Ex-State House Speaker Catherine Hanaway appointed as Attorney General of Missouri
She has also been the House Minority Leader and a U.S. Attorney.
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey recently announced his resignation to become a senior official with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. For his replacement, Governor Mike Kehoe has appointed a familiar figure in Missouri politics in Catherine Hanaway.
Hanaway is slated to fill out the remainder of Bailey’s term, which lasts until 2029. She has already announced that she intends to run for a full term as Attorney General in the next election for the office, scheduled for 2028.
Earlier in her career, Hanaway was a political staffer, including for U.S. Senator Kit Bond and on the 2000 U.S. Presidential campaign of George W. Bush. Along the way, she was elected to the Missouri House of Representatives from the 87th District, located in the St. Louis area.
After spending time as the Minority Leader, Hanaway became the Speaker of the House in 2003 after the Republicans won a majority of seats. The following year, she did not run for re-election to the House and was instead a candidate for Missouri Secretary of State. She came up short to Democrat Robin Carnahan, daughter of former Governor Mel Carnahan and former U.S. Senator Jean Carnahan.
Shortly thereafter, Hanaway was appointed as the United States Attorney of the Eastern District of Missouri and remained in the post until 2009. In 2016, she was a candidate for the Republican nomination for Governor of Missouri. Hanaway landed in fourth place in the primary. The nomination was won by ex-U.S. Navy SEAL Eric Greitens, who later won the general election before resigning amid scandal and a potential impeachment.
A native of Schuyler, Nebraska, located northwest of Omaha, Catherine Hanaway attended the University of Missouri, Creighton University and the Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law. She has two children with her husband Christopher.