Former Governor Jay Nixon will receive the 2024 Harry S. Truman Public Service Award

The Independence Harry S. Truman Award Commission will present the 2024 Harry S. Truman Public Service Award to former Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon during a public ceremony at 11 a.m. Friday, Nov. 22, at the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum.

Established in 1974 by the City of Independence, the Harry S. Truman Public Service Award is presented annually to an outstanding public servant, or servants, who exemplifies the dedication, industry, ability, honesty and integrity that distinguished President Harry S. Truman’s life and legacy.

“Governor Nixon’s impact on Missouri is still felt years after he left office and will continue for decades to come,” said Independence Mayor Rory Rowland. “He served as governor for all Missourians, regardless of political party or city size. He was a bipartisan leader who navigated economic downturns, complex health care challenges and devastating natural disasters with steady leadership and integrity. We are honored to add him to the distinguished list of Harry S. Truman Public Service Award recipients.”

Nixon is the 50th recipient of the national honor and joins a prestigious group of honorees that includes former presidents Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford and Bill Clinton; World War II veteran and U.S. Sen. Robert J. Dole; former U.S. senators Roy Blunt, Claire McCaskill, Patrick Leahy, Jack Danforth and John McCain; veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars; and civic and humanitarian leaders including Coretta Scott King, Margaret Truman Daniel, Mother Clara Hale, Mary Jean Eisenhower, former Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, and Esther George, former president and chief executive officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City.

Nixon served as Missouri’s 55th governor from 2009 to 2017, becoming the first governor in state history to be elected statewide four times. During his two terms, he led the state through historic flooding, tornadoes and other natural disasters while prioritizing economic recovery, infrastructure investment and education funding. Under his administration, Missouri experienced record low unemployment, balanced budgets and significant job growth, even amid the national Great Recession.

Before serving as governor, Nixon was Missouri’s 40th attorney general, a role he held for 16 years, making him the longest-serving attorney general in state history. As attorney general, Nixon earned a national reputation for consumer protection, public safety and ethical governance. He argued two cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, including the landmark campaign finance case Nixon v. Shrink Missouri Government PAC, which upheld limits on political contributions.

Earlier in his career, Nixon served as a member of the Missouri Senate, representing St. Louis County, where he built a reputation as a pragmatic legislator focused on bipartisan problem-solving and fiscal responsibility.

Today, Nixon is a partner at the St. Louis-based law firm Dowd Bennett LLP, where he continues his work in public policy, law and civic leadership.

Nixon and his wife, Georganne Nixon, have two sons.