76 Facts About Ernie Fletcher

Ernest Lee Fletcher was born on November 12,1952 and is an American physician and politician who was the 60th governor of Kentucky from 2003 to 2007.

Ernie Fletcher previously served three consecutive terms in the United States House of Representatives before resigning after being elected governor.

Ernie Fletcher was the first Republican governor of Kentucky since Louie Nunn left office in 1971.

Ernie Fletcher graduated from the University of Kentucky and joined the United States Air Force to pursue his dream of becoming an astronaut.

Ernie Fletcher left the Air Force after budget cuts reduced his squadron's flying time and earned a degree in medicine, hoping to earn a spot as a civilian on a space mission.

Ernie Fletcher became active in politics and was elected to the Kentucky House of Representatives in 1994.

When Baesler retired to run for a seat in the US Senate, Ernie Fletcher again ran for the congressional seat and defeated Democratic state senator Ernesto Scorsone.

Ernie Fletcher soon became one of the House Republican caucus's leaders regarding health care legislation, particularly the Patients' Bill of Rights.

Ernie Fletcher was elected governor in 2003 over state Attorney General Ben Chandler.

Early in his term, Ernie Fletcher achieved some savings to the state by reorganizing the executive branch.

Ernie Fletcher proposed an overhaul to the state tax code in 2004, but was unable to get it passed through the General Assembly.

Later in 2005, Attorney General Greg Stumbo, the state's highest-ranking Democrat, launched an investigation into whether the Ernie Fletcher administration's hiring practices violated the state's merit system.

Ernie Fletcher issued pardons for anyone on his staff implicated in the investigation, but did not pardon himself.

Ernest Lee Ernie Fletcher was born in Mount Sterling, Kentucky, on November 12,1952.

Ernie Fletcher was the third of four children born to Harold Fletcher Sr.

When Ernie Fletcher was three weeks old, Harold was transferred to Huntington, West Virginia.

Two years later, the Fletchers returned to Robertson County, Kentucky, where they lived until Ernie Fletcher began the first grade.

Ernie Fletcher attended Lafayette High School in Lexington, where he was a member of the National Beta Club.

Ernie Fletcher pledged and became a member of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity.

Ernie Fletcher aspired to become an astronaut, and joined the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps.

In 1980, as budget cutbacks were reducing his squadron's flying time, Ernie Fletcher turned down a regular commission in the Air Force.

Ernie Fletcher left the Air Force with the rank of captain, having received the Air Force Commendation Medal and the Outstanding Unit Award.

Ernie Fletcher enrolled in the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, hoping that a medical degree, along with a military background, would earn him a civilian spot on a space mission.

In 1983, the Lexington Primitive Baptist church that Ernie Fletcher attended ordained him as a lay minister.

In 1989, Ernie Fletcher's church called him to become its unpaid pastor, but over the years, he grew to question some of the church's doctrines, desiring it to become more evangelistic.

Ernie Fletcher accepted an invitation to become a member of the county Republican committee.

Ernie Fletcher represented Kentucky's 78th District and served on the Kentucky Commission on Poverty and the Task Force on Higher Education.

Ernie Fletcher was chosen by Governor Paul E Patton to assist with reforming the state's health-care system.

Rather than challenge a member of his own party, Ernie Fletcher decided to run for a seat representing Kentucky's 6th District in the US House of Representatives later that year.

Ernie Fletcher won the Republican primary for Baesler's seat by a wide margin.

Ernie Fletcher was strongly opposed to abortion, advocated a "flatter, fairer, simpler" tax system, and called for returning most federal education funding to local communities.

Ernie Fletcher served as a member of the House Committees on the Budget and Agriculture.

Later, Ernie Fletcher was assigned to the Committee on Energy and Commerce and was selected as chairman of the Policy Subcommittee on Health.

Ernie Fletcher faced no major-party opposition in his re-election bid in 2002 after the only Democrat in the race, 24-year-old Roy Miller Cornett Jr.

In 2002, Ernie Fletcher was encouraged by Senator Mitch McConnell, the leader of Kentucky's Republican Party, to run for governor and formed an exploratory committee the same year.

Ernie Fletcher cited the fact that from 1995 to 2002, Bates held a Virginia driver's license, paid Virginia income taxes, and "regularly" slept in his apartment in Virginia.

Bates did not appeal the ruling because by allowing the judge to declare a vacancy on the ballot, Ernie Fletcher was able to name a replacement running mate, an option that would not have been afforded him had Bates withdrawn.

Ernie Fletcher chose Steve Pence, United States Attorney for the Western District of Kentucky, as his new running mate.

Ernie Fletcher capitalized on these issues, promising to "clean up the mess" in Frankfort, and won the election by a vote of 596,284 to 487,159.

Ernie Fletcher resigned his seat in the House on December 8,2003, and assumed the governorship the following day.

