Jeff Colyer

Jeff Colyer
49th Lieutenant Governor of Kansas
Assumed office
January 10, 2011
Governor Sam Brownback
Preceded by Troy Findley
Member of the Kansas Senate
from the 37th district
In office
January 12, 2009 – January 10, 2011
Preceded by Dennis M. Wilson
Succeeded by Raymond Merrick
Member of the Kansas House of Representatives
from the 48th district
In office
January 8, 2007 – January 12, 2009
Preceded by Eric Carter
Succeeded by Marvin Kleeb
Personal details
Born Jeffrey William Colyer
(1960-06-03) June 3, 1960
Hays, Kansas, U.S.
Political party Republican
Spouse(s) Ruth Gutierrez
Alma mater Georgetown University (BS)
Clare Hall, Cambridge (MA)
University of Kansas, Kansas City (MD)

Jeffrey William "Jeff" Colyer (born June 3, 1960) is the 49th and current Lieutenant Governor of Kansas. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a member of the Kansas Senate (2009–2011) and of the Kansas House of Representatives (2007–2009). He is also a physician, specializing in plastic surgery.[1]

Early life and education

A fifth-generation Kansan, Jeff Colyer was raised in Hays, where his father worked as a dentist.[2] He graduated from Thomas More Prep High School before enrolling at Georgetown University, where he earned undergraduate degrees in economics and pre-med in 1981. After receiving a Master's degree in International Relations from Clare Hall, Cambridge in 1982, he obtained his Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Kansas in 1986.[1]

Colyer had residency training in general surgery at the Washington Hospital Center (1986–1988, 1989–1991); in plastic surgery at the University of Missouri–Kansas City (1991–1993); and in craniofacial/pediatric plastic surgery at the International Craniofacial Institute in Dallas, Texas (1993–1994).[1] In 1988, during his residency at the Washington Hospital Center, he was named a White House Fellow and served in the Executive Office of the President and Agency for International Development under Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush.[3] He is one of only three Kansans to be named a White House Fellow since the program was started by President Lyndon Johnson; another was Sam Brownback, under whom Colyer currently serves as lieutenant governor.[2]

Medical career

In 1994, Colyer opened his own plastic/craniofacial surgery practice in Overland Park, Kansas, and Kansas City, Missouri.[1] He also volunteered with the International Medical Corps, providing medical care in such areas as Iraq, Rwanda, Kosovo, Sierra Leone, and Afghanistan; his work earned him recognition on 60 Minutes, PBS, and People magazine.[3]

Political career

In the 2002 U.S. House of Representatives elections, Colyer was an unsuccessful candidate for the Republican nomination in Kansas's 3rd congressional district; he was defeated by Adam Taff, who lost the general election to incumbent Democrat Dennis Moore.[2]

In 2006, Colyer was elected to the Kansas House of Representatives from the 48th district, receiving 62% in a three-way race. As a freshman legislator, he was selected to serve as chairman of the 2007 Legislative Health Reform Task Force.[3] In 2008, he was elected to the Kansas Senate to represent the 37th district, receiving 63% in another three-way race.

Committee assignments

Colyer served on these legislative committees:[4]

Source of funds

According to the National Institute on Money in State Politics:,[5] Colyer financed $25,000 of his own campaign.

Gubernatorial campaign

On June 1, 2010, U.S. Senator Sam Brownback announced that Jeff Colyer would be his running mate. Brownback and Colyer were elected on November 2, 2010, and assumed office in January 2011. Colyer resigned his state Senate seat on January 10, 2011, prior to taking the oath of office as lieutenant governor.[6]

Electoral history

Kansas House of Representatives District 48 Republican Primary Election, 2006
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Jeff Colyer 1,455 63.9
Republican Sherrelyn Smith 595 26.1
Republican Jeff Ippel 224 9.8
Kansas House of Representatives District 48 Election, 2006
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Jeff Colyer 6,805 61.7
Democratic Pam Ippel 3,975 36.0
Libertarian Lorianne Fisher Koneczny 243 2.2
Kansas State Senate District 37 Republican Primary Election, 2008
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Jeff Colyer 5,202 69.4
Republican Steve Baru 2,285 30.5
Kansas State Senate District 37 Election, 2008
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Jeff Colyer 27,311 63.4
Democratic Bond Faulwell 13,249 30.7
Libertarian Rob Hodgkinson 2,464 5.7

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "AesthetiCare Staff". AesthetiCare. Archived from the original on September 5, 2010. Retrieved September 19, 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 "Jeff Colyer: State senator, physician". Kansas Health Institute. Retrieved January 12, 2011.
  3. 1 2 3 "Lt. Governor Jeff Colyer, M.D.". Lieutenant Governor of Kansas. Retrieved January 12, 2011.
  4. ↑ "Profile from the Kansas Legislature". Kansas Legislature. Archived from the original on August 21, 2009. Retrieved July 13, 2009.
  5. ↑ Jeff Colyer 2008 campaign contributions Retrieved July 13, 2009.
  6. ↑ Rothschild, Scott (November 8, 2010). "Colyer announces departure from Senate; endorses Merrick". Lawrence Journal-World. Retrieved November 8, 2010.
Political offices
Preceded by
Troy Findley		 Lieutenant Governor of Kansas
2011–present 		Incumbent
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