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Jesse "The Body" Ventura (born July 15, 1951, as James George Janos) was an American politician, Navy SEAL, professional wrestler, actor, mayor, and radio talk show host.

In the Minnesota gubernatorial election of 1998 he was elected the 38th Governor of Minnesota, and served from January 4, 1999, to January 6, 2003, without seeking a second term.

Ventura ran as a candidate for the Reform Party of Minnesota (but joined the Independence Party of Minnesota when it broke from its association with the Reform Party of the United States of America) and "shocked the world," as he phrased it, when he narrowly, but unexpectedly beat the major-party candidates: St. Paul mayor Norm Coleman (Republican) and Minnesota Attorney General Hubert H. "Skip" Humphrey III (Democratic-Farmer-Labor). Ventura, who spent considerably less than his opponents (about $600,000), is widely regarded as one of the first candidates to effectively use the Internet as a medium of reaching out to voters in a political campaign.

Education, entertainment career, and early political career

Ventura was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota to George William Janos (an ethnic Hungarian from what is today Slovakia) and Bernice Martha Lenz (a German American). He (then known by his legal name of Janos) graduated from Minneapolis's Theodore Roosevelt High School in 1969. From September 11 1969 to September 10 1975 he served in the United States Navy as a Navy SEAL and was on active duty January 5 1970 through December 10 1973 during the Vietnam era. Although Ventura served with Underwater Demolition Team 12 during his time on active duty, he was never a full-time member of a SEAL team. However, Naval Special Warfare policy states that Ventura, just like any other Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL graduate, has earned and thus deserves the title of SEAL. His overseas service was in Subic Bay, Philippines and off the coast of Vietnam but he did not see combat. He was awarded the National Defense Ribbon and the Vietnam Service Ribbon. In his autobiography, Ventura described SEAL training as the toughest experience of his life. "It's worse than anything you can imagine", he wrote- "You have to want it bad, very bad". Ventura always mentioned how much he respected his SEAL instructor Master Chief Petty Officer Terry Moy. He asked Moy to stand by his side when he was sworn in as governor. He ended his inaugural address with the SEAL war cry "HOOYAH!"

He returned to Minnesota and attended North Hennepin Community College in the mid-1970s at the same time he began weight lifting and wrestling. It was around this time that he briefly served as a bodyguard for the Rolling Stones. In 1975, he married his wife Terry (the couple now have two grown children).

He created the stage name Jesse "The Body" Ventura to go with the persona of a bully-ish beach body builder, taking "Ventura" from a California highway map. As a professional wrestler, Ventura wrestled as a "heel" (the "bad" characters), and often used the motto "Win if you can, lose if you must, but always cheat!" Much of his flamboyant persona was copied from "Superstar" Billy Graham, a charismatic and popular performer during the 1970s and '80s.

In 1975, Ventura began his career in the Pacific Northwest territory, wrestling for legendary promoter Don Owen. During his stay in Portland, he had notable feuds with Dutch Savage and Jimmy Snuka and won the Pacific Northwest Wrestling title twice (once from each wrestler), and the tag team titles six times (twice each with Bull Ramos and "Playboy" Buddy Rose, and once each with Steve Strong and Jerry Oates). He later moved to his hometown promotion, the American Wrestling Association in Minnesota, teaming with Adrian Adonis as the "East-West Connection".

The duo would win the AWA Tag team titles on July 20, 1980 on a forfeit when Verne Gagne, one-half of the tag team champions along with Mad Dog Vachon, failed to show up for a title defense in Denver, Colorado. The duo would hold the belts for nearly a year, losing to "The High Flyers", Greg Gagne and Jim Brunzell.

Shortly after losing the belt, the duo moved on to the World Wrestling Federation, where they were managed by legendary manager "Classy" Freddie Blassie. Although the duo was unable to capture the WWF tag team title, both Adonis and Ventura became title contenders, each earning several title shots at champion Bob Backlund.

"The Body" continued to wrestle until the mid-1980s when blood clots on his lungs ended his in-ring career; it forced him to miss a title match against WWF Champion Hulk Hogan. Ventura claimed the blood clots were as a result of his exposure to Agent Orange during his time in Vietnam. After a failed comeback bid, he began to do color commentary on television for "All-Star Wrestling" (replacing Angelo Mosca) and later "Superstars of Wrestling" (initially alongside Vince McMahon and Bruno Sammartino, and with McMahon after Sammartino's departure from the WWF in 1988), hosted his own talk segment on the WWF's "Superstars of Wrestling" called "The Body Shop", and did color commentary on radio for a few National Football League teams (among them, the Minnesota Vikings and Tampa Bay Buccaneers). Ventura most notably, co-hosted Saturday Night's Main Event with Vince McMahon and the first six WrestleManias (1985-1990) and most of the WWF's Pay-Per-Views at the time with Gorilla Monsoon (the lone exception For Ventura being the first SummerSlam, in which Ventura served as the guest referee during the main event). He departed in June 1990 to pursue other interests, most notably his acting career. He also did commentary for World Championship Wrestling from 1992-94. His professional wrestling commentary style was an extension of his wrestling persona, as he was partial to heel (bad guy) wrestlers, which was something new and different at the time.

