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About
Matthew Griswold Bevin, commonly known as Matt Bevin, is an American businessman and Republican politician who served as the 62nd Governor of Kentucky from December 8, 2015, to December 10, 2019. Born on January 9, 1967, in Denver, Colorado, he grew up in a rural, working-class family in Shelburne, New Hampshire. Bevin earned a Bachelor of Arts in East Asian Studies from Washington and Lee University in 1989, served four years as a captain in the U.S. Army, and later pursued a career in finance. He moved to Louisville, Kentucky, in 1998 and eventually took over his family's historic Bevin Brothers Manufacturing Company in 2011. A conservative with Tea Party affiliations, Bevin opposed establishment Republicans and entered politics by challenging Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell in the 2014 Republican primary before winning the Kentucky governorship in 2015 against Democrat Jack Conway. His tenure focused on economic development, pension reforms, and opposition to the Affordable Care Act, but was marked by controversies including vetoes of education bills and criticism over post-election pardons. Bevin lost re-election in 2019 to Andy Beshear. Currently, he serves as CEO of Neuronetrix Solutions, LLC, a medical devices company, and is a father of nine children. He has been active in philanthropy, including chairing the American Red Cross Louisville chapter and endowing scholarships for underprivileged youth.