James Scott McCallum was born in Fond du Lac,Wisconsin,[3] the eldest of four children. His father worked as a construction worker and his mother was a homemaker and bank teller.[citation needed] In 1967,he attended a youth leadership program,Badger Boys State,as a representative chosen from Lowell P. Goodrich High School.
In 1976 at the age of 26,McCallum won a seat in the Wisconsin State Senate,defeating a 20-year incumbent. McCallum won the Republican nomination for the United States Senate in 1982,but lost in the general election to incumbent William Proxmire. During his 10 years (1976–1986) as state senator,McCallum was allied with the New Republican Conference,a now-defunct movement of fiscally conservative,but socially liberal,GOP activists.[7] McCallum's legislative accomplishments included increasing penalties for drunk driving offenses and assaults on prison guards;creating a health insurance risk pool for people considered uninsurable;sunsetting outdated legislation;and indexing individual income taxes to account for inflation.[8]
As the Wisconsin governor,McCallum was cited by the Wall Street Journal during the economic slowdown in 2001 as being one of the 'political tough guys' for balancing the budget without raising taxes.[11] As a governor he was commander-in-chief of the Wisconsin National Guard,directing emergency operations following the September 11 attacks,which resulted in his receiving the 2002 U.S. National Guard Award for his work.[citation needed][clarification needed][why?]
In 2001,McCallum launched "Invest Wisconsin," a new program to focus on the needs of state businesses and communities for investment capital. The public and private partnership was designed to increase awareness of business financing options by engaging statewide networks and professional associations.[12]
As governor he created the Department of Electronic Government and the state's first CIO through consolidation of various departments. This action saved $50 million in its first year while expanding service. Today,the department is known as the "Division of Enterprise Technology" of the Wisconsin Department of Administration. Governor McCallum aggressively used the veto pen to cut expenditures throughout his time in office. It was estimated that Wisconsin taxpayers saved $62.9 million through this action.[13] McCallum ran for a full term in 2002,but was defeated in the election by DemocraticAttorney GeneralJim Doyle. The other major party candidate running in 2002 was LibertarianEd Thompson (brother of Tommy Thompson).
Post-political career
McCallum in 2024
After his public sector service,McCallum was president and CEO of Aidmatrix for nine years.[14] The company is a non-profit based in Texas that matches charitable corporate donations of surplus food and supplies with organizations that need them.[15] Currently,[when?] Governor McCallum owns and operates The McCallum Group,a consulting firm in the State of Wisconsin.[16]
McCallum is now an adjunct professor of Public Affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison's La Follette School of Public Affairs and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.[20]
↑ 'Favorite space: Former governor's home offers lakeside escape,' Patricia Simms (for Wisconsin State Journal), Host.Madison.com., September 26, 2012.
↑ Theobald, H. Rupert; Robbins, Patricia V., eds. (1977). "Elections in Wisconsin". The state of Wisconsin 1977 Blue Book (Report). Madison, Wisconsin: State of Wisconsin. pp.888, 910. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
↑ Theobald, H. Rupert; Robbins, Patricia V., eds. (1981). "Elections in Wisconsin". The state of Wisconsin 1981-1982 Blue Book (Report). Madison, Wisconsin: State of Wisconsin. pp.890, 912. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
↑ Theobald, H. Rupert; Robbins, Patricia V., eds. (1983). "Elections in Wisconsin". The state of Wisconsin 1983-1984 Blue Book (Report). Madison, Wisconsin: State of Wisconsin. pp.881, 903. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
↑ Theobald, H. Rupert; Robbins, Patricia V., eds. (1985). "Elections in Wisconsin". The state of Wisconsin 1985-1986 Blue Book (Report). Madison, Wisconsin: State of Wisconsin. pp.903, 921. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
↑ Theobald, H. Rupert; Barish, Lawrence S., eds. (1987). "Elections in Wisconsin". The state of Wisconsin 1987-1988 Blue Book (Report). Madison, Wisconsin: State of Wisconsin. pp.876–877. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
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