Jesse "The Body" Ventura

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Jesse Ventura (born James George Janos; July 15, 1951) is an American politician, actor, and retired professional wrestler. After achieving fame in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), he served as the 38th governor of Minnesota from 1999 to 2003. He was elected governor with the Reform Party and is the party's only candidate to win a major government office.

Ventura was a member of the U.S. Navy Underwater Demolition Team during the Vietnam War.[6] After leaving the military, he embarked on a professional wrestling career from 1975 to 1986, taking the ring name "Jesse 'The Body' Ventura". He had a lengthy tenure in the WWF/WWE as a performer and color commentator and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2004.[2] In addition to wrestling, Ventura pursued an acting career, appearing in films such as Predator and The Running Man (both released in 1987 and starring fellow muscleman-turned-actor-turned-governor Arnold Schwarzenegger).

Ventura entered politics in 1991 when he was elected mayor of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, a position he held until 1995. He was the Reform Party candidate in the 1998 Minnesota gubernatorial election, running a low-budget campaign centered on grassroots events and unusual ads that urged citizens not to "vote for politics as usual". In a major upset, Ventura defeated both the Democratic and Republican nominees. Amid internal fights for control over the party, Ventura left the Reform Party a year after taking office and served the remainder of his term as governor as a member of the Independence Party of Minnesota. Since holding public office, Ventura has called himself a "statesman" rather than a politician.[7]

As governor, Ventura oversaw reforms of Minnesota's property tax as well as the state's first sales tax rebate. Other initiatives he took included construction of the METRO Blue Line light rail in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area and income tax cuts.[8][9][10] Ventura did not run for reelection. After leaving office in 2003, he became a visiting fellow at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government. He has since hosted a number of political television shows on RT America and Ora TV, and written several books.[11] Ventura has been a prominent figure in third party politics, having repeatedly floated the idea of running for President of the United States as an independent candidate.[12]

In late April 2020, Ventura endorsed the Green Party in the 2020 presidential election and showed interest in running for its nomination.[13] He officially joined the Green Party of Minnesota on May 2.[14] On May 7, he confirmed he would not run.[15][16] The Alaskan division of the Green Party nominated Ventura without his involvement, causing the national party to disown it for abandoning its nominee, Howie Hawkins.[17][18]

Jesse Ventura
38th Governor of Minnesota
Mayor of Brooklyn Park
Personal details
Military service
Ventura in 1996
In office January 4, 1999 – January 6, 2003
Lieutenant	Mae Schunk
Preceded by	Arne Carlson
Succeeded by	Tim Pawlenty
In office January 11, 1991 – January 13, 1995
Preceded by	James Krautkremer
Succeeded by	Grace Arbogast
Born	James George Janos July 15, 1951 (age 71) Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
Political party	Independent (before 1998, 2003–2020, 2020–present)
Other political affiliations	Green (2020)[1] Independence (2000–2003) Reform (1998–2000)
Spouse	Theresa Larson Masters (m. 1975)
Children	2
Education	North Hennepin Community College
Occupation	Politician actor professional wrestler television presenter author commentator
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Navy
Years of service	1969–1975
Rank	Petty officer third class
Battles/wars	Vietnam War
Awards	National Defense Service Medal Vietnam Service Medal
Professional wrestling career
Website	WWE.com profile
Ring name(s)	Jesse "The Body" Ventura[2][3] Surf Ventura[4]
Billed height	6 ft 2 in (188 cm)[5]
Billed weight	245 lb (111 kg)[5]
Billed from	San Diego, California Brooklyn Park, Minnesota[5]
Trained by	Eddie Sharkey[2]
Debut	1974[3]
Retired	1986[3]

Championships and accomplishments​

• American Wrestling Association
  • AWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Adrian Adonis[187]
• Cauliflower Alley Club
  • Iron Mike Mazurki Award (1999)
• Central States Wrestling
  • NWA World Tag Team Championship (Central States version) (1 time) – with Tank Patton[188]
• Continental Wrestling Association
  • AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship (2 times)[189]
• George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame
  • Frank Gotch Award (2003)
• NWA Hawaii
  • NWA Hawaii Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Steve Strong[190]
• Pacific Northwest Wrestling
  • NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Championship (2 times)[191][192]
  • NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship (5 times) – with Bull Ramos (2), Buddy Rose (2) and Jerry Oates (1)[193]
• Pro Wrestling Illustrated
  • Ranked No. 239 of the top 500 singles wrestlers during the "PWI Years" in 2003[194]
  • Ranked No. 67 of the top 100 tag teams of the "PWI Years" with Adrian Adonis[195]
• Ring Around The Northwest Newsletter
  • Wrestler of the Year (1976)[196]
• World Wrestling Entertainment
  • WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2004)[2]
• Wrestling Observer Newsletter Awards
  • Best Color Commentator (1987–1990)

 

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