John Ashcroft is an American lawyer, politician, and public servant whose career spans more than four decades of service at every level of government. After graduating from Yale University and the University of Chicago Law School, Ashcroft taught business law at Southwest Missouri State University. He went on to serve as Missouri auditor, Missouri assistant attorney general and attorney general, Missouri governor, U.S. senator, and U.S. attorney general. This breadth of experience, from state courthouses to the halls of the U.S. Senate, gives Ashcroft a comprehensive perspective on American governance and law.
As Missouri governor, Ashcroft balanced eight consecutive budgets and served as chairman of the Education Commission of the States. Fortune magazine rated him one of the top 10 education governors in the country, while Financial World and City and State magazines credited him with making Missouri one of the best financially managed states in the country. He is the only Republican to serve two full consecutive terms as governor to date. During his time in the U.S. Senate, Ashcroft worked to combat illegal drugs, improve public education, reduce crime, and protect the rights of crime victims.
After George W. Bush was elected president, he selected Ashcroft to serve as U.S. attorney general. As attorney general and the U.S. Justice Department's chief executive, Ashcroft led the world's largest law enforcement agency, an organization larger than most Fortune 500 companies, with more than 122,000 employees. He integrated strategic planning, budgeting, and performance measures, resulting in the Department of Justice earning a clean audit for the first time in its history. Leveraging every legal tool available to law enforcement, including those provided in the USA PATRIOT Act, the Justice Department initiated an antiterrorism campaign that assisted in disrupting more than 150 terrorist plots worldwide, dismantling terrorist cells in cities across America, and convicting 191 individuals in terrorism-related investigations. At the direction of President Bush, the department also established the Corporate Fraud Task Force to restore integrity to the marketplace, and violent crime was driven to a 30-year low as the department employed tough tools and penalties against criminals.
Since leaving office, Ashcroft has been a professor in the schools of law and government at Regent University and is the founder and chairman of The Ashcroft Group. He has also written the books "On My Honor: The Beliefs that Shape My Life," "Lessons from a Father to His Son," and "Never Again: Securing America and Restoring Justice." Ashcroft was inducted into the Missouri Public Affairs Hall of Fame, in recognition of a career defined by public service. As a speaker, Ashcroft addresses leadership, governance, national security, and the integrity required to make difficult decisions, sharing lessons learned through service and reflections on the challenges and opportunities facing America.
