The Wonderful Legacy of Kit Bond

The great Christopher S. (Kit) Bond passed away today at the age of 86.

This August will mark 50 years since Kit hired me as his full-time speechwriter in the governor’s office. He had been elected in 1972 as Missouri’s youngest-ever governor, at just 33. It remains one of the great honors of my life to have called him my boss.

On paper, Kit’s political career was unparalleled in Missouri: two years as state auditor, eight as governor, and 24 as a U.S. Senator.

His legacy, though, can’t be captured on paper. He’ll be remembered for his longevity in public service and all that — but in my humble opinion, he should ultimately be honored for four special qualities: a steel-trap legal mind, a heart of gold, an amazing sense of humor and a sincere passion for serving the people of Missouri that I believe was unmatched.

Ever.

For those familiar with my work, you know that Kit’s and my political views grew more divergent over time — especially after he was elected to the U.S. Senate for the first of four terms in 1986. I’d never claim to have been part of his inner circle or among his closest friends.

But he was always warm and gracious when we reconnected, and I remained grateful to him — and respectful of his service — even when, as a member of the media, I disagreed with his public positions. Which, to be fair, happened more than a little.

When I ran as a Democrat for Congress last year, I mentioned my work as Kit’s speechwriter pretty much every time I gave a speech. There was an important context for that, arguably a selfish one, which was to validate my desire to be the unusual politician who valued bipartisanship more than party loyalty.

I would tell audiences – largely Democratic – that I wanted to be a member of the House Problem Solvers Caucus that met to find solutions rather than sound bites. I would cite Kit as my role model for that.

Not once did I get pushback from a single Democrat. On the contrary, every mention of Kit drew warm and consistent applause — and I mentioned him a lot.

I’m tempted to contrast Kit’s legacy with today’s increasingly ugly politics — but this isn’t the time for that. His legacy is too important to be co-opted for anything other than honoring his service.

And no one gave more of himself to that purpose — with unbridled energy, heart, and authenticity — than Christopher S. Bond.