Jerry Bonnet
| Jerry Bonnet | |
|---|---|
|
Secretary of State of Indiana Interim |
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In office February 4, 2012 – March 16, 2012 |
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| Governor | Mitch Daniels |
| Preceded by | Charlie White |
| Succeeded by | Connie Lawson |
| Personal details | |
| Political party | Republican |
| Residence | Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. |
| Profession | Lawyer |
Jerold A. Bonnet was an interim Secretary of State of Indiana. A lawyer by profession, Bonnet was the deputy Secretary when his superior Charlie White lost his position after being convicted of voter fraud, leading Governor Mitch Daniels on February 4, 2012, to appoint Bonnet until a permanent successor could be chosen. Holding the office for an uneventful term of over a month, Bonnet was succeeded by Connie Lawson on March 16. Currently, Bonnet serves as the chief legal counsel in Lawson's administration.
Graduating from Yorktown High School, Bonnet has a BA from Indiana University, a law degree from the University of Tennessee, an MBA from the University of New Orleans, and a Masters in International Business and Finance from the University of Texas at Dallas. Spending eighteen years practising commercial law in Texas and Louisiana, Bonnet settled in New Orleans in 1999 and managed a private legal practice.
When Hurricane Katrina hit, Bonnet and his family evacuated to Indianapolis. Having relatives there, he intended the move to be "temporary", and became the interim chief counsel in the office of then-Secretary of State Todd Rokita on November 15, 2005. Nevertheless, the appointment became permanent. Whilst counsel, Bonnet helped implement the state's new photo ID law, as well as the Help America Vote Act. During the 2007 to 2010 primary and general election seasons, he served as the state's coordinator of polling day monitoring. In 2009, for his work in representing victims of domestic violence, he was honored by the Indiana Protective Order Pro-Bono Project.
Originally the deputy Secretary of State for parts of 2008 and 2009, Secretary of State Charlie White appointed Bonnet again to be second-in-command, as well as chief of staff, on March 14, 2011. At the time, Bonnet was on the Comprehensive HIV Services Planning and Advisory Council, and the Indiana Code Revision Commission. On the eve of his ascension to the secretaryship, he was working on a doctorate in organizational leadership at Indiana Wesleyan University.
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