Brian David Schweitzer was born on September 4,1955 and is an American farmer and politician who served as the 23rd Governor of Montana from 2005 to 2013.
33 Facts About Brian Schweitzer
2.
Brian Schweitzer served as President of the Council of State Governments.
3.
Brian Schweitzer was born in Havre, Montana, the fourth of six children of Kathleen Helen and Adam Brian Schweitzer.
4.
Brian Schweitzer is a first cousin, once removed, of entertainer Lawrence Welk.
5.
Brian Schweitzer spent several years working in Libya and Saudi Arabia, and speaks Arabic.
6.
Brian Schweitzer returned to Montana in 1986 to launch a ranching and irrigation business in Whitefish.
7.
In 2000, Brian Schweitzer ran for the US Senate to challenge Republican incumbent Conrad Burns.
8.
Brian Schweitzer primarily challenged Burns on the issue of prescription drugs, organizing busloads of senior citizens to take trips to Canada and Mexico for cheaper medicine.
9.
When incumbent Governor Judy Martz announced she would not run for re-election in 2004, Brian Schweitzer announced his candidacy.
10.
Brian Schweitzer's running mate was John Bohlinger, a Republican state senator.
11.
Brian Schweitzer was known for his unsparing use of the veto, a power exercised 95 times during his tenure.
12.
Brian Schweitzer vetoed 74 bills in the 2011 legislature, none of which were overridden.
13.
For instance, in April 2011, Brian Schweitzer made news with his unconventional use of a branding iron to publicly veto several bills passed by the Republican-controlled legislature.
14.
Brian Schweitzer has pointed out that Montana has had the highest ending fund balances in the state's history under his administration, with an average ending fund balance of $414 million.
15.
Brian Schweitzer consistently held one of the highest approval ratings among governors in the nation, with polls regularly showing a rating of above 60 percent.
16.
Brian Schweitzer was elected chair of the Democratic Governors Association in 2008.
17.
In 2005, Brian Schweitzer signed into law "Indian Education for All" funding, which provided for the first time funding for schools to fulfill a mandate passed in 1999 to teach tribal history in Montana schools.
18.
The increase was attributed to a variety of initiatives backed by Brian Schweitzer, including increased investments in the state's two-year community college system, better skills and practical training, additional online courses, a dual enrollment program for high school students, and reforms to make it easier for students to transfer academic credits, such as from a two-year to a four-year college.
19.
Brian Schweitzer helped arrange financing for the Rim Rock Wind Farm, which opened in September 2012 as the state's largest wind farm.
20.
Brian Schweitzer strongly supported the proposed Keystone XL pipeline project, which was opposed by environmentalists.
21.
In 2009, after General Motors voided its contracts with Stillwater Mining Company for the development of platinum and palladium mines in Montana following GM's reorganization in bankruptcy, Brian Schweitzer strongly criticized GM's decision to withdraw from the project.
22.
Brian Schweitzer called upon the Obama administration to force GM to continue with the project and expressed concern that the cancellation would harm Montana's mining industry and create a national security risk, as platinum and palladium were mined in only two other nations.
23.
Under Brian Schweitzer, Montana opened a government-owned but privately contracted primary care clinic for state employees, but did not succeed in obtaining HHS permission for the state to import prescription drugs from Canada as a cost-savings measure.
24.
Brian Schweitzer was critical of the Affordable Care Act, the federal health care reform legislation championed by President Barack Obama, saying it did not go far enough in controlling health-care costs, and describing it as a "corporatist" policy, but did not outright oppose the ACA.
25.
In May 2006, Brian Schweitzer granted posthumous pardons to 78 persons convicted in 1918 and 1919 of sedition during World War I for making comments critical of the war.
26.
Brian Schweitzer described his pardons as an important reminder of the importance of individual rights in wartime.
27.
On foreign policy and national security, Brian Schweitzer took positions to the left of Hillary Clinton.
28.
Brian Schweitzer spoke in a prime time slot at the 2008 Democratic National Convention, and gave a speech on American energy independence.
29.
Soon thereafter, a Democrat associated with Brian Schweitzer stated the former governor was leaning toward a bid in 2014.
30.
Brian Schweitzer subsequently became the chair of the Board of Stillwater Mine.
31.
On July 13,2013, Brian Schweitzer stated he would not run for the Senate seat in Montana in 2014.
32.
In February 2015, Brian Schweitzer stated that he has "no plans" to run for president in 2016.
33.
In October 2015, Brian Schweitzer endorsed former Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley's campaign for the Democratic nomination for president and was named a national co-chair for O'Malley's campaign.