Jenean Michelle Hampton (born May 12, 1958) is an American politician who served as the 57th

lieutenant governor of Kentucky The lieutenant governor of Kentucky was created under the state's second constitution, which was ratified in 1799. The inaugural officeholder was Alexander Scott Bullitt, who took office in 1800 following his election to serve under James Garra ...

from 2015 to 2019. Hampton was the running mate of gubernatorial candidate

Matt Bevin Matthew Griswold Bevin (; born January 9, 1967) is an American businessman and politician. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 62nd governor of Kentucky from 2015 to 2019. He is currently the CEO of Neuronetrix Solutions, LLC. Bo ...

in the 2015 election. A Republican, Hampton was the first

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

to hold statewide office in Kentucky history and the third African-American woman to have served as lieutenant governor of a U.S. state.

Early life and education

Jenean Michelle Hampton was born on May 12, 1958 and raised in

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

, one of four daughters born to Donald and Marie Hampton. Her parents divorced when she was seven years old, leaving her mother to raise Hampton and her sisters on her own. Hampton's mother struggled because she lacked a

high school diploma A high school diploma (sometimes referred to as a high school degree) is a diploma awarded upon graduation of high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary s ...

. After Hampton graduated from high school, she worked for five years in the automotive industry in order to help pay for her college education. She earned an Industrial Engineering degree from

Wayne State University Wayne State University (WSU) is a public university, public research university in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 375 programs. It is Michigan's third-l ...

in 1985. She later earned a Master of Business Administration degree from the

University of Rochester The University of Rochester is a private university, private research university in Rochester, New York, United States. It was founded in 1850 and moved into its current campus, next to the Genesee River in 1930. With approximately 30,000 full ...

Military and business career

Jenean Hampton speaking to Kentucky National Guard

Hampton served in the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

for seven years as a computer systems officer, eventually attaining the rank of

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

. During

Operation Desert Storm Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Man ...

, she was deployed to Saudi Arabia. While stationed in Saudi Arabia, Hampton was responsible for

radar Radar is a system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), direction ( azimuth and elevation angles), and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It is a radiodetermination method used to detect and track ...

software used in tracking enemy planes and in search and rescue missions. Hampton spent 19 years working in the corrugated packaging industry, eventually reaching the position of plant manager.

Political career

A Republican, Hampton first sought political office in 2014. That year, she unsuccessfully challenged State Representative Jody Richards. Hampton has been active in her local party and in the

Tea Party Movement The Tea Party movement was an American fiscally conservative political movement within the Republican Party that began in 2007, catapulted into the mainstream by Congressman Ron Paul's presidential campaign. The movement expanded in resp ...

. Hampton was selected by

as his running mate for

Governor of Kentucky The governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky is the head of government of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Kentucky. Sixty-two men and one woman have served as governor of Kentucky. The governor's term is four years in length; sinc ...

in 2015. On November 3, 2015, Bevin and Hampton defeated the Democratic ticket of

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...

Jack Conway and State Representative Sannie Overly in the 2015 Kentucky gubernatorial election. Bevin and Hampton were sworn in to their respective posts on December 8, 2015. Hampton was the first

to hold statewide office in Kentucky history and the third black woman to serve as lieutenant governor of a U.S. state. She was the 57th Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky. Bevin did not select Hampton as his running mate in his 2019 re-election bid. Her term expired in December 2019. After Bevin lost the general election, Hampton stated that she had voted for

Libertarian Libertarianism (from ; or from ) is a political philosophy that holds freedom, personal sovereignty, and liberty as primary values. Many libertarians believe that the concept of freedom is in accord with the Non-Aggression Principle, according ...

nominee John Hicks instead of Bevin.

Personal life

Hampton lives in

Bowling Green, Kentucky Bowling Green is a city in Warren County, Kentucky, United States, and its county seat. Its population was 72,294 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Kentucky, third-most populous city in the stat ...

. She is married to Colonel Dr. Doyle Isaak, a retired U.S. Air Force officer. She is a licensed

amateur radio Amateur radio, also known as ham radio, is the use of the radio frequency radio spectrum, spectrum for purposes of non-commercial exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self-training, private recreation, radiosport, contesting, and emer ...

operator. Hampton is also a member of the

Civil Air Patrol Civil Air Patrol (CAP) is a Congressional charter, congressionally chartered, federally supported Nonprofit corporation, non-profit corporation that serves as the official civilian auxiliaries, auxiliary of the United States Air Force (USAF). CA ...

, holding the grade of lieutenant colonel.

References

External links