Governor Mike Beebe

Mike Beebe was sworn in as the 45th Governor of the State of Arkansas on January 9, 2007, following more than two decades of dedicated public service, first as State Senator and then as Attorney General. He believes Arkansas’s future must be built on the foundation of more and better-paying jobs and a first-class education system.

Under Governor Beebe’s leadership, Arkansas has announced more than 21,000 new jobs, even in the midst of a steep national economic downturn. He has provided the largest tax cut in Arkansas history, phasing out the sales tax on groceries, while protecting essential services and meeting the State’s mandate for a balanced budget. By the end of his four-year term as Governor, it’s projected that Beebe’s initiatives will have provided nearly $500 million in tax cuts and ongoing tax relief.

The child of a single mom who quit high school to provide for her son as a waitress, Mike Beebe is a product of – and a believer in – the opportunities that come with education. As Governor, he has led the creation of the State’s first need-based college scholarships, concluded a decade-long court dispute over Arkansas’s public school system, secured the largest single capital investment in Arkansas public schools, and made record investments in the State college and university system. He has expanded adult-education programs to help Arkansans obtain additional education and new skills for better jobs.

In the 2009 legislative session, Governor Beebe introduced and oversaw the passage of the most comprehensive health-care package put forth by any Southern state in this decade.

Born in Amagon, Arkansas (Jackson County), in 1946, the Governor earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Arkansas State University in Jonesboro in 1968, and completed law school at the University of Arkansas in 1972, while serving his country in the U.S. Army Reserve.

The Governor and his wife, Ginger, have three adult children. Governor Beebe is an active member of Trinity Episcopal Church in Searcy, where he has served as a senior warden and member of the vestry.