Who is Asa Hutchinson? Flash Uganda Media looks at his biography, age, wife, family, tribe, achievements, and relationship with Coral Virginia, John Malcolm Hutchinson Sr., Asa Hutchinson III, Seth Hutchinson, Sarah Hutchinson, and John Hutchinson, and the early life and education of the American lawyer, businessman, and politician who identifies as a Republic party member.
Asa Hutchinson is an American lawyer, businessman, and politician who identifies as a Republic party member.
He served as Arkansas’ 46th governor from 2015 to 2023.
Asa Hutchinson also served as a United States Attorney, and a United States Congressman, as well as two roles in the George W. Bush administration.
Early Life, Education and Family
Asa Hutchinson also known as William Asa Hutchinson II was born on December 3, 1950, in Bentonville, Arkansas.
He was born to Coral Virginia (Mountain) Hutchinson (1912-1998) and John Malcolm Hutchinson Sr. (1907-1991).
Asa Hutchinson was born and raised in Bentonville, Arkansas, and attended public schools there. He participated in his school’s debate team, which sparked his interest in politics and public speaking.
Tim Hutchinson, Hutchinson’s older brother, served as a U.S. representative from Arkansas’ 3rd congressional district before being defeated for reelection in 2002.
Asa and Tim Hutchinson are both Bob Jones University alumni.
He got a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Bob Jones University in South Carolina in 1972 and earned a law degree from the University Of Arkansas School Of Law in 1975.
Hutchinson interned for U.S. Senator John L. McClellan, an influential Arkansas Democrat, while in law school.
This event fueled his desire to work in government, and after graduation, he began practising law in his hometown of Bentonville.
Asa Hutchinson is the brother-in-law of Kim Hendren, a former Arkansas state senator who married his sister Marylea Hutchinson in 1958.
Arkansas state senator Jim Hendren of Sulphur Springs is Hutchinson’s nephew.
Asa Hutchinson has four children with his wife, Susan Burrell Hutchinson with whom they have been married since 1973.
Their children are; Asa Hutchinson III, Seth Hutchinson, Sarah Hutchinson, and John Hutchinson.
His son, William Asa Hutchinson III, is an attorney who lost his driving licence earlier in 2023 after being caught in possession of illegal drug substances, driving while inebriated for the second time, and refusing to submit a chemical test.
Career and Professional Work Experience
For 21 years, Asa Hutchinson worked as a lawyer in Fort Smith, handling over 100 jury trials.
Asa Hutchinson’s first political job was as Bentonville’s city attorney, a position he held from 1977 to 1982.
President Ronald Reagan appointed him in 1982 as the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas. Hutchinson was the country’s youngest US attorney at the age of 31.
After successfully prosecuting The Covenant, The Sword, and The Arm of the Lord (CSA), a white supremacist organization formed by polygamist James Ellison, he gained national headlines.
The CSA initiated a three-day armed confrontation with local, state, and federal authorities. Hutchinson personally negotiated a peaceful resolution to the stalemate as US Attorney.
Hutchinson launched his first effort for public office in 1986 when he ran to succeed Democratic Sen. Dale Bumpers. Despite his defeat in this first campaign, he remained involved in Republican politics.
Hutchinson ran for Arkansas Attorney General against Winston Bryant in 1990 but lost by a vote of 55-45%.
He then co-chaired the Arkansas Republican Party with Sheffield Nelson, a position he held from 1991 until 1995, the last four years as full chair.
In 1992, he explored a rematch with Bumpers but deferred to Mike Huckabee, who lost to Bumpers.
Hutchinson campaigned for Congress again in 1996, and this time he won.
He defeated Ann Henry, a longtime friend of Bill and Hillary Clinton, in November 1996 for an open seat in the Arkansas House of Representatives from Sebastian County.
Hutchinson served on the House Judiciary Committee and was a significant figure in the impeachment proceedings against President Bill Clinton during his time in Congress.
Hutchinson was re-elected to the House with far less difficulty in 1998, receiving 81% of the vote against a third-party challenger. In 2000, he was re-elected without opposition.
Hutchinson was named Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in 2001, at the start of the George W. Bush administration. He was confirmed by a 98-1 majority in the Senate.
Following the September 11, 2001 attacks, Congress established the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
President Bush appointed Hutchinson to manage the Department of Homeland Security’s Border and Transportation Security Directorate.
On January 23, 2003, Hutchinson was unanimously confirmed by the Senate. Hutchinson resigned as Undersecretary of State on March 1, 2005.
Asa Hutchinson as Governor of Arkansas
Hutchinson launched his candidacy for governor of Arkansas shortly after coming home in 2006.
Initially, he was supposed to face three-term Lieutenant Governor Winthrop Paul Rockefeller in the Republican primary, who was heavily favoured in most pre-election polls.
However, Hutchinson won the primary after Rockefeller withdrew and died from a blood illness in early 2006.
He was however defeated in the general election by the Democratic contender, then-Arkansas Attorney General Mike Beebe.
In 2014, Hutchinson was the Republican nominee for governor of Arkansas. House Speaker Davy Carter backed him up.
After defeating Tea Party-backed Curtis Coleman in the Republican primary, he defeated Democratic contender Mike Ross in the general election with 55% of the votes.
His election also handed the Republican Party entire control of the state government for the first time since Reconstruction ended.
He was elected governor on January 13, 2015. Arkansas resumed executions under Hutchinson in 2017, after not having done so since 2005.
Hutchinson was re-elected in a landslide victory on November 6, 2018, receiving over 65% of the vote and carrying all but eight counties.
Hutchinson announced his candidacy for the Republican Party presidential primaries in 2024 during an interview with ABC News’s Jonathan Karl on April 2, 2023.
Business Career
Asa Hutchinson founded Hutchinson Group, LLC in Little Rock with partners Betty Guhman and Kirk Tompkins in early 2005.
He accepted a one-year contract as the chair of Venable LLP’s Homeland Security group in Washington, D.C.
Hutchinson left Venable LLP in March 2006 to concentrate on his gubernatorial campaign and his Little Rock consulting firm.
He later rejoined Venable in January 2007.
Achievements and Awards
Hutchinson has built a niche for himself in the American political spectrum.
As governor, he focused on economic development, education, and healthcare. His efforts to strengthen state infrastructure and reduce the prison population have not been ignored.
His position and contributions may leave a lasting imprint on the Republican Party and the American political environment.
After successfully prosecuting The Covenant, The Sword, and The Arm of the Lord (CSA), a white supremacist organisation formed by polygamist James Ellison, he gained national headlines.
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