Ventura acted in the 1987 movie Predator, whose cast included future California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and future Kentucky Gubernatorial Candidate Sonny Landham. He had a starring role in the 1991 sci-fi movie Abraxas, Guardian of the Universe, and supporting roles in The Running Man, Demolition Man, Repossessed, and Batman and Robin - the former and latter also starring Schwarzenegger. He also appeared as a self help guru (voice only) in The Ringer trying to turn Johnny Knoxville into a more confident worker in The Ringer.

Ventura ran for mayor of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota in 1990 and served from 1991 to 1995. Between 1995 and his run for governor, Ventura had a radio call-in show in Minneapolis-St. Paul.

Immediately after his election, bumper stickers and t-shirts bearing the slogan "My governor can beat up your governor" appeared in Minnesota and became ubiquitous virtually overnight. Ventura circulated material stating his wish to be known in office as "Jesse 'The Mind'" but the nickname never stuck, many Minnesotans instead referred to him as "Jesse 'The Governing Body' Ventura".

Political positions

Ventura's main campaign promise was a tax refund to Minnesota residents. The state was running a budget surplus at the time, and Ventura believed that the money should be given back to the public. In political debates, he often admitted that he had not formed an opinion on certain policy questions. Sharing many views with libertarians, Ventura frequently described himself as "fiscally conservative and socially liberal." He tapped teacher Mae Schunk as his running mate.

Later as governor, he came to support a unicameral (one-house) legislature, light-rail public transport, property tax reform, gay rights, and abortion rights. While funding public school education generously, he opposed teachers unions, and did not have a high regard for the public funding of higher-education institutions. Additionally, Ventura supported the use of medicinal marijuana. Prior to the presidential election of 2000, Ventura supported the role of third parties in national politics, and voiced interest in the concept of instant runoff voting.

Lacking a party base in the Minnesota House and Senate, Governor Ventura's vetoes were often overridden.

Ventura was elected on a Reform party ticket, but he never received support from Ross Perot's Texas faction. When the Reform party was taken over by Pat Buchanan supporters before the presidential elections of 2000, Ventura left the party in February 2000, referring to it as 'hopelessly dysfunctional'. However, he maintained close ties to the Independence Party of Minnesota, which also broke from the Reform party around the same time.

Litigation

In 1987, while negotiating his contract as a WWE commentator, Ventura waived his rights to royalties on videotape sales when he was falsely told that only feature performers received such royalties. In 1991, having discovered that other non-feature performers received royalties, Ventura brought an action for fraud, misappropriation of publicity rights, and unjust enrichment in Minnesota state court against Titan Sports. The case was removed to federal court, and Ventura won an $801,333.06 jury verdict on the last claim. The judgment was affirmed on appeal, and the case, Ventura v. Titan Sports, Inc., 65 F.3d 725 (8th Cir.1995), is an important result in the law of restitution.

Now because of Ventura's victorous lawsuit, whenever the WWF/WWE want to use his commentary for a mass marketed VHS/DVD, Ventura will get a percentage of the sales. This may be why WWF/WWE's archival footage featuring Ventura's commentary has been frequently edited out on their DVD releases (such as The History of WrestleMania: 1985-1993, The Greatest Wrestling Stars of the 80s, Bret Hart and The Self-Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior, though some earlier DVDs included his commentary, such as the Hogan/Warrior match included as a bonus on the WrestleMania X8 set).

Light Rail Transit

During the first part of his administration, Ventura strongly advocated for land-use reform and substantial mass transit improvements, such as light rail. In his March 1999 State of the State address, he proclaimed, "I want to ride a train by 2002," referring to a light rail line running between downtown Minneapolis and the Mall of America. He made the light rail project a priority, obtaining additional funding from the Minnesota state legislature to keep the project moving. The Hiawatha Line was completed in 2004, significantly exceeding all ridership estimates.

Controversies as Governor

During his tenure as Governor, Ventura had experienced several controversies that drew a considerable amount of fire from the press in the Twin Cities, which has long prided itself on independence from and criticism of the state government.

