John James "Jim" Exon (August 9, 1921June 10, 2005) was an American businessman and politician who served as the 33rd Governor of Nebraska from 1971 to 1979, and as a U.S. Senator from Nebraska from 1979 to 1997. A member of the Democratic Party, Exon never lost an election, and was the only Democrat ever to hold Nebraska's Class 2 U.S. Senate seat. He was elected governor in 1970, re-elected in 1974, elected to the Senate in 1978, and re-elected to that seat in 1984 and 1990. He is the only Nebraskan other than George W. Norris, the architect of Nebraska's unicameral legislature, to win five consecutive statewide elections. Early career Exon was born in Geddes, South Dakota, in 1921 and attended the University of Omaha (now University of Nebraska Omaha) between 1939 and 1941. Exon joined the United States Army Signal Corps in 1942, and served two years overseas in New Guinea, the Philippines and Japan during World War II. He was honorably discharged as a Master Sergeant in December 1945 and served in the Army Reserve until 1949. After the war, he returned to Nebraska and worked as the branch manager of a financial services institution in Fremont. He founded Exon Office Supplies (later Exon's Inc.) in Lincoln in 1953 and served as its president until 1971. In 1972, when Esso (Standard Oil Company of New Jersey) changed its name to Exxon, the Secretary of State of Nebraska declined to register the name due to the existence of Exon's Inc. Exon later claimed that he received an unspecified settlement from Exxon in exchange for renaming his business the J.J. Exon Company. He started his political career as a precinct worker for the Democrats. In 1964, he was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention for Nebraska and served as a delegate for that state in every convention between 1972 and 2004. He served as a member of the Nebraska Democratic State Central Committee between 1964 and 1968 and was a member of the Democratic National Committee from 1968 to 1970. Exon was Chair of the Nebraska Democratic Party in 1970 when he decided to run for Governor. Governor of Nebraska (1971–1979) Exon's first bid for public office was his successful campaign for Governor of Nebraska, defeating incumbent Republican Norbert Tiemann. The term of the Governor had been extended to four years beginning with Tiemann's win in 1966. Exon