JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Former Missouri Governor and U.S. Senator Christopher “Kit” Bond was memorialized Tuesday during a special service inside of the Capitol rotunda in Jefferson City. Bond died May 13 in St. Louis at age 86.

Former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft, a fellow Missouri auditor, governor, and U.S. Senator, was candid in his remarks about his former colleague.

“When I called upon him for advice, he was transparently direct,” Ashcroft said. “He advised me to respect the voters’ verdict when I lost the U.S. Senate race…It was good advice.

“I stood down,” Ashcroft quipped. “Kit was right.”

Born in St. Louis in 1939, Bond grew up in Mexico, Missouri. A graduate of Princeton University, Bond continued his education at the University of Virginia Law School.

His service as an elected official began in 1971, when Bond was sworn in as the Missouri State Auditor. Just a few years later, Bond would run for governor. At the age of 33, the longtime statesman became the youngest governor in Missouri history. He would end up serving two non-consecutive terms as governor.

Bond continued his service to Missouri when he was first elected as one of two U.S. Senators from the state. Bond served four terms in the U.S. Senate, winning elections in 1986, 1992, 1998, and 2004.

Bond retired from public service when he left the Senate in 2011.

Current Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe called Bond a true friend and mentor.

“His legacy inspires action,” Kehoe said. “And for Kit, it was not prestige that mattered to him, it was the people of Missouri.”

The 58th governor praised the 47th and 49th governor for staying true to his roots.

“He held several titles, including United States Senator,” Kehoe said. “But he always told me that being in this beautiful building in Jefferson City, serving as Missouri’s governor, was his favorite role.”