Hilda Legg
| Hilda Gay Legg (Kentucky State Director for | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 7, 1952 Adair County, Kentucky |
| Political Party | Republican |
| Spouse | Michael L. Potter Son, Dane |
| Religion | Christianity |
Hilda Gay Legg (born October 7, 1952)[1] is a Republican appointed federal official based in Somerset, Kentucky. In December 2018, U.S. President Donald Trump named her the Kentucky state director for rural development within the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Background
A former classroom teacher in her native Adair County in south Kentucky, Legg grew up in the rural community of Knifley. She graduated in 1974 from Southern Baptist-affiliated Campbellsville University (then Campbellsville College) in Campbellsville, Kentucky. She obtained a graduate degree from Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green. She completed the senior executive program at Harvard University.<refname=legg/>
Political career
Legg worked in the U.S. Department of Education in the administration of President Ronald Reagan, whom Legg said set the tone for the conservative movement. Reagan's successor, George Herbert Walker Bush, named Legg as the alternate federal co-chairman of the Appalachian Regional Commission, with the principal duty of promoting economic policy. In that capacity, she managed a budget of $190 million set aside to create jobs in Appalachia, improve education, and build infrastructure for a region of 21 million inhabitants.[2]
President George W. Bush named Legg as the administrator for the Rural Utilities Service, at which she managed a budget of $6 billion in loan and grant funds. She saw all presidents on a regular basis, but had more interaction with G.W. Bush, whom she calls "truly the kindest."[2] Though G.W. Bush has been highly critical of current President Trump, Legg called Trump "bold enough, independent enough and [one] who cannot be controlled by policy makers or lobbyists. He's exactly what the country needs to address the challenges that it has today."[2]
Legg is a long-time advocate for the expansion of broadband Internet into rural portions of Kentucky.[3]
In 2011, Legg nearly won the Republican nomination for Kentucky Secretary State. She lost out to the Moderate Republican choice, William Ejner "Bill" Johnson, Jr., who in turn was defeated in the general election by the liberal Democrat and current secretary of state, Alison Lundergan Grimes. In the two-candidate primary contest against Johnson, Legg received 49.58 percent of the votes cast.[4]
In 2012, Legg withdrew from the Republican primary for the District 15 state Senate seat for Adair, Casey, Russell and Pulaski counties. Legg said that a redistricting order left doubt over what counties the district would include. The seat was vacated by Republican Vernie McGaha off Russell Spring in Russell County.[5]Republican Chris Girdler, the deputy director for U.S. Representative Hal Rogers, went on to win the primary and the general election in Senate District 10.
Legg and her husband, Michael L. Potter (born June 28, 1952), reside in Nicholasville, sixty-three miles north of Somerset. The have a son, Dane.
References
- ↑ Hilda Legg. Mylife.com. Retrieved on August 1, 2019.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Linda Waggener, "Having served four United States presidents, Hilda Legg is USDA's Kentucky State Director for Rural Development," Campbellsvillian,Summer 2019, p. 5.
- ↑ Hilda Legg. You Tube (March 26, 2018). Retrieved on August 1, 2019.
- ↑ Bill Johnson (Kentucky). Ballotpedia.org. Retrieved on August 1, 2019.
- ↑ Jeff Neal (March 2, 2012). Legg drops out of Senate race. Somerset Commonwealth Journal. Retrieved on August 1, 2019.