Garrison Keillor

Shortly after Ventura's election as governor of Minnesota, author and humorist Garrison Keillor wrote a satirical book about the event, satirizing Ventura as "Jimmy (Big Boy) Valente" (AKA Cliff Oxnard), a self-aggrandizing former "Navy W.A.L.R.U.S. (Water Air Land Rising Up Suddenly)" turned professional wrestler turned politician. Ventura took the satire more harshly than intended, and responded angrily to Keillor.

Education

Ventura was helped through college by support from the G.I. Bill, and he has recommended that individuals join the military to pay for college. During one protest of college students, he said:
"If you are smart enough to go to college, you are smart enough to figure out a way to pay for it."

Religion

In a Playboy interview, he said:
"Organized religion is a sham and a crutch for weak-minded people who need strength in numbers. It tells people to go out and stick their noses in other people's business."

Ventura endorsed equal rights for people who don't believe in God by declaring July 4, 2002, "Indivisible Day" through this proclamation:

"WHEREAS: The unique feature of this nation at its founding was its establishment of a secular Constitution that separated government from religion - something never done before; and WHEREAS: Our secular Constitution has enabled people of all worldviews to coexist in harmony, undivided by sectarian strife; and WHEREAS: President James Madison made clear the importance of maintaining this harmony when he said, "The purpose of separation of church and state is to keep forever from these shores the endless strife that has soaked the soil of Europe in blood for centuries"; and WHEREAS: The diversity of our people requires mutual respect and equal protection for all our citizens, including minority groups, if we are to remain "One nation, indivisible"; and WHEREAS: It is the unfettered diversity of ideas and worldviews that have made our nation the strongest and most productive in the world; and WHEREAS: Eternal vigilance must be maintained to guard against those who seek to stifle ideas, establish a narrow orthodoxy, and divide our nation along arbitrary lines of race, ethnicity, and religious belief or nonbelief. NOW, THEREFORE, I, JESSE VENTURA, Governor of Minnesota, do hereby proclaim that Thursday, July 4, 2002 shall be observed as: INDIVISIBLE DAY In the State Of Minnesota."

Then, to recognize the role of Christian teachings in American culture, Ventura proclaimed October 13 to 19, 2002 as "Christian Heritage Week". needed

Pledge of Allegiance

Ventura vetoed a bill to promote recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools, saying:
"I believe patriotism comes from the heart. Patriotism is voluntary. It is a feeling of loyalty and allegiance that is the result of knowledge and belief. A patriot shows their patriotism through their actions, by their choice as voting, attending community meetings and speaking out when needed. No law will make a citizen a patriot."

Outside career

Ventura has been criticized for privately profiting from his heightened popularity. He was hired as host for the failed XFL football enterprise, served as a referee at a WWE wrestling match, and published several books during his tenure as governor. On his weekly radio show, he often criticized the media for focusing on these deals rather than on his policy proposals.

Cuba

After a trade mission to China in 2002, he announced that he wouldn't run for a second term as governor of Minnesota. During another trade mission to Cuba in the summer of 2002, he denounced the economic sanctions of the US against that country.

Wellstone memorial

Ventura greatly disapproved of some of the actions that took place at the 2002 memorial for Senator Paul Wellstone, his family, and others who died in a plane crash on October 25, 2002. Ventura said, "I feel used. I feel violated and duped over the fact that memorial ceremony turned into a political rally." He left half way through the controversial speech made by Rick Kahn. Because of the rally and other issues revolving around the exclusion of third-party candidates from the resulting election, he appointed Dean Barkley to represent Minnesota in the Senate until Wellstone's term expired in January 2003.

The media

Ventura enjoyed an arduous relationship with the local media. He referred to them as "media jackals," a term that even appeared on the required press passes to enter the governor's press area. He believed that the media had unfairly hounded him and his family for personal behaviors and beliefs while neglecting coverage of important policy issues. His wife and children also felt the strain. Later, Ventura told a reporter for The Boston Globe that he would have run for a second term if he had been single, referencing the media's effect on his family life.

Prostitution

Ventura has produced several controversial quotations. In one of his books, he mentions a visit to a prostitute in Reno, Nevada and he admitted to visiting brothels in the Philippines while serving in the military. Ventura has publicly stated that prostitution should be legal, since it will exist in any case, and legal controls protecting the health of clients are needed. He was even quoted as saying "I voted in hopes to make prostitution legal once, and I'd do it again in a second."

Early Resignation

Governor Ventura sparked media criticism when, nearing the end of his term, he suggested that he may resign from office early to allow his lieutenant governor, Mae Schunk, an opportunity to serve as governor. He further stated that he wanted her to be the state's first female governor, and have her portrait painted and hung in the Capitol along with the other governors. Ventura quickly retreated from the comments, saying he was just floating about an idea.

