Jesse Ventura

• Born: July 15, 1951
• Birthplace: Minneapolis, Minnesota

Navy SEAL. Professional wrestler. Actor. Politician. That list of occupations briefly describes the colorful life of James George Janos—better known as Jesse "The Body" Ventura—who served from 1999–2003 as governor of Minnesota. He gained a national reputation not only because of his entertainment background, but also because he won election as a third-party candidate. He was, in fact, the first candidate of billionaire H. Ross Perot's new Reform Party to win a statewide elective office.

Describing himself as fiscally conservative and socially moderate or liberal, Ventura spent his single term trying to limit government spending, cut taxes, establish term limits, and improve education. His tenure as governor was not without controversy—often due to his straightforward, even blunt style. In a famous interview with Playboy magazine, Ventura described religion as a "crutch" for weak people. He also faced thorny relations with the state's political establishment, dating back to his days as mayor of the Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Park. Despite speculation that Ventura would seek a second term, or perhaps seek the presidency, the governor chose to return to private life following the end of his tenure.

Early Life and Education

Ventura was born on July 15, 1951, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and grew up on the city's South Side. His parents, George and Bernice, had met while both serving in the US Army during World War II. His father was of Slovak descent, while his mother was of German heritage. While the future governor was growing up, his father worked as a steam fitter for the city. His mother, who had been an Army nurse, worked as a nurse in a local hospital.

Ventura attended local public schools in his South Side neighborhood, graduating from Roosevelt High School in 1969. A gifted athlete, he tried unsuccessfully to win a swimming scholarship to the University of Northern Illinois, and decided to follow his older brother, Jan, into the Navy's elite SEAL unit. Ventura enlisted in the Navy in 1969, and graduated from the SEAL training program in 1970. He then shipped out to Vietnam, serving there until 1973 when he received an honorable discharge.

Young Adulthood

Ventura found himself shaped by his combat experiences in Vietnam, and particularly by the close-knit fellowship and warrior ethic he found in the SEALs. After his discharge from the service in 1973, he spent over a year in California, becoming reaccustomed to civilian life. Among other things, he rode briefly with a motorcycle gang. Back in Minneapolis in 1975, he began attending North Hennepin Community College and working as a nightclub bouncer.

It was while attending college and working as a bouncer that Ventura met Terry, his future wife. She was nineteen and he was twenty-three. They dated for about nine months, marrying on July 18, 1975. The couple had two children: a son, Tyrel, and a daughter, Jade.

Wrestling and Acting Careers

In 1976, former Navy SEAL James Janos launched a ten-year career as a professional wrestler, transforming himself into "Jesse Ventura." His persona, a "heel" or bad guy, was noted for wearing pink tights and feather boas, as well as for an aggressive, boastful manner. His style quickly won over fans, and Ventura soon became a popular part of the pro circuit. The sport was divided regionally when he began his career; there was no national wrestling circuit. So his first job was with the Central States Division. Later, he moved to the American Wrestling Federation (AWF) and then Vince McMahon's World Wrestling Federation (WWF).

In 1986, Ventura discovered that he had pulmonary embolisms, or blood clots, in his lungs. Despite successful treatment, he decided to quit his work in the ring and concentrate on color commentary—not only for wrestling but also for football and other television programs.

In 1987, after a failed bid to unionize pro wrestling, Ventura began a new career when he was cast as "Sergeant Blain" in Arnold Schwarzenegger's action-adventure film Predator, about a battle of wits and firepower between an extraterrestrial hunter and human mercenaries. The success of this film led to other acting parts, including roles in Abraxas, Guardian of the Universe (1991), Demolition Man (1993), Major League II (1994), and Batman and Robin (1997).

Because of concerns over how wrestling promoters such as Vince McMahon were using his image, Ventura decided to trademark his stage name. In 1994, he successfully sued McMahon for $2 million in unpaid royalties on WWF videocassettes on which the wrestler had appeared. The settlement amounted to more than $800,000.

Political Career

Ventura's political career began in 1990, when he ran for mayor of Brooklyn Park, a suburb of Minneapolis. He ran as an independent, hoping to break what he saw as the "good old boy" methods of the incumbent mayor and city council. Another problem, he believed, was that real-estate developers exerted too much influence over the city government. Ventura spent little money on his election run, but campaigned extensively door to door. To the amazement of many, including the two major parties, Ventura won the election. He instituted a number of reforms, including the television broadcast council meetings, but found himself regularly opposed by the council.

Ventura decided not to run for reelection; after his term expired in January 1995, he moved his family to nearby Maple Grove and resumed his acting career. He also became a radio talk-show host—a move that helped his run for governor three years later.

Governor of Minnesota

During the 1990s, Ventura became increasingly involved in state politics. He joined the Minnesota Independence Party (later affiliated with H. Ross Perot as the Minnesota Reform Party) and supported MIP candidate Dean Barkley for the US Senate. In 1997, with Barkley's support, Ventura decided to run for governor in the 1998 election. Again, the unconventional candidate ran a low-budget campaign that made effective use of broadcast media as well as the internet. He defeated Democratic candidate Skip Humphrey, son of former Vice President Hubert Humphrey, and Republican candidate Norm Coleman, mayor of St. Paul. His victory added a strong third-party element to Minnesota's politics, as he was the first member of the Reform Party to win a statewide elective office.

Once in office, Ventura proved to be a hard worker. He established a state budget and appointed a well-respected team of advisors. He was even seen as a prospective presidential candidate for the 2000 election, but the governor said he would serve out his term. The political honeymoon, however, soon ended, and Ventura found himself facing the same political friction with Republicans and Democrats that he had faced as mayor of Brooklyn Park. His administration was also dogged by ethical questions, as Ventura signed a deal to appear as a TV football commentator, as well as several book deals.

Other problems included ongoing disputes with Ross Perot for control of the national Reform Party. In 1999, Ventura successfully backed Jack Gargan for Reform Party chairman. The following year, however, the governor decided to leave the party that he described as "hopelessly dysfunctional." In March 2000, the Minnesota Independence Party reasserted itself under its former name. The split, however, greatly weakened both parties in the 2000 elections, both at the national and state levels.

In 2002, perhaps tired of the political wrangling, Ventura announced that he would not run again. He was succeeded as governor by Republican candidate Tim Pawlenty, a lawyer, who defeated Independence Party candidate Tim Penny (who ran third).

Outlook

Ventura's political legacy is still somewhat hard to define. His victory in the 1998 election seems partly a result of his celebrity (and entertaining political style). But it also seems related to his libertarian/centrist message—one that offered an alternative to the standard Republican and Democratic policies and politicians. Despite some success in limiting government spending, Ventura again found it difficult to gain legislative support. Some of the trouble seems to have been of his own making; state legislators disliked his decision to continue his television and writing careers while in office. Ventura's decision not to seek a second term seems partly related to this friction, as well as his desire to keep his family out of the media spotlight. The Minnesota Independence Party has also not succeeded in winning many seats in the legislature.

After leaving office, Ventura resumed his entertainment career. He was hired by television network MSNBC to serve as a talk-show host on his own show called Jesse Ventura’s America, which was ulimately a short-lived program. In 2004, he taught at Harvard University for a semester at the Kennedy School of Government’s Institute of Politics. He appeared in the “WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2004,” specially produced by the World Wrestling Association. He has also continued working as an actor, with small roles in films such as The Ringer (2005), Woodshop (2010), and The Drunk (2014), as well as appearances on several television shows. Additionally, he wrote and coauthored several more political books, including Don't Start the Revolution without Me! (2008), 63 Documents the Government Doesn't Want You to Read (2011), and They Killed Our President: 63 Reasons to Believe There Was a Conspiracy to Assassinate JFK (2013).

In 2012, Ventura became involved in a highly publicized defamation lawsuit against famous former Navy SEAL Chris Kyle. Ventura claimed that Kyle had included anecdotes about him in his memoir released that year, American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in US Military History, that were inaccurate and false. Though Kyle was killed in 2013, he had previously defended his writing in interviews. While Ventura was initially awarded more than $1 million in 2014 from Kyle's estate, this ruling was overturned in 2016 by an appeals court. While he had been hosting the talk show Off the Grid on the online channel Ora TV, by 2017, he had begun hosting The World According to Jesse on the Russian-supported channel RT America, claiming that he was offered greater freedom from censorship.

Bibliography

Davey, Monica. "$1.8 Million for Ventura in Defamation Case." The New York Times, 29 July 2014, www.nytimes.com/2014/07/30/us/jesse-ventura-chris-kyle-navy-seal-book-lawsuit.html. Accessed 20 Nov. 2017.

Furst, Randy. "Former Gov. Jesse Ventura Has a New Gig—on Russian Television." Star Tribune, 8 June 2017, www.startribune.com/former-gov-jesse-ventura-has-a-new-gig-on-russian-television/427092891/. Accessed 20 Nov. 2017.

Ventura, Jesse. "Jesse Ventura on Cuba, Castro and Why He Still Won't Fly." Interview by Rudy Maxa. Artful Living, 2016, artfullivingmagazine.com/body-talk-artful-living-interview-jesse-body-ventura/. Accessed 20 Nov. 2017.

Ventura, Jesse. "Jesse Ventura on What Both Parties Get Wrong about the Drug War." Interview by Sean Illing. Vox, 1 Sept. 2016, www.vox.com/2016/9/1/12711394/jesse-ventura-marijuana-interview. Accessed 20 Nov. 2017.

Wootson, Cleve R. "A Fox News Host Ambushed Jesse Ventura about His 'American Sniper' Lawsuit. It Got Ugly." The Washington Post, 26 June 2017, www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2017/06/26/a-fox-news-host-ambushed-jesse-ventura-about-his-american-sniper-lawsuit-it-got-ugly/?utm‗term=.f7cd25784818. Accessed 20 Nov. 2017.