Senator Christopher S. "Kit" Bond

Senator Christopher S. "Kit" Bond
Partner
Thompson Coburn LLP

Christopher S. "Kit" Bond is a sixth generation Missourian, born in St. Louis in 1939. He grew up in Mexico, Missouri, where he still tends to his chestnut orchard.

Bond graduated Cum Laude from the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University in 1960 and received his law degree from the University of Virginia in 1963, having graduated first in his class.

After serving as a clerk to the Chief Judge of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta, Bond practiced law in Washington, D.C. before returning home to Missouri.

In 1969, Bond became an Assistant Attorney General under former Senator John Danforth. Before being elected State Auditor in 1970, Bond was chief counsel of Missouri's Consumer Protection Division.

At age 33, Kit Bond became the 47th Governor of the State of Missouri on January 8, 1973 – the youngest Governor the state has ever had. Bond was re-elected to a second term as Governor in 1980.

After his second successful term as Governor, Bond continued his service to Missouri from his newly won seat in the United States Senate in 1987. Based upon his solid ability to protect and advance Missouri's interests in the United States Senate, Bond was returned by Missouri voters to the U.S. Senate in 1992, 1998 and 2004.

While serving in the United States Senate, Bond built a reputation as a statesman who works in a bipartisan way. A supporter of agricultural research since he served as Missouri's Governor, Senator Bond became one of life science's strongest advocates in Congress.

As the former Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee that funds the National Science Foundation (NSF), Bond worked with Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) to appropriate more funds to NSF for basic research, including plant genomics. Thanks to Bond and Mikulski's support, the NSF has since directed nearly $1 billion for competitive grants at leading institutions for plant-genomics research in commercially important crops.

Bond worked with scientists, community and business leaders to create a biotechnology corridor or "Bio-Belt" stretching across I-70 from St. Louis to Columbia to Kansas City, making Missouri a national leader in plant and animal biotechnology.

Bond also strongly encouraged efforts to bring biotechnology to the developing world to prevent nutrition-related illness and death and to help alleviate poverty. He secured millions in earmarked funding for biotech research for the developing world in the annual Foreign Operations Appropriations bills.

Bond is married to Linda Bond. His son, Samuel Bond, served two tours in Iraq as a Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps. Sam is married to Margaret Crews, an attorney from Richmond, Virginia; they currently live and work in Atlanta, Georgia and have one child.

Since leaving the United States Senate, Bond joined St. Louis-based law firm Thompson Coburn LLP as a partner and formed Kit Bond Strategies LLP, an international business development firm.