Background
Hanaway, Catherine Lucille was born on November 8, 1963 in Schuyler, Nebraska, United States.
Hanaway, Catherine Lucille was born on November 8, 1963 in Schuyler, Nebraska, United States.
Hanaway earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism from Creighton University, and graduated in the top 10% of her law class from the Catholic University of America.
She spent the rest of her childhood growing up in rural Nebraska and Iowa. She received a marksman first class certificate from the National Rifle Association in 7th Grade. After law school, she worked in the law firm of Peper, Martin Jensen, Maichel & Hetlage, the predecessor firm to Husch Blackwell Sanders for four years.
Catherine began volunteering for Republican campaigns in the early 1990s, and joined Senator Kit Bond"s staff in 1993 where she managed his office"s operations for Northeast Missouri.
She first ran for elected office in 1998 winning a seat in the Missouri House of Representatives. In 2000, she managed President George West. Bush"s campaign operations for Missouri.
After her first term in office, she was elected Republican Minority Leader in 2000. Throughout 2001 and 2002, Hanaway recruited candidates and raised large sums of money in a successful attempt to gain the first Republican Majority in the Missouri House in 48 years.
Hanaway was elected as the first female Speaker of the Missouri House shortly afterwards.
Missouri Speaker of the House
During her tenure as Speaker, Catherine successfully passed Missouri’s conceal-and-carry law by overriding a veto from Democratic Governor Bob Holden. Hanaway also rejected multiple tax increase proposals from Governor Holden as Speaker. With the 2002 death of 2-year-old Dominic James in Springfield, the need to reform Missouri"s foster care system became broadly evident.
Hanaway worked to pass a Foster Care Reform Bill that was named after James.
Hanaway ran for Missouri Secretary of State in 2004. In a year that Republicans carried most contested state offices, she lost to Robin Carnahan, the daughter of former Missouri governor Mel Carnahan.
She was defeated in her home county of Saint Louis by fourteen percentage points. 2016 gubernatorial race
On February 11, 2014, Hanaway announced that she was running for Governor of Missouri in the 2016 election.
On March 27, 2015, Hanaway resumed her gubernatorial campaign that had been on hiatus since Tom Schweich"s suicide on February 26, 2015.
After leaving office as the United States. Attorney, she worked for The Ashcroft Group. In 2013 Missouri Lawyers Weekly reported that she had charged the highest hourly rate of any lawyer in Missouri ($793/hour in a Securities and Exchange lawsuit).
Member Housing Advisory Board. Board directors Hope House, Foster and Adoptive Care Coalition. Member of Missouri Bar Association, St. Louis Junior League, St. Louis Junior Chamber of Commerce (past president).
Married Christopher; children: Lucy, Jack.