Matthew Roy Blunt (born November 20, 1970) is an American former naval officer and politician who served as the 54th Governor of Missouri from 2005 to 2009. Before his election as governor, Blunt served ten years in the United States Navy, was elected to serve in the Missouri General Assembly in 1998, and as Missouri's Secretary of State in 2000. He grew up in a political family; his father, Roy Blunt, has served in a variety of political offices (including as Missouri secretary of state and congressman, and in the U.S. Senate from 2011 to 2023). A Republican, Matt Blunt was elected governor on November 2, 2004, carrying 101 of Missouri's 114 counties. At age 33, he became the second-youngest person ever elected to that office after Kit Bond. Blunt did not seek a second term as governor, announcing his decision on January 22, 2008, in an address to Missourians, which surprised many supporters and staff. After working as a consultant, Blunt was hired as the president of the American Automotive Policy Council in 2011, representing the auto lobby in Washington, D.C. Early life and education Born in 1970 in Greene County, Missouri, Blunt is the son of politician Roy Blunt and his first wife Roseann Ray Blunt. The senior Blunt was first elected to office in 1984 as Secretary of State for Missouri. He was elected as US Representative in 1997 and as U.S. Senator (R-Missouri) in 2010. After graduating from Jefferson City High School in Jefferson City, Missouri, Matt Blunt was accepted into the United States Naval Academy, where he received a bachelor's degree in history in 1993. Blunt and his wife Melanie were married in May 1997. The couple has two sons, William Branch Blunt, born on March 9, 2005, and Brooks Anderson Blunt, born on January 1, 2010. Blunt is a member of the State Historical Society of Missouri, the American Legion, and the Missouri Farm Bureau. Naval career As an officer in the United States Navy, Blunt served as an engineering officer aboard the USS Jack Williams and as the navigator and administrative officer on the destroyer USS Peterson. His active duty service included participation in Operation Uphold Democracy, involving the United Nations blockade of Haiti, missions to interdict drug traffic off the South American coast, and on duties involved in the interdiction of Cuban migrants in 1994. During his Naval career, Blunt received numerous