Butch Otter | |
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32nd Governor of Idaho | |
Assumed office January 1, 2007 |
|
Lieutenant |
Jim Risch Brad Little |
Preceded by | Jim Risch |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Idaho's 1st district |
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In office January 3, 2001 – January 1, 2007 |
|
Preceded by | Helen Chenoweth-Hage |
Succeeded by | Bill Sali |
37th Lieutenant Governor of Idaho | |
In office January 5, 1987 – January 3, 2001 |
|
Governor |
Cecil Andrus Phil Batt Dirk Kempthorne |
Preceded by | David Leroy |
Succeeded by | Jack Riggs |
Personal details | |
Born |
Clement Leroy Otter May 3, 1942 Caldwell, Idaho, U.S. |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse(s) | Gay Simplot (1964–1992) Lori Easley (2006–present) |
Children | 4 |
Residence | Governor's Mansion |
Education |
Saint Martin's University Boise State University College of Idaho (BA) |
Signature | |
Military service | |
Allegiance | United States |
Service/branch | United States Army |
Years of service | 1968–1973 |
Unit | Idaho Army National Guard |
Clement Leroy "Butch" Otter (born May 3, 1942) is the 32nd Governor of Idaho, in office since January 2007. He is a member of the Republican Party. Having served for 10 years, 66 days, Otter is currently the longest-serving incumbent Governor in the United States whose time in office has run consecutively. Prior to the Governorship, Otter served as Lieutenant Governor of Idaho from 1987 to 2001 and as the United States Representative for Idaho's 1st congressional district from 2001 to 2007, when he resigned his congressional seat to assume the Idaho Governorship.
Otter is the third Catholic to serve as Governor of Idaho and the first to win election since James H. Hawley in 1910.
For the United States presidential election in 2016 Otter endorsed fellow Republican John Kasich.
Butch Otter was born on May 3, 1942 in Caldwell, Idaho, into a small family of limited means. He is the son of Regina Mary (Buser) and Joseph Bernard Otter. His father was a journeyman, electrician, and the family lived in many rural locations in the Midwest and Western United States during his youth, attending 15 different schools. His nickname "Butch" was the result of a few schoolyard fights which resulted in minor bruises; Catholic Nuns had initially nicknamed him "Clem" after a character in the Red Skelton Show. He graduated from St. Teresa's Academy (now Bishop Kelly High School) in Boise in 1962.
Otter was 20 when he graduated from high school– a childhood accident involving gasoline severely burned his younger brother and forced Otter to take a year off. Otter worked throughout high school as a janitor, theater usher, and lawn boy. Otter briefly attended St. Martin's Abbey in Lacey, Washington.