Bob Wise
| Bob Wise | |
|---|---|
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| 33rd Governor of West Virginia | |
| In office January 15, 2001 – January 17, 2005 |
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| Preceded by | Cecil H. Underwood |
| Succeeded by | Joe Manchin |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from West Virginia's 2nd congressional district | |
| In office January 3, 1993 – January 3, 2001 |
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| Preceded by | Harley O. Staggers, Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Shelley Moore Capito |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from West Virginia's 3rd congressional district | |
| In office January 3, 1983 – January 3, 1993 |
|
| Preceded by | Mick Staton |
| Succeeded by | Nick Rahall |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 6, 1948 Washington, D.C. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Sandra Casber Wise |
| Alma mater | Duke University, Tulane University |
Robert Ellsworth "Bob" Wise, Jr. (born January 6, 1948) is an American politician. A Democrat, Wise served as the 33rd Governor of West Virginia from January 2001 to January 2005.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
Wise was born in Washington, D.C.. He received a B.A. from Duke University in 1970 and a law degree from Tulane University Law School in 1975.[1] Wise's political career began in 1980, when he defeated an incumbent senator for election to the state Senate of West Virginia as a Democrat from the state capital, Charleston. On July 25, 1984, he married Sandra Casber.[2]
[edit] Congressional career
In 1981, Wise started a career in the West Virginia Senate before being elected in 1982 to the U.S. House of Representatives from West Virginia's 3rd congressional district.[1] He unseated incumbent Republican Mick Staton in a close race, but was reelected eight times without serious opposition. His district was renumbered the 2nd after West Virginia's declining population cost it a congressional seat after the 1990 United States Census. Wise served as an at-large whip, regional whip and parliamentarian for the Democratic Party. He also served as ranking member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. In December 1998, Representative Bob Wise announced that he was considering forming an exploratory committee to raise money for a campaign for governor.[1]
In 2000, Wise ran for governor against incumbent Republican Cecil H. Underwood, winning by 51% to 47%.
[edit] Governor of West Virginia
Wise's tenure as Governor of West Virginia, during an overall economic downturn following the bursting of the dot-com bubble and the economic fallout from the September 11, 2001 attacks saw the greatest loss in employment in state history (including the Great Depression) and a tightened fiscal environment.[citation needed] During this period, Wise responded to the economic challenges of the state by attempting to attract businesses through an extensive tax and infrastructure assistance program. In one instance, the state issued $215 million in grants to spur $1 billion investment in projects, such as the Blanchette Rockefeller Neurosciences Institute, Cabela's, the Marshall University Biotechnology Development Center and the West Virginia High Technology Consortium.[3]
Wise is credited with creating the PROMISE scholarship, which allows many West Virginia students to attend any public, state university free of charge.[3] The program is funded through video lottery revenue,[4] and was inspired by the HOPE scholarship program in Georgia. Since its inception, the percentage of students leaving the state to pursue postsecondary degrees has dropped to its lowest levels since the mid-1990s. Wise was also the first governor to propose full funding for the Higher Education Grant Program.[4]
During his term he chaired the National Governors Association Committee on Natural Resources and the Southern States Energy Board.
[edit] Post-political career
The Governor admitted to an affair with a female state employee in 2003 [5] and did not seek reelection in 2004, becoming the first governor not to seek a second term since the West Virginia state constitution was amended in 1970 to allow consecutive terms.[3][6]
Following his term, he returned to Washington, where he now serves as the President of the Alliance for Excellent Education, a national policy and advocacy non-profit organization that works to improve national and federal policy so that all students can achieve at high academic levels and graduate from high school ready for success in college, work and citizenship in the twenty-first century.
In 2010, Wise partnered with Jeb Bush, to co-chair the Digital Learning Council (DLC), a diverse group of more than 100 leaders from education, government, philanthropy, business, technology and think tanks charged to develop a roadmap of reform for local, state and federal lawmakers and policymakers. In December 2010