Mike Espy

Alphonso Michael " Mike" Espy ( born November 30, 1953 in Yazoo City, Yazoo County, Mississippi ) is an American politician (Democratic Party). Between 1987 and 1993 he represented the second electoral district of the state of Mississippi in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1993 to 1994 he was Minister of Agriculture of the United States under President Bill Clinton.

Career

Mike Espy attended until 1975 Howard University in Washington. Then he studied until 1978 at the University of Santa Clara in California law. Between 1978 and 1980 he was employed as an attorney in the legal services authority Central Mississippi Legal Services. From 1980 to 1984 he worked for the authority for the administration of public lands ( Public Lands Division ) from 1984 to 1985 he was Deputy Attorney General of Mississippi.

In 1986, he was selected in the second district of Mississippi in the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington. There he broke on January 3, 1987 from the Republican Webb Franklin. After he won the following three congressional elections, he could remain until his resignation on January 22, 1993 in Congress. After the inauguration of President-elect Bill Clinton in 1992 was Mike Espy of this successor to Edward Rell Madigan, Secretary of Agriculture under George Bush, appointed. Due to this appointment, he resigned his seat in Congress. Espy retained his post in the Cabinet Clinton until 31 December 1994. His successor in the Ministry of Agriculture Dan Glickman was.

In 1997, Espy came because of a face fraud charges in the headlines. He was indicted in 30 points including the acceptance of benefits. The meticulously prepared process cost over $ 20 million and ended on 2 December 1998 with the acquittal ESPYs, although the Tyson Food Company admitted that he had made him "gifts" to the value of $ 12,000. The company was it punished with a fine of six million dollars and the cost of inspection. Also another company admitted dubious contributions to Espy and had to pay a fine for it. In ESPYs case, the court found that the grants received had nothing to do with his official decisions. Therefore, he was acquitted.

In the gubernatorial elections of 2007 in Mississippi Espy switched sides and supported the Republican incumbent Haley Barbour in his campaign for re-election.