Christopher S. “Kit” Bond dies at 86; former Missouri governor and U.S. Senator

ST. LOUIS — Former Missouri governor and U.S. Senator Christopher S. “Kit” Bond died Tuesday in St. Louis. He was 86.

Bond served two separate terms as Missouri governor, from 1973 to 1977 and from 1981 to 1985. He was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1986 and served until 2010. He was Missouri’s first Republican senator in 40 years.

Bond was born in St. Louis, but grew up in Mexico, Mo. He attended Deerfield Academy before Princeton University and graduating from the University of Virginia School of Law.

Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe released the following statement: 

“Kit Bond was a skilled statesman, public servant, and a man who truly loved Missouri. I am blessed to have known Kit and honored to call him a friend and a mentor.

“Kit, always with his trademark smile and sense of humor, was a fierce advocate for Missouri throughout his accomplished 40-year career of public service. Kit kept Missouri’s interests at heart, both in office and out, making our state a better place to live, work, and raise a family. Whenever he was thanked for his service, Kit’s response was always, ‘Serving the people of Missouri was the honor of my life.’

“His legacy as a ‘favorite son’ to his beloved State of Missouri lives on through all he achieved for his home state. Kit touched the lives of so many men and women throughout his career, and today I join them in grieving the loss of a good man. Just as they will miss their friend and mentor, so will I. On behalf of all Missourians, Claudia and I share our deepest condolences and offer our prayers for his wife Linda, his son Sam, and the entire Bond family.”

Funeral services are pending.