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Joseph Eugene Kernan III (April 8, 1946 – July 29, 2020) was an American businessman and Democratic politician who served as the 48th governor of Indiana from 2003 to 2005. He previously served as the 47th lieutenant governor of Indiana from 1997 to 2003 under Frank O'Bannon and succeeded the governorship after O'Bannon's death. Kernan had also served nearly a year as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War. After graduating from the University of Notre Dame, Kernan joined the Navy in 1969. A naval aviator, he was shot down in North Vietnam and taken prisoner in 1972. After his release, Kernan continued on active duty through 1974. A member of the Democratic Party, Kernan served as Mayor of South Bend, Indiana, and then as the 47th lieutenant governor of Indiana from 1997 to 2003. He became governor on September 13, 2003, upon the death of Governor Frank O'Bannon. He lost an election to serve a full term as governor to former Office of Management and Budget director Mitch Daniels on November 2, 2004. Kernan returned to South Bend and retired from politics. As of 2024, he is the most recent governor of Indiana from the Democratic Party. Early life and education Joe Eugene Kernan III was born in Chicago, Illinois on April 8, 1946. He was the eldest of nine children. Kernan's father, Joseph E. Kernan Jr. (1923–2008), was a naval aviator during World War II and would go on to have a career in government service. His mother, Marian Powers Kernan (1922–1998), held a variety of jobs, including a tenure C&P Telephone, where she worked her way up to a communications representative. As a communications representative she handled The Pentagon's account, and held security clearance. Kernan's father was the unsuccessful Democratic nominee in 1963 fortthe 4th district seat on the South Bend Common Council, and in 1964 ran unsuccessfully for St. Joseph County commissioner. Kernan's family moved to South Bend when he was ten years of age. Kernan graduated from St. Joseph High School in South Bend in 1964. He graduated in 1968 with a degree in government from the University of Notre Dame. Kernan played on the university's baseball team, serving as a walk-on on the freshman team, and playing for the varsity team his sophomore and junior years in 1967 and 1968. He was initially an infielder, later switching to catcher in his junior year. Military service Kernan joined the United States Navy in 1969, and served as a Naval Flight Officer aboard the carrier USS Kitty Hawk. After he completed Naval Flight Officer training, reconnaissance training, & RA-5C Vigilante Replacement Air Group training, he served with RVAH-7 at Naval Air Station Albany, Georgia, until deploying to Southeast Asia aboard the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk, where he served (flying 26 missions over Laos and North Vietnam) from February 1972 until a two-seat fighter plane he was serving as a weapons officer on was shot down by enemy forces while on a reconnaissance mission over North Vietnam and Kernan was detained as a prisoner of war on May 7, 1972. He was held as a prisoner of war for 11 months. For part of his time as a prisoner of war, Kernan was imprisoned Hỏa Lò Prison, however he spent most of his sentence at a nearby prison dubbed "The Zoo". Kernan was repatriated on March 27, 1973, and continued on active duty with the Navy until December 1974. Kernan received the Distinguished Flying Cross, two Purple Hearts and the Navy Commendation Medal. Early career Kernan served as a business manager and executive at several companies. In 1975, after having completed his Naval service, Kernan worked for Procter & Gamble in Cincinnati, supervising the manufacturing of Camay, Safeguard, and Zest products. He then returned to South Bend, where he worked for South Bend Community Schools and later for the Schwarz Paper Company. Kernan began his career in government by working for a month in the office of South Bend controller Peter Mullen for a month in 1976 on a special project related to license research. South Bend Controller Kernan served South Bend controller from 1980 to 1984. He was appointed to the position by mayor Roger Parent quickly after Parent took office on January 1, 1980. Kernan had been recommended to Parent by Peter Mullen, who held the position before Kernan. As controller, Kernan served as an ex officio member of the Board of Public Works, and the water and sewage boards. Kernan was tasked with overseeing the drafting of the city's $40 million annual budget. While in this office, cuts were made in regards to the number of the police and firemen, which he later stated were necessary due to the budget squeeze caused by a state tax freeze and cuts in federal aid. When Kernan left the post, Mayor Parent praised Kernan's work on the budget, claiming that Kernan took the job at the city's worst financial time and that, "just putting a budget together and making it work is an accomplishment, and Joe did a good job". Kernan negotiated contracts for city employees, including contracts for the police and fire department workforces. He also negotiated contracts with Teamsters. Kernan left the office on February 17, 1984, in order to enter the private sector for employment, announcing on his last day in office that he would be working as a vice president for the McWilliams Corporation. He was succeeded in office by Michael Vance. Following his tenure as South Bend Controller, Kernan held his jobs as vice president and treasurer of MacWilliams Corp until he ran for mayor in 1987. South Bend mayoralty Kernan was elected to serve as mayor of South Bend as the Democratic Party nominee in the 1987 election, and was reelected as the Democratic nominee in the 1991 and 1995 mayoral elections. In 1995, he won 82% of the vote, a record for South Bend mayoral elections. He was the first mayor of the city to win a third term since 1905. Kernan was the longest-serving mayor of South Bend, until his tenure was surpassed in length by that of his immediate successor Steve Luecke. Kernan was regarded to be a popular mayor. In November 1996, Nancy Armour of The Associated Press wrote that Kernan was, "well-liked by Democrats and Republicans alike. He's friendly and warm, quick to greet residents by name and ask how they are doing. He's accessible too." As mayor, Kernan worked on long-term job creation efforts, made efforts to improve public safety, and strengthened the finances of the city. After being reelected to his third term, Kernan stated that his priorities, at that time, were public safety, economic development, and neighborhoods. Development At the time he was mayor, Kernan was praised for his ability to attract economic development to the community. Among the major developments he was able to garner South Bend was the securing of the city as the location for the College Football Hall of Fame. Kernan had been instrumental in getting South Bend selected over 89 other cities as the site for the Colle.... Discover the Maura Poston Zagrans David T Link popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Maura Poston Zagrans David T Link books.