Jim Justice
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| 36th Governor of West Virginia | |
| Assumed office January 16, 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Earl Ray Tomblin |
| Personal details | |
| Born | James Conley Justice Jr. (1951-04-27) April 27, 1951 (age 73) Raleigh County, West Virginia, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic (2014–present) |
| Other political affiliations | Republican (Before 2014) |
| Spouse | Cathy Comer |
| Children | 2 |
| Residence | Governor's Mansion |
| Education | University of Tennessee, Knoxville Marshall University (BA, MBA) |
| Website | Government website |
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James Conley "Jim" Justice Jr. (born April 27, 1951) is an American coal mining and agriculture businessman and politician who is the 36th and current Governor of West Virginia since January 2017. Owner of over 50 companies, including The Greenbrier, a luxury resort, Justice is one of the few billionaires from the state of West Virginia.[1]ADemocrat, Justice ran for Governor in the 2016 general election as the Democratic nominee, defeating the Republican nominee, Bill Cole.
James Conley Justice II was born in Charleston, the son of James Conley Justice and Edna Ruth (née Perry) Justice. Justice grew up in Raleigh County, West Virginia. He enrolled at the University of Tennessee on an athletic scholarship for golf, but transferred to Marshall University. At Marshall, he was a two-year captain on the Thundering Herd golf team.[2] He earned his bachelor's degree and Master in Business Administration from Marshall.[3]
After college, Justice went into the family agriculture business.[3] Justice founded Bluestone Farms in 1977, which now operates 50,000 acres (20,000 ha) of farmland, and is the leading producer of grain on the East Coast of the United States. During that time, he also developed Stoney Brook Plantation, a 15,000-acre hunting and fishing preserve in Monroe County. Justice is a seven time national corn growing champion.[4]
After the death of his father in 1993, Justice became the president of Bluestone Industries and Bluestone Coal Corporation. Justice inherited Bluestone Coal Corp. from his father in 1993, and sold some of his coal business to Mechel in 2009, which he bought back in 2015.[5] Since buying back the mine from Mechel, Justice re-opened several of the coal mines and put over 200 coal miners back to work.[6]
Justice serves as the owner or chief executive officer of over 50 companies, including The GreenbrierinWhite Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, which he bought for $20.5 million in 2009, saving it from bankruptcy.[5]
Since taking over The Greenbrier, Justice has doubled the number of jobs at the resort. When he first took control he immediately brought back all 650 laid-off employees. He added vacation and health benefits to their contracts and offered a 10 percent raise if the hotel regained its fifth star.[7] Justice convinced the PGA Tour to hold an event at The Greenbrier, and worked out an agreement for the New Orleans Saints to hold training camp there from 2014-16. He also added a casino.[7][8]
Justice is in the process of building a new mountain top golf course with golf legends Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, and Lee Trevino. Arnold Palmer was involved before his 2016 death.[9]
Forbes estimates Justice's net worth at $1.6 billion, making him the richest man in West Virginia.[10]
As of 2014, he owned 70 active mines in 5 states. His charitable activities have included $25 million for the James C. Justice National Scout Camp at The Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve, $5 million for Marshall University, and $10 million to the Cleveland Clinic.[11]
Justice gives away more than $1 million in gifts annually through the Dream Tree for Kids so that deserving children will have gifts to open on Christmas.[12]
In 2015, Justice declared his candidacy for Governor of West Virginia in the 2016 election as a member of the Democratic Party.[5] He had been a registered member of the Republican Party until changing his registration in February 2015.[13] This was his first time running for political office.[14] In May 2016, Justice won the Democratic nomination for Governor and ran against Republican nominee Bill Cole in the general election.[15] On November 8, Justice won the election.[16]
Justice was endorsed by the United Mine Workers.[17]
Justice took office as governor on January 16, 2017. He is known for using colorful metaphors and digs at political opponents.[18][19] On April 13, 2017, in a press conference to veto a budget bill passed by the Republican-controlled West Virginia Legislature. Before vetoing the bill, Justice said the bill was "nothing more than a bunch of political you-know-what" and showed a prop featuring bull feces on a print copy of the bill.[20]
Justice lives in Lewisburg, West Virginia. He met his wife, Cathy (née Comer) in high school. They have two children, Jay and Jill.[3] He stands at 6 feet and 7 inches.[21]
Justice is a lifelong fan of the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL), and spent $30 million to develop a training facility for the team to use in 2014 at The Greenbrier resort, citing the $10.5 million generated in local revenue for Richmond, Virginia, when the NFL's Washington Redskins held their training camp there in 2013.[5][10] He hosts the Greenbrier Classic, a PGA Tour event, at The Greenbrier annually.[5]
Since 1992 Justice has been President of Beckley Little League. His participation has helped the program expand to over 1,000 children playing on 80 teams.
Justice has coached basketball at every level. Having lived in Lewisburg since 2001, he has been the girls basketball coach at Greenbrier East High School since 2003, having won the state championship in 2012. In 2011, he also became the head coach for the boys basketball teams. He is the only coach at the AAA level (the state's largest classification) who coaches both the girls and boys basketball teams. Justice stated that though he will place his business interests in a blind trust upon becoming Governor, he will still coach the basketball teams while serving.[22] In discussing the coaching position, Justice said, “There are three things I know that I can do, and that’s shoot a shotgun, make a deal and coach basketball. I’m excited about it.”
He has been director of the Mountain State Coal Classic since 1995. The basketball classic has enjoyed tremendous success awarding hundreds of thousands in scholarships and direct support to participating schools.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jim Justice | 132,704 | 51.37% | |
| Democratic | Booth Goodwin | 65,416 | 25.32% | |
| Democratic | Jeff Kessler | 60,230 | 23.31% | |
| Total votes | 258,350 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jim Justice | 350,408 | 49.09% | |
| Republican | Bill Cole | 301,987 | 42.30% | |
| Mountain | Charlotte Pritt | 42,068 | 5.89% | |
| Libertarian | David Moran | 15,354 | 2.15% | |
| Constitution | Phil Hudok | 4,041 | 0.57% | |
| Total votes | 713,858 | 100.00% | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Democratic nominee for Governor of West Virginia 2016 |
Most recent |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Governor of West Virginia 2017–present |
Incumbent |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded by asVice President | Order of Precedence of the United States Within West Virginia |
Succeeded by Mayor of city in which event is held |
| Succeeded by
Otherwise Kevin McCarthy | ||
| Preceded by asGovernor of Kansas | Order of Precedence of the United States Outside West Virginia |
Succeeded by asGovernor of Nevada |
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Statewide elected officials and legislative leaders of West Virginia
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Wealthiest people in the United States by state
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Leonard Hyde and Jonathan Rubini James and Thomas Duff |
