Democratic nominee Adam Hamilton over incumbent Republican Senator Roger Marshall.
Personal life Bill Graves married Linda Richey in 1990, and they have one daughter.
References
External links Kansas.gov/
Nga.org/ Publications concerning Kansas Governor Graves's administration available via the KGI Online Library