Eric Greitens

Eric Robert Greitens ( GRY-tənz; born April 10, 1974) is an American politician, humanitarian, and former United States Navy SEAL. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 56th governor of Missouri from January 2017 until his resignation in June 2018. His resignation followed multiple investigations involving allegations related to an extramarital relationship, in which he was accused of blackmail and sexual assault, and improper campaign‑finance practices, although all the associated criminal charges were later dropped. Born and raised in St. Louis, Greitens graduated from Duke University in 1996 and received a doctorate in 2000 from Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, as a Rhodes scholar. For his humanitarian work, he was awarded the Gleitsman Citizen Activist Award from Harvard Kennedy School and the President's Volunteer Service Award. During his four tours of duty as a U.S. Navy SEAL officer, he rose to the rank of lieutenant commander. He commanded a unit targeting al-Qaeda, and was awarded a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart. Later, after being a White House fellow, Greitens founded a nonprofit organization, The Mission Continues, to benefit veterans. In 2013, Time included him in its list of the 100 most influential people in the world. He also taught public service at the Truman School of Public Affairs and was an adjunct professor of business ethics in the MBA program at the Olin School of Business at Washington University in St. Louis. Greitens ran for governor of Missouri as a Republican in 2016. In the predominately Republican state, Greitens prevailed over three opponents in the Republican primary. He defeated Democratic Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster in the general election. He was Missouri's first Jewish governor. One of Greitens's signature acts in office was signing Missouri's right-to-work law, which was later repealed by statewide referendum. In February 2018,...