Ernie Fletcher's victory made him the first Republican elected governor of Kentucky since 1971, and his margin of victory was the largest ever for a Republican in a Kentucky gubernatorial election.

Ernie Fletcher made economic development a priority, and Kentucky ranked fourth among all US states in number of jobs created during his administration.

Ernie Fletcher dissolved the former Kentucky Horse Racing Commission and instead created the Kentucky Horse Racing Authority to promote and regulate the state's horse racing industry.

Consequently, Ernie Fletcher had difficulty getting legislation enacted in the General Assembly.

The plan was drafted with input from seven Democratic legislators in the House, none of them in leadership roles, leading to claims that Ernie Fletcher was trying to circumvent House leadership.

In June 2004, Ernie Fletcher's aircraft caused a security scare that triggered a brief evacuation of the US Capitol and Supreme Court building.

Shortly after takeoff en route to memorial services for former president Ronald Reagan, the transponder on Ernie Fletcher's plane malfunctioned, leading officials at Reagan National Airport to report an unauthorized aircraft entering restricted airspace.

Two F-15 fighters were dispatched to investigate, and Ernie Fletcher's plane was escorted to its destination by two Blackhawk helicopters.

An investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration found that the crew of Ernie Fletcher's plane maintained radio contact with air traffic officials and received clearance to enter the restricted air space.

In July 2004, Ernie Fletcher announced a plan to unify the state's branding to improve its public perception.

Ernie Fletcher's plan provided discounts for members who engaged in healthier behavior, which he called a transition from a sickness initiative to a wellness initiative.

On November 8,2004, Ernie Fletcher signed a death warrant for Thomas Clyde Bowling, who was convicted of a double murder in 1990 and sentenced to death by lethal injection.

On January 13,2005, the Board of Medical Licensure found that Ernie Fletcher was acting in his capacity as governor, not as a doctor, when he signed the warrant and ruled that his license was not subject to forfeiture by that action.

In May 2005, Attorney General Stumbo began an investigation of allegations that the Ernie Fletcher administration circumvented the state merit system for hiring, promoting, demoting and firing state employees by basing decisions on employees' political loyalties.

The next day, Ernie Fletcher was called to testify before the grand jury, but refused to answer any questions, invoking his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.

On September 14,2005, Ernie Fletcher fired nine employees, including four of the nine he pardoned two weeks earlier.

Ernie Fletcher called for the firing of state Republican Party chair Darrell Brock Jr.

The grand jury continued its investigation, issuing five more indictments after Ernie Fletcher issued his blanket pardon.

Only the additional charge against Nighbert was alleged to have occurred after Ernie Fletcher issued the pardon.

On October 24,2005, Ernie Fletcher filed a motion asking Franklin Circuit Court Judge William Graham to order the grand jury to stop issuing indictments for offenses that occurred prior to the blanket pardon; only the names of indicted officials could be included in the jury's final report.

Immediately after the Court of Appeals' ruling, Ernie Fletcher announced his intent to appeal the ruling to the Kentucky Supreme Court.

On February 12,2006, shortly after the beginning of the General Assembly's legislative session, Ernie Fletcher was hospitalized with abdominal pain.

Ernie Fletcher staffers insisted that his absence did not have a negative impact on his ability to get legislation passed during the session.

One project not vetoed by Ernie Fletcher was $11 million for the University of the Cumberlands to build a pharmacy school.

Republican Senate President David L Williams asked Fletcher to include tax breaks for other businesses as well, but Fletcher insisted on a sparse legislative agenda.

Ernie Fletcher then named another special justice to replace Burdette, consistent with a precedent set by former Democratic Governor Brereton Jones.

Under the settlement, Ernie Fletcher acknowledged that evidence "strongly indicate[d] wrongdoing by his administration" but did not admit any wrongdoing personally.

Ernie Fletcher acknowledged that Stumbo's prosecution of the case "[was a] necessary and proper [exercise] of his constitutional duty" and ensured that abuses of the merit system would be ended.

Four members of the state Personnel Board who were appointed by Ernie Fletcher were required to step down.

In early 2005, Ernie Fletcher announced his intent to run for re-election.

Shortly after Ernie Fletcher was indicted by the grand jury in 2006, Lieutenant Governor Pence announced that he would not be Ernie Fletcher's running mate during his re-election bid.

Ernie Fletcher named his executive secretary, Robbie Rudolph, as his new running mate.

Ernie Fletcher indicated that he would consider calling the Assembly into special session later in the year.

Ernie Fletcher denied the claims and insisted that a tax incentive program was needed immediately to keep the state in the running for a proposed coal gasification plant to be built by Peabody Energy.

Beshear favored holding a referendum on a constitutional amendment to allow expanded casino gambling in the state, while Ernie Fletcher maintained that expanded gambling would bring an increase in crime and societal ills.

Ernie Fletcher has served as CEO of the company, which is based in Cincinnati, Ohio, since 2008.