Brereton Jones

Brereton Jones

Brereton Chandler Jones (born June 27, 1939) is a horse breeder and politician from the US state of Kentucky. From 1987 to 1991, he served as the 50th Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky and from 1991 to 1995, he was the state's 58th governor. He now chairs the Kentucky Equine Education Project (KEEP), a lobbying organization for the Kentucky horse industry.

Born in Ohio and raised in West Virginia, Jones became the youngest-ever member of the West Virginia House of Delegates in 1964. Two years later, he was chosen as the Republican floor leader in the House. In 1968, he decided to leave politics and focus on his real estate business. He married Elizabeth "Libby" Lloyd in 1970 and in 1972, the family moved to historic Airdrie Farm, Libby's family estate in Woodford County, Kentucky. There, Jones founded Airdrie Stud, now an internationally recognized thoroughbred farm. Although he remained mostly out of politics, Jones changed his party affiliation to Democratic in 1975, and was appointed to various boards and commissions by governors John Y. Brown, Jr. and Martha Layne Collins.

In 1987, Jones announced his candidacy for lieutenant governor, admitting that he considered the office a stepping stone to some day becoming governor. He was elected, but experienced a poor relationship with Governor Wallace Wilkinson throughout their four-year terms. Jones was elected governor in 1991, turning back a challenge from Governor Wilkinson's wife Martha in the Democratic primary. (Wilkinson was ineligible to succeed himself in office.) Although Jones maintained a strained relationship with the Kentucky General Assembly following comments he made in the wake of the federal Operation Boptrot investigation, he was still able to pass much of his agenda, including an amendment that would allow state officials to succeed themselves in office once. (Jones was able to secure passage of the amendment by exempting the state's sitting officials, including himself.) However, he achieved only a partial victory on his top priority – health care reform. While the legislature acceded to many of Jones' proposals, such as eliminating the practice of denying insurance coverage to those with pre-existing conditions, they did not approve his mandate for universal health care for all Kentuckians. Following his term in office, Jones founded the Kentucky Equine Education Project. He considered running for governor again in 2003, but never formally became a candidate.