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Roy Romer | |
|---|---|
 Romer in 2019 | |
| Superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District | |
| In office June 7, 2000 – November 13, 2006 | |
| Preceded by | Ramon C. Cortines (acting) |
| Succeeded by | David L. Brewer III |
| General Chair of theDemocratic National Committee | |
| In office January 21, 1997 – September 25, 1999 Served withSteven Grossman (National Chair) | |
| Preceded by | Chris Dodd |
| Succeeded by | Ed Rendell |
| Chair of theNational Governors Association | |
| In office August 4, 1992 – August 17, 1993 | |
| Preceded by | John Ashcroft |
| Succeeded by | Carroll A. Campbell Jr. |
| 39thGovernor of Colorado | |
| In office January 13, 1987 – January 12, 1999 | |
| Lieutenant | Mike Callihan Samuel H. Cassidy Gail Schoettler |
| Preceded by | Richard Lamm |
| Succeeded by | Bill Owens |
| Treasurer of Colorado | |
| In office March 23, 1977 – January 13, 1987 | |
| Governor | Richard Lamm |
| Preceded by | Sam Brown |
| Succeeded by | Gail Schoettler |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Roy Rudolf Romer (1928-10-31)October 31, 1928 (age 97) Garden City, Kansas, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 7, includingPaul andChris |
| Education | |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Conflict | Korean War |
Roy Rudolf Romer (born October 31, 1928) is an American politician who served as the39th Governor of Colorado from 1987 to 1999, and subsequently as thesuperintendent of theLos Angeles Unified School District from 2000 to 2006. Romer was a member of theDemocratic Party. He is the father ofPaul Romer, a recipient of the 2018Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics.
Romer was born inGarden City, Kansas, on October 31, 1928, the son of Margaret Elizabeth (Snyder) and Irving Rudolph Romer.[1][2] He grew up in the southeastern Colorado town ofHolly. Romer received a bachelor's degree inagricultural economics fromColorado State University in 1950, where he served for one year as President of the Associated Students of Colorado State University. He later received a law degree from theUniversity of Colorado School of Law in 1952.[1] He also studied ethics for one year atYale Divinity School, and was a legal officer in theU.S. Air Force.
Romer was married to Beatrice Miller Romer for 70 years, until her death in 2023.[3] They had seven children, includingPaul Romer, a Nobel Prize-winning economist, andChris Romer, who was elected to a Colorado State Senate seat from Denver in 2006.[4] His granddaughter,Rachel Romer is the co-founder and CEO ofGuild Education.[5]
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Romer served in theColorado House of Representatives from 1958 to 1962 and in theColorado Senate from 1962 to 1966. In 1966, Romer unsuccessfully challenged Republican U.S. SenatorGordon Allott.
Romer was ColoradoState Treasurer from 1977 to 1987 (winning re-election to full four-year terms in 1978 and 1982), and a member of the governor's cabinet. Romer was first elected as governor in 1986, and re-elected in 1990 and 1994; he was the second Colorado governor to serve three terms.[6] In 1997, Romer, along with Utah GovernorMichael O. Leavitt and Wyoming GovernorJim Geringer, led a bipartisan team of 19 state governors in the founding ofWestern Governors University.
Romer chaired theDemocratic Governors Association in 1991. In 1992, he was co-chairman of the Democratic National Platform Committee. Romer served as national vice chair of theDemocratic Leadership Council, and was a national co-chairman of the Clinton-Gore '96 campaign. In 1997, Romer was elected to serve as general chairman of theDemocratic National Committee.[1]
From 1992 to 1993, Romer served as chair of theNational Governors Association.[1]
In law, his name is associated with the anti-discrimination suitRomer v. Evans that was brought to theSupreme Court during his tenure as Governor of Colorado. Though he was opposed to the amendment to the Constitution of Colorado in question, he defended the law, which prevented protected status based upon homosexuality orbisexuality, in state and federal court in his position as Governor during litigation. The Supreme Court ultimately ruled against the state's defense ofAmendment 2, that it had “a rational relationship to legitimate state interests". The Court then invalidated Amendment 2 under thedue process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment of the Federal Constitution. The state ultimately failed to give a "rational basis" to the purpose of the law. The case did not go as far to ruling that gays and lesbians are protected as intermediate or strict scrutiny under the Fourteenth Amendment and left that question to lower federal and state courts to decide.
On June 7, 2000,[7] he becameSuperintendent of theLos Angeles Unified School District, where he served for six years. On October 12, 2006, the Los Angeles Board of Education unanimously namedDavid L. Brewer III as his successor.
On April 25, 2007, Roy Romer began his service as the chairman and lead spokesman forStrong American Schools, a nonprofit project responsible for runningEd in 08, an information and initiative campaign funded by theBill and Melinda Gates Foundation and theEli and Edythe Broad foundation, aimed at encouraging 2008 presidential contenders to include education in their campaign policies.[8]
In 2008, Roy Romer Middle School in Los Angeles was named after him and it was first opened to students in September of that year.[9]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link))| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Democratic nominee forU.S. Senator fromColorado (Class 2) 1966 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Democratic nomineeGovernor of Colorado 1986,1990,1994 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chair of theDemocratic Governors Association 1990–1991 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | General Chair of theDemocratic National Committee 1997–1999 Served alongside:Steven Grossman(National Chair) | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Treasurer of Colorado 1977–1987 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Richard Lamm | Governor of Colorado 1987–1999 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chair of theNational Governors Association 1992–1993 | Succeeded by |
| Academic offices | ||
| Preceded by | Superintendent of theLos Angeles Unified School District 2000–2006 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded byas Former US Senator | Order of precedence of the United States Within Colorado | Succeeded byas Former Governor |
| Preceded byas Former Governor | Order of precedence of the United States Outside Colorado | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
