James Johnston Blanchard was born on August 8, 1942. He is an American lawyer, diplomat, and politician who worked as the 45th governor of Michigan from 1983 to 1991. He was part of the Democratic Party and previously worked in the United States House of Representatives from 1975 to 1983. Later, he worked as the United States Ambassador to Canada from 1993 to 1996.

Early life and education

Blanchard was born in Detroit, Michigan, on August 8, 1942. He attended Lincoln High School in Ferndale, Michigan. He earned a Bachelor of Arts from Michigan State University in 1964 and an MBA in 1965. Blanchard received a law degree from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1968 and was allowed to practice law in Michigan shortly after. He now lives in Pleasant Ridge, Michigan.

Career

Blanchard began working as a lawyer in Lansing and served as a legal advisor to the Michigan Secretary of State in 1968 and 1969. He worked as Assistant Attorney General of Michigan from 1969 to 1974, as administrative assistant to the attorney general from 1970 to 1971, and as assistant deputy attorney general from 1971 to 1972. In 1974, he joined the law firm of Beer and Boltz in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.

Blanchard was elected as a Democrat to the United States House of Representatives from Michigan's 18th District for the 94th Congress and the next three Congresses, serving from January 3, 1975, to January 1, 1983. During this time, he helped create laws that gave Chrysler Corporation federal loan guarantees, which helped the company avoid bankruptcy.

Blanchard chose not to run for re-election to the U.S. House in 1982 and was elected Governor of Michigan, defeating Republican Richard Headlee, an insurance company executive from Farmington Hills. Blanchard served two terms as governor (1983–1991) until his defeat by Republican state senator John Engler in 1990. Blanchard was the first Democratic governor in Michigan in 20 years since John Swainson, who left office in 1963.

On January 1, 1983, he took over a job described as the toughest governor's job in America. His state faced a $1.7 billion budget deficit, the threat of bankruptcy, unemployment rates over 17 percent, and the worst credit rating in the country. Working with leaders from business, labor, education, and local government, the governor created a plan for Michigan's future. He raised income taxes and fees to help the state stay on track. By the end of his term, Blanchard had balanced eight consecutive state budgets, improved the state's credit rating, created a $422 million "rainy-day fund," and helped save over $1 billion by reducing borrowing costs.

Newsweek said Governor Blanchard led "one of the most dramatic economic turnarounds in the recent history of state government," and national publications like U.S. News & World Report listed him among the best governors in America. However, in 1990, Blanchard lost his campaign for a third term to State Senator John Engler.

After losing the 1990 election, Blanchard became a partner at the Washington law firm of Verner, Liipfert, Bernhard, McPherson, and Hand. He also chaired Bill Clinton's successful campaign for president in Michigan in 1992.

President Clinton appointed Blanchard as United States Ambassador to Canada, a position he held from 1993 to 1996. In 2002, Blanchard ran for governor again but lost his primary election to State Attorney General Jennifer Granholm. As of 2004, he was a partner at the Washington D.C. law firm of DLA Piper U.S. and lived in Beverly Hills, Michigan. He also served as Chairman of Meridian International Center and on the Advisory Board of the Institute for Law and Politics at the University of Minnesota Law School. He was President of the Foundation for the National Archives and co-chaired the Canada-United States Law Institute.

Blanchard served on the board of the Canadian pipeline company Enbridge for over 10 years and advised the company after the 2010 Kalamazoo River oil spill. He also served on the "Debt Reduction Task Force" at the Bipartisan Policy Center and was a board member of Nortel and Chrysler Group LLC (2009–2012).

Blanchard is a member of the ReFormers Caucus of Issue One.