Raymond Edwin “Ray” Mabus, Jr. (born October 11, 1948) is the 75th United States Secretary of the Navy. Mabus served as the 60th Governor of the U.S. state of Mississippi from 1988 to 1992 and as United States Ambassador to Saudi Arabia from 1994 to 1996.
Raymond Mabus – The 75th United States Secretary of the Navy
Ray Mabus is the 75th United States Secretary of the Navy. As Secretary, he leads America’s Navy and Marine Corps and is responsible for an annual budget in excess of $150 billion and almost 900,000 people. The Secretary of the Navy is responsible for conducting all the affairs of the Department of the Navy, including recruiting, organizing, supplying, equipping, training, and mobilizing. Additionally, he oversees the construction, outfitting, and repair of naval ships, equipment and facilities, and is responsible for the formulation and implementation of policies and programs that are consistent with the national security policies and objectives established by the President and the Secretary of Defense.
Early life of Ray Mabus
Mabus was born in Starkville and is a fourth-generation Mississippian; he grew up in Ackerman, the only child of the owner of the local hardware store. After attending public schools, he graduated summa cum laude from the University of Mississippi, where he was a member of Beta Theta Pi, with a B.A. in English and political science and holds an M.A. in political science from Johns Hopkins University and a Juris Doctor, magna cum laude, from Harvard Law School. He also served in the U.S. Navy aboard the cruiser USS Little Rock, and worked as a law clerk in the United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Ray Mabus – From Governor of Mississippi to the Obama Administration !
Prior to joining the administration of President Barack Obama, Mabus served in a variety of top posts in government and the private sector. Mabus began his professional career working in Washington as legal counsel to the U.S. House Agriculture Committee. Following the election of Governor William Winter, he returned to Mississippi to work in the governor’s office, where the youthful staff– which included Mabus, Dick Molpus, John Henegan and Andy Mullins– earned the nickname “Boys of Spring” from a rival state legislator.
Mississippi State Auditor
In 1983, Mabus was elected state auditor and served from 1984 to 1988, during which time he participated in a large FBI sting operation which recovered millions in misspent or stolen public funds.By the time it was finished, “Operation Pretense” ensnared 57 county supervisors in 25 counties, and all but two supervisors served time in prison. According to the Jackson, Mississippi Clarion-Ledger, Mabus fundamentally changed how county government functioned in the state by raising the profile of the State Auditor’s office.
Governor of Mississippi
In 1987, he defeated Tupelo businessman Jack Reed in the gubernatorial election by 53% to 47%, becoming the youngest governor in the nation at the time. Mabus, who ran on the slogan “Mississippi Will Never Be Last Again,” was billed as “the face of the New South,” much like his counterpart in Arkansas at the time, Bill Clinton. Mabus was featured in a 1988 New York Times Magazine cover story titled “The Yuppies of Mississippi; How They Took Over the Statehouse” which chronicled his challenges and successes.
During his time as governor, he passed B.E.S.T. (Better Education for Success Tomorrow), one of the most comprehensive education reform programs in America; gave teachers the largest pay raise in the nation; and was named one of Fortune Magazine’s ten “education governors”.Mississippi also had record growth in new jobs, investment, tourism and exports. Because of the gubernatorial succession amendment ratified in 1987, Mabus was eligible to become the first governor to serve two successive terms in more than 100 years, and he ran for reelection in 1991. He was narrowly defeated in the general election by Republican Kirk Fordice.
During his tenure as Ambassador, a crisis with Iraq was successfully averted and Saudi Arabia officially abandoned the boycott of United States businesses that trade with Israel. He also was Chairman and CEO of Foamex, a large manufacturing company, which he led out of bankruptcy in less than nine months paying all creditors in full and saving equity. Prior to becoming Governor, he was elected State Auditor of Mississippi and served as a Surface Warfare Officer in the U.S. Navy aboard the cruiser USS Little Rock.
In June 2010, President Obama asked Secretary Mabus to prepare a long-term recovery plan for the Gulf of Mexico in the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. After extensive travel and many meetings, his report “America’s Gulf Coast: A Long-Term Recovery Plan After the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill” was released in September 2010. The report was met with broad bi-partisan support.
Secretary Mabus is a native of Ackerman, Mississippi, and received a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Mississippi, a Master’s Degree from Johns Hopkins University, and a Law Degree from Harvard Law School. He has been awarded the U.S. Department of Defense Distinguished Public Service Award, the U.S. Army’s distinguished Civilian Service Award, the Martin Luther King Social Responsibility Award from the King Center in Atlanta, the National Wildlife Federation Conservation Achievement Award, the King Abdul Aziz Award from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the Mississippi Association of Educators’ Friend of Education Award.
Business ventures
In August 2007, he joined the board of Enersys, the world’s largest manufacturer, marketer and distributor of industrial batteries.From 2006-April 2007, he was Chairman and CEO of Foamex International and helped lead it out of bankruptcy.Less than nine months after his appointment, Foamex emerged from Chapter 11, paid every qualified creditor 100 cents on the dollar, plus interest, and preserved equity
Return to politics as Secretary of the Navy
On March 27, 2009, Mabus was nominated by President Obama as Secretary of the Department of the Navy. He was informally sworn in on May 19, 2009,however it was not until an official ceremony at Washington Navy Yard on June 18, 2009 that Mabus was officially sworn in by the Secretary of Defense Robert Gates.Mabus was considered a candidate for Obama’s cabinet as secretary of education. Mabus served two years in the Navy as a surface warfare officer from 1970 to 1972. In April 2010 a furor arose when it was reported that Mabus made the controversial proposal to name a United States Navy warship after the late Pennsylvania Democrat, John Murtha. Secretary Mabus has a presence on Facebook and frequently comments about his daily activities. This is the first case of a branch secretary maintaining a web presence.
President Obama has asked him to develop a long-term Gulf Coast Restoration Plan as soon as possible. The plan will be designed by states, local communities, tribes, fishermen, businesses, conservationists and other Gulf residents”.
Awards, honors, community service
He is active in many community activities, primarily focusing on education. Following Hurricane Katrina, he founded the Help and Hope Foundation, which works to meet the needs of children affected by the storm. He is a former member of the RAND Center for Middle East Public Policyand the Council on Foreign Relations, and is the Distinguished Lecturer on the Middle East at the University of Mississippi. As a photographer, his photographs have raised tens of thousands of dollars for various Mississippi charities. He has appeared on many television programs as an expert on the Middle East, including “60 Minutes” and “Nightline.”
Personal life of Raymond Mabus
In 1998, Mabus secretly tape recorded conversations he had with his then-wife Julie and a mutual friend (a priest) in attempts to resolve marital difficulties. The conversations provided a basis for Mabus to obtain sole legal custody of the children from that marriage. Julie (now Hines) filed suit against the reverend, his church, and the diocese. The case was the focus of media attention for issues raised relating to privacy rights in the context of churches. Mabus’s actions in the incident were not unlawful and he was not named in the suit.
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