Media Matters

In a 2001 interview with the Minneapolis Star Tribune's outdoor writer Dennis Anderson, Ventura referred to his service as a Navy SEAL, and then said, tongue-in-cheek: "Until you hunted man, you haven't hunted yet." This gave political ammunition to opponents of his policies to use the isolated comment to portray him as inhumane.

Post-Gubernatorial life

Ventura announced that he would not run for a second term as governor in 2002. He was succeeded in his office by Republican Tim Pawlenty.

Ventura began a cable television show in October, 2003, on MSNBC called Jesse Ventura's America. The show was broadcast once a week, on Saturdays, unlike many MSNBC shows which are on five nights a week (this show was originally planned for five nights a week as well, but MSNBC executives changed their minds). At the time of its airing, Jesse Ventura's America was the only national television show filmed in Minnesota. However, the show was cancelled.

In 2004, fellow Navy veteran and Harvard graduate student, Christopher Mora, promoted the idea that the academic establishment had failed to reach out to citizens experienced in public service, but who did not fit the traditional idea of a politican. He successfully lobbied for the selection of Ventura, who started teaching a study group at Harvard University for the Spring 2004 semester as a visiting fellow at the Kennedy School of Government's Institute of Politics (IOP) with undergraduates Daniel Koh '07, Jordan Hylden '06, Michael Cooper '07, Ryan Rippel '04, Eric Fish '07, and Namrata Patel '06 as liaisons. His 90-minute study group focused on third party politics, campaign finance, the war on drugs, and other relevant political issues. Ventura scheduled multiple famous friends to appear for his seminars including Dean Barkley and Richard Marcinko. These presentations were among the highest attended in the history of the IOP.

On March 14, 2004, Ventura appeared as an honored guest at World Wrestling Entertainment's (WWE) Wrestlemania XX as part of the "WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2004." Later in the evening he approached the ring to interview Donald Trump, who had a front row seat at the event. Trump affirmed that Ventura would receive his moral and financial support were he to ever re-enter the world of politics. Alluding to the 2008 election, Ventura boldly announced that "we need to put a wrestler in the White House in 2008". As of yet he has made no official announcement concerning whether or not he intends to run for President. If endorsed, Ventura would be the first presidential candidate endorsed by the Independence Party (in 2004, the Independence Party conducted an instant-runoff straw poll for President during its spring caucuses; John Edwards, who eventually became the Democratic candidate for Vice President, was the winner, but the straw poll was non-binding and not a formal endorsement).

On October 22, 2004, Ventura and former Maine Governor Angus King endorsed John Kerry for President at the Minnesota state capitol building. Ventura did not say a word at the press conference, showing his continued contempt for the press. When prodded for a statement, Governor King responded, "He plans to vote for John Kerry, but he doesn't want to make a statement and subject himself to the tender mercies of the Minnesota press."

In November 2004, an advertisement began airing in California featuring Ventura. In it, Ventura voices his opposition to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's policies regarding Native American casinos.

Ventura is serving as an advisory board member for a new group called Operation Truth, a nonprofit organization set up "to give voice to troops who served in Iraq."

“The current use of the National Guard is wrong....These are men who did not sign up to go occupy foreign nations.” *

In August 2005, Ventura became the spokesperson for Betus.com, an online Sportsbook.*

In September of 2005 Ventura announced on the Mike Malloy Show that he is leaving the U.S. and will go have an adventure.

In late October 2005, Ventura went on the Donny Deutsch show and told Deutsch he was leaving the U.S. due to, among other things, censorship.

Electoral history

Professional wrestling profile

  • Height & Weight: 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 245 lb (110 kg) (listed as high as 281 pounds during his wrestling days)
  • Trained by: Eddie Sharkey
  • Debut: October 1975
  • Finishing Move: Body Breaker

Professional wrestling championships and accomplishments

Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) ranked him #239 of the 500 best singles wrestlers during the "PWI Years" in 2003. He was also ranked #67 of the 100 best tag teams of the "PWI Years" with Adrian Adonis.

References

External links

1951 births | Actor-politicians | American actors | American professional wrestlers | AWA alumni | Batman actors | American color commentators | American film actors | German-Americans | Governors of Minnesota | Hungarian-Americans | Leaders of cities in Minnesota | Libertarians | Pro-choice politicians | Living people | People from Minneapolis, Minnesota | Minnesota politicians | Minnesota Vikings | Professional wrestling announcers | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | United States Navy sailors | United States Navy SEALs | Vietnam War veterans

Jesse Ventura | Jesse Ventura

 

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