Jeremiah Wilson "Jay" Nixon (born February 13, 1956) is an American politician and lawyer who served as the 55th Governor of Missouri from 2009 to 2017 as a member of the Democratic Party. 

Twitter: @GovJayNixon

Statements

Early morning Thursday, 8/14/2014, Nixon announced he would cancel his planned appearance at the Missouri State Fair to visit North St. Louis County.

Via Twitter, he said "Situation in Ferguson does not represent who we are. Must keep the peace, while safeguarding rights of citizens and the press" (source) and "As Governor, I'm committed to ensuring pain of last weekend's tragedy does not continue to be compounded by this ongoing crisis. #Ferguson" (source)

In a press conference on 8/14/2014 he said:

"Immediate security will be directed by the Missouri State Highway Patrol," Nixon said today.

He added that the name of the officer accused of fatally shooting Brown should be released and that local officials have the "methods and abilities to do that." Ferguson's police chief has withheld the name, citing threats to his safety.

"I would hope that the appropriate release of that name, with the security around it if necessary ... be done as expeditiously as possible," Nixon said.

The governor said the streets of Ferguson, a suburb of St. Louis, have "looked like a war zone and that's not acceptable. ... Literally, the eyes of the nation are upon us." [source]