Joshua Svaty

Last updated
Joshua Svaty
Secretary of Agriculture of Kansas
In office
July 14, 2009 January 10, 2011
Governor Mark Parkinson
Preceded by Adrian Polansky
Succeeded by Dale Rodman
Member of the KansasHouseofRepresentatives
from the 108th district
In office
January 8, 2003 July 14, 2009
Preceded by Jerry Aday
Succeeded by Don Svaty
Personal details
Born (1979-11-07) November 7, 1979 (age 38)
Ellsworth, Kansas, U.S.
Political party Democratic
Spouse(s) Kimberly Svaty
Education Sterling College (BS)
Washburn University (JD)

Joshua Svaty (born November 7, 1979) is an American politician, farmer, and businessman from Kansas. He announced his bid for the 2018 Kansas gubernatorial election as a Democrat on May 16, 2017. [1] In 2002, at the age of 22, Svaty was elected to the Kansas House of Representatives and served until he was appointed secretary of the Kansas Department of Agriculture by Governor Mark Parkinson on July 14, 2009. After leaving office in 2011, Svaty served as the Vice President of The Land Institute, a nonprofit agricultural research entity near Salina. He and his wife own a farm in Ellsworth County, Kansas. [1]

Kansas State of the United States of America

Kansas is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka and its largest city is Wichita, with its most populated county being Johnson County. Kansas is bordered by Nebraska on the north; Missouri on the east; Oklahoma on the south; and Colorado on the west. Kansas is named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the (south) wind" although this was probably not the term's original meaning. For thousands of years, what is now Kansas was home to numerous and diverse Native American tribes. Tribes in the eastern part of the state generally lived in villages along the river valleys. Tribes in the western part of the state were semi-nomadic and hunted large herds of bison.

Democratic Party (United States) political party in the United States

The Democratic Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. Tracing its heritage back to Thomas Jefferson and James Madison's Democratic-Republican Party, the modern-day Democratic Party was founded around 1828 by supporters of Andrew Jackson, making it the world's oldest active political party.

Contents

Education

Svaty received his undergraduate degree from Sterling College, a small liberal arts college in Sterling, Kansas. [2] He later attended Washburn University School of Law in Topeka, Kansas, partly during his term in the Kansas House of Representatives.

Sterling College is a private, Christian, four-year liberal arts college located in Sterling, Kansas, United States. The school is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools and is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA).

Sterling, Kansas City in Kansas, United States

Sterling is a city in Rice County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 2,328. Sterling is home to Sterling College.

Washburn University School of Law

The Washburn University School of Law, commonly referred to as Washburn Law, is a public law school located on the main campus of Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas. Washburn Law was founded in 1903.

Career

Campaign for Governor

Since announcing he was running for Governor of Kansas in May of 2017, Svaty has visited all 105 Kansas counties as part of his campaign trail - traveling over 16,701 miles and counting. [3]

In May of 2018, Svaty announced his running mate for lieutenant governor to be Katrina Lewison, a Manhattan-Ogden USD 383 Board of Education member and former Blackhawk helicopter pilot. [4]

Lieutenant Governor of Kansas

The Lieutenant Governor of Kansas is the second-ranking member of the executive branch of Kansas state government. The lieutenant governor is elected on a ticket with the governor for a four-year term. The lieutenant governor succeeds to the office of governor if the office becomes vacant, and also serves as acting governor if the governor is incapacitated or absent from the state.

House of Representatives

Svaty was first elected to the Kansas House of Representatives at the age of 22. [2] Svaty started his term on January 8, 2003 as a representative of the 108th district, which consisted of Ellsworth County, rural Saline County, parts of south Salina, and Solomon in Dickinson County. [2] Svaty, a member of the Democratic Party, was elected in a district in which the Republican Party held a 2-to-1 registration advantage. [2] He was re-elected to his House seat three times. [2]

Kansas House of Representatives lower house of the legislature of the U.S. state of Kansas

The Kansas House of Representatives is the lower house of the legislature of the U.S. state of Kansas. Composed of 125 state representatives from districts with roughly equal populations of at least 19,000, its members are responsible for crafting and voting on legislation, helping to create a state budget, and legislative oversight over state agencies.

Ellsworth County, Kansas County in the United States

Ellsworth County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 6,497. Its county seat and most populous city is Ellsworth.

Saline County, Kansas County in the United States

Saline County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 55,606. The largest city and county seat is Salina.

Committee membership

  • Energy and Utilities
  • Agriculture and Natural Resources (Ranking Member)
  • Joint Committee on Energy and Environmental Policy

Major donors

The top 5 donors to Svaty's 2008 campaign: [5]

  • 1. AT&T $1,500
  • 2. Kansas National Education Assoc $1,000
  • 3. Kansas Medical Society $1,000
  • 4. Kansas Contractors Assoc $1,000
  • 5. Pioneer Communications $1,000
AT&T American multinational conglomerate holding company

AT&T Inc. is an American multinational conglomerate holding company headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the world's largest telecommunications company, the second largest provider of mobile telephone services, and the largest provider of fixed telephone services in the United States through AT&T Communications. Since June 14, 2018, it is also the parent company of mass media conglomerate WarnerMedia, making it the world's largest media and entertainment company in terms of revenue. As of 2018, AT&T is ranked #9 on the Fortune 500 rankings of the largest United States corporations by total revenue.

Secretary of Agriculture

Governor Mark Parkinson appointed Svaty as the Kansas Secretary of Agriculture in 2009. [6] [2] He served in this role from 2009-2011. [7]

EPA

Svaty served as senior advisor to the regional administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency’s Region 7 for more than two years, following his time as the Secretary of Agriculture. [7] [2]

The Land Institute

Svaty served as the vice president of The Land Institute, a science-based research organization based in Saline County that is working on developing perennial grain crops, before he returned to farming in Ellsworth County. [7] [2] He left The Land Institute in 2015 to focus fully on Free State Farms. [2]

Free State Farms

Svaty and his wife, Kimberly, own and operate Free State Farms, a crop and livestock operation in Ellsworth County. [1] Free State Farms was formed in 2010 and is a fully diversified operation that includes wheat, sorghum, soybeans, sunflowers, and a cow/calf operation. [2]

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References