Meet John Ashcroft, U.S. Attorney General by NDAA

The nation's new Attorney General does not drink, smoke or dance. But he plays a mean piano, has toured as a gospel singer and lay preacher, was the lead baritone in the Singing Senators Quartet (with fellow Republicans Trent Lott, Larry E. Craig and James M. Jeffords) and has performed at the Grand Old Opry and many church gatherings.

A former U.S. senator, governor and attorney general of Missouri, John Ashcroft brings to his new position a conservative political philosophy as well as a deep religious faith. This faith he inherited from his father, a prominent minister, traveling evangelist and educator who played a key role in making the Assemblies of God one of the nationÕs largest fundamentalist denominations. He is reticent, however, about discussing his faith for publication, once telling a reporter, "I believe it is against my religion to impose my religion on others."

In his 1998 biography, Ashcroft recalled how his father advised him that if he dressed, "for the job you want, not the job you have, shined your shoes every day and wore a 'sharp white shirt and tie,' you can carry off virtually anything." Although he has been known to crack a joke or two at informal gatherings, he is generally serious, rather formal and soft spoken at official events.

Ashcroft, 58, followed his father's advice and stern moral strictures to political success, becoming one of Missouri's most prominent political figures as well as one of the Senate's most conservative members. He opposes abortion in general; endorses most of the National Rifle Association's positions on gun control; favors the death penalty, tax cuts and elimination of the estate tax; and espouses conservative positions on such issues as criminal justice, judicial selection, civil rights, welfare, education and government funding of the arts.

Richard G. (Rich) Callahan, an NDAA vice president and prosecuting attorney of Cole County, Missouri, which includes the capital of Jefferson City, recalls that as state attorney general, Ashcroft, "was respectful of the prosecutor's role in the criminal justice system." He added that when Ashcroft was AG, "We did not have the turf wars that occurred under subsequent attorneys general in Missouri and elsewhere." During Ashcroft's governorship, Callahan dealt closely with the governor's office in his capacity as chief lobbyist for Missouri's prosecutors and recalls that Ashcroft displayed a knowledgeable understanding of prosecutors' concerns.

Robert P. McCulloch, prosecuting attorney of St. Louis County, Missouri, and an NDAA board member, says, "John Ashcroft's strong point as Missouri attorney general was that he understood that the attorney general is not a prosecuting attorney and left prosecution to those who were elected by the people to that position. As U.S. attorney general, I assume that he will continue that role and prevent any further encroachment by the federal government and leave the prosecution of crime at the local level where it is and has been best handled."

Ashcroft received the unanimous endorsement of the NDAA Executive Committee. In informing the Senate Judiciary Committee, NDAA President Robert M. A. Johnson said the endorsement, "was predicated upon Ashcroft's demonstrated integrity and his dedication to ensuring the safety of the American people through strong but fair law enforcement.

"Because the majority of the workload of the criminal justice system is the responsibility of local prosecutors and police agencies," Johnson wrote, "A strong working relationship between federal law enforcement agencies and local prosecutors is vital to both maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of our criminal justice system and see that justice is truly available for all. As a former state attorney general and governor, Senator Ashcroft appreciates that a strong system of local law enforcement is the only means to achieve this end."

John Ashcroft was born in Chicago and raised in Springfield, Missouri, which is still his home, as well as the world headquarters of the Assembly of God church.

After an unsuccessful run for the U.S. House of Representatives in 1972, Ashcroft served in a series of state jobs until 1976, when he was elected state attorney general, succeeding fellow Republican John C. Danforth, who had just been elected to the U.S. Senate. After a second term as attorney general, Ashcroft was elected governor in 1984, succeeding Christopher S. Bond, now Missouri's senior U.S. senator. In 1988 he was elected to a second term, the limit allowed under state law. At his gubernatorial inaugural balls, Ashcroft declined, because of his religious beliefs, to lead the traditional first dance, but instead played "the Missouri Waltz" on the piano, to the delight of the audience and the smiles of his wife, Janet.

When Danforth decided not to seek re-election to a fourth Senate term, Missouri's state GOP leadership did not have to look far to find a replacement with statewide appeal. (Along with Danforth and Bond, Ashcroft is credited with guiding the Missouri Republican Party into a period of unprecedented prominence in a state where Democrats had long dominated.) Ashcroft was nominated and won the Senate seat easily.

Ashcroft had been making preparations to run for president when Missouri's popular Democratic Governor Mel Carnahan, a longtime political foe, announced after the 1998 elections that he would run for the U.S. Senate in 2000. Ashcroft abruptly changed course, deciding instead to focus on defending his Senate seat, telling supporters that running for the presidency would "substantially impair my ability" to serve in the Senate.

There followed one of the strangest series of events in the 2000 campaigns and elections. Ashcroft and Carnahan were running neck-and-neck in the campaign, according to the polls, when Carnahan died in a plane crash in mid-October. Carnahan's name remained on the ballot and the dead governor defeated Ashcroft in the election by about 49,000 votes out of approximately 2.3 million votes cast.

At the request of the lieutenant governor who became acting governor on the death of Carnahan, Janet Carnahan agreed to accept the gubernatorial appointment to the Senate seat her late husband had won. Despite strong sentiment among his supporters for challenging the election on constitutional grounds, Ashcroft just as strongly discouraged such action.

"You have to know," he said, "when the people speak with clarity, how to take orders," adding that the voters had clearly demonstrated their wishes.

"I reject any legal challenges," he continued. "I will discourage others from challenging the will of the people in the selection of their United States senator."

Acknowledging the emotional vote for Mel Carnahan, Ashcroft concluded. "I believe that the will of the people has been expressed with compassion. The people should be respected and heard."

Sources for this article included the Kansas City Star and the New York Times newspapers and Politics in America 2000.