Interviews of Kathleen Sebelius by Bob Beatty, August 15 and September 22, 2016
Interviewed by Bob Beatty
In these 2016 interviews, former Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius describes her family heritage, entry into politics, and career as a public servant in Kansas. The interviews were conducted by Dr. Bob Beatty of Washburn University. Sebelius describes the influence of her father, John Gilligan, whose commitment to moral courage and civil rights provided a model for principled leadership and retail politics. Gilligan served in Congress and as governor of Ohio. Sebelius details her own political ascent, from serving in the Kansas Legislature to her election as governor. In this interview, Sebelius describes dealing with long-time state issues such as school finance and economic development along with newer issues such as tribal gaming compacts and the increasingly complex the healthcare environment. Excerpts of this interview and 2004 and 2008 interviews of Sebelius by Washburn University faculty were published in Kansas History: A Journal of the Central Plains 40 (Winter 2017-2018): 262-289. Read together, this interview, the 2004 Beatty interview, and KOHP interviews of Sebelius in 2022, 2023, and 2026 present a unique look at Kansas policymaking.
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Interviews of former Kansas governors conducted by Dr. Bob Beatty of Washburn University during the early decades of the 21st Century provide a view of the lives, political philosophies, and governing styles of governors who led Kansas from the late 20th to the early 21st Century. Beatty generously granted the Kansas Oral History Project (KOHP) permission to house the transcripts of these interviews conducted with former governors John Anderson, William Avery, John Carlin, Bill Graves, Mike Hayden, Mark Parkinson, and Kathleen Sebelius. These interviews are a significant addition to the Kansas Governors collection, and the KOHP Board is grateful to Dr. Beatty for making the transcripts available for posting here.Base Realignment & Closure Committee; Bioscience Authority; Bipartisanship; Education policy; Energy; Environment; Gambling; Gun rights; Health Insurance; Health policy; Holcomb Power Plant; Initiative and referendum; Legislature, interactions with governor; School finance; School finance lawsuits; Tribal-state gaming compacts
Kathleen Sebelius is an Ohio native who earned a bachelor's degree in political science from Trinity Washington University in Washington, D.C. and an MPA from the University of Kansas. Sebelius' career in Kansas included serving as the Executive Director and lobbyist for the Kansas Trial Lawyers (1977-1986). She was elected to four consecutive terms to represent a Topeka, Kansas House district from 1987-1995. Following her terms in the Kansas House, Sebelius was elected twice to the office of Kansas Insurance Commissioner (1995-2003) and to two terms as Governor of Kansas (2003-2009). Sebelius left the Governor's office prior to the end of her second term to accept appointment to be Secretary of Health and Human Services in President Obama's administration (2009-2014). Kathleen Sebelius is the daughter of Jack and Mary Kathryn Gilligan. Her father served as an Ohio Congressman and Governor. Sebelius is married to Gary Sebelius whose father, Keith Sebelius, represented Kansas in the U.S. House from 1969-1981.
May 15, 1948
Democrat
Executive Director, Kansas Trial Lawyers Association 1977-1986
Member, Kansas House of Representatives 1987-1995
Chair, House Federal and State Affairs 1991-1992
Insurance Commissioner, State of Kansas 1995-2003
Governor, State of Kansas 2003-2009
Secretary, US Department Health & Human Services 2009-2014
CEO, Sebelius Resources, LLC 2014-Present
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