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John James Exon (9 August 1921-10 June 2005) was the Democratic Governor of Nebraska from 7 January 1971 to 3 January 1979 (succeeding Norbert Tiemann and preceding Charles Thone) and a US Senator from 3 January 1979 to 3 January 1997 (succeeding Carl Curtis and preceding Chuck Hagel).

Biography[]

John James Exon was born in Geddes, South Dakota in 1921, and he served in the US Army in the Pacific theater of World War II. After the war, he founded Exon Office Supplies in Lincoln in 1953 and served as its president until 1971, when he was elected Governor. He repeatedly vetoed the legislature's spending bills, becoming known as a fiscal conservative, and he won the support of many Nebraskans who normally voted Republican. He also opposed gay rights and vetoed the legalization of gay sex in 1977, but the legislature overrode his veto. He went on to serve in the US Senate from 1979 to 1997, often working with Republicans on fiscal and military issues. In 1983, he voted against establishing a Martin Luther King Jr. Day. He retired in 1996 and died in 2005.

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