Christopher Bond, Missouri’s Trailblazing Republican Leader, Passes Away at 86

Christopher S. Bond, who made history as Missouri’s youngest governor and the state’s first Republican governor since 1945, passed away Tuesday in St. Louis at the age of 86.

The announcement of his death was made by Missouri’s current governor, Mike Kehoe, also a Republican, though details of the location within St. Louis were not disclosed.

Known by the nickname Kit, Bond launched his political career at 31 when he defeated a 17-year incumbent to become state auditor in 1970. He held the auditor position until 1973, after which he was elected governor in 1972 at just 33 years old, breaking a long-standing Democratic hold on the office.

Although he lost his re-election bid for governor initially, Bond returned to office in 1980 by defeating the Democratic incumbent Joseph P. Teasdale. He later succeeded Democrat Thomas F. Eagleton in the U.S. Senate in 1987 following Eagleton’s retirement.

Bond’s victory in the 2004 Senate race marked his seventh statewide election win, setting a record for Missouri political candidates.

In 2009, he publicly declared that he would not seek a fifth term in the Senate, concluding a notable career in public service.