Jerry Bonnet
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Jerold A. Bonnet is an American attorney who served as interim
Secretary of State of Indiana The secretary of state of Indiana is one of five constitutional officers originally designated in Indiana's state constitution of 1816. Since 1851, it has been an elected position. The secretary of state oversees four divisions, and is the third ...
in 2012. Bonnet was the deputy Secretary when his superior Charlie White lost his position after being convicted of voter fraud, leading Governor
Mitch Daniels Mitchell Elias Daniels Jr. (born April 7, 1949) is an American Academic administration, academic administrator, businessman, author, and retired politician who served as the 49th governor of Indiana from 2005 to 2013. A Republican Party (United ...
to appoint Bonnet as White's interim successor on February 4, 2012. After a month in office, Bonnet was succeeded by Connie Lawson on March 16. Bonnet served as the chief legal counsel in Lawson's administration.


Early life and education

After graduating from Yorktown High School, Bonnet earned a BA from
Indiana University Bloomington Indiana University Bloomington (IU Bloomington, Indiana University, IU, IUB, or Indiana) is a public university, public research university in Bloomington, Indiana, United States. It is the flagship university, flagship campus of Indiana Univer ...
,
Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...
from the
University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (or The University of Tennessee; UT; UT Knoxville; or colloquially UTK or Tennessee) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee, United St ...
, an
MBA A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a professional degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration; elective courses may allow further study in a particular a ...
from the
University of New Orleans The University of New Orleans (UNO) is a Public university, public research university in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. First opened in 1958 as Louisiana State University in New Orleans, it is the largest public university and one of t ...
, and a Masters in International Business and Finance from the
University of Texas at Dallas The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD or UT Dallas) is a public research university in Richardson, Texas, United States. It is the northernmost institution of the University of Texas System. It was initially founded in 1961 as a private res ...
.


Career

Spending eighteen years practicing commercial law in Texas and Louisiana, Bonnet settled in
New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...
in 1999 and managed a private legal practice. When
Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a powerful, devastating and historic tropical cyclone that caused 1,392 fatalities and damages estimated at $125 billion in late August 2005, particularly in the city of New Orleans and its surrounding area. ...
hit, Bonnet and his family evacuated to
Indianapolis Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...
. 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 Theodore Edward Rokita ( ; born February 9, 1970) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the 44th and current Indiana Attorney General, Attorney General of Indiana. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives fro ...
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 The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of '' Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the im ...
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 Indiana Wesleyan University (IWU) is a private evangelical Christian university headquartered in Marion, Indiana, and affiliated with the Wesleyan Church. It is the largest private university in Indiana. The university system includes IWU—M ...
.


Secretary of State

On February 4, 2012, White was removed from office after being convicted of voter fraud. Governor
Mitch Daniels Mitchell Elias Daniels Jr. (born April 7, 1949) is an American Academic administration, academic administrator, businessman, author, and retired politician who served as the 49th governor of Indiana from 2005 to 2013. A Republican Party (United ...
proceeded to appoint Bonnet to the post on an interim basis, pending the chance White's conviction was downgraded to a misdemeanor, or otherwise until Daniels made a permanent appointment. After his appointment, Bonnet was identified as a Republican. Around three weeks later, White's felony conviction was upheld, though succession continued to be delayed by a legal challenge from White's Democratic opponent in the secretaryship election of 2010, arguing he should assume the office. This challenge was dismissed on March 15. With Daniels now free to choose, some speculation arose that Bonnet could carry on fully, with a commentator in ''
The Indianapolis Star } ''The Indianapolis Star'' (also known as ''IndyStar'') is a morning daily newspaper that began publishing on June 6, 1903, in Indianapolis, Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. It has been the only major daily paper in the city since 1999, whe ...
'' arguing he would be the least political choice and noting the governor's praise of Bonnet's performance, though others argued his lack of political experience would make him an unlikely selection, and Bonnet made no public suggestion he desired to retain the position. The following day, state senator Connie Lawson succeeded Bonnet. Upon Lawson's appointment as secretary, Bonnet's duties as deputy secretary and chief of staff were conferred to Davey Neal. He went on to serve as chief legal counsel within Lawson's administration.


Personal life

Bonnet is married with three children.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bonnet, Jerry Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Indiana Republicans Secretaries of state of Indiana Indiana University Bloomington alumni Indiana Wesleyan University alumni University of Texas at Dallas alumni University of New Orleans alumni University of Tennessee alumni Indiana lawyers Louisiana lawyers Texas lawyers