Christopher S. Bond
Christopher S. “Kit” Bond has more than forty years of public service
experience, most recently representing the state of Missouri for four
terms in the United States Senate (1985-2011).
During his
decades of public service, Bond earned a reputation as a skilled
statesman able to build coalitions and work across party lines to achieve
results. Elected to statewide office a total of seven times, Bond also
served as Missouri State Auditor (1971-73) and two-terms as Governor of
Missouri (1973-77, 1981-85). Bond’s ascension to the Governor’s office in
1973 at age 33 makes him the youngest ever to hold that office.
An early leader in the effort to expand economic opportunities for American companies and institutions in the global economy, Bond has traveled extensively in East and Southeast Asia and has built relationships with leaders across the region, earning him the nickname, “the Senator from ASEAN” and was recently dubbed by one of the U.S. Ambassadors in ASEAN as "still THE stalwart engager in the region."
Recognized as an expert in Southeast Asia, Bond co-authored The Next Front: Southeast Asia and the Road to Global Peace with Islam, which outlines the importance of increased American engagement in the region. Since his days as Governor, Bond has stressed the need to strengthen our relationships with countries around the world, particularly in Southeast Asia. Currently Bond serves on the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) US ASEAN Strategy Commission and Japan Tsunami task forces.
Bond is also well known for his support for a
strong and well-equipped U.S. military, improved care for our nation’s
veterans and men and women in uniform, and as Vice Chairman of the Senate
Intelligence Committee. He has been recognized as a strong leader in the
promotion of plant biotechnology to meet the growing global demand for nutrition
and food and is a Board Member of the world-renowned Donald Danforth
Plant Science Center.
A sixth generation
Missourian, Bond was born in St. Louis and grew up in Mexico, Missouri. Bond
graduated Cum Laude from the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton
University and received his law degree from the University of Virginia,
where he graduated first in his class. He is married to Linda Bond, a
native of North Kansas City.
Bond’s son Sam served as a 1st
Lieutenant in the United State Marine Corps and married Margaret Crews, a
lawyer from Richmond, Virginia.
Sam and Margaret have a daughter, Elizabeth Ivy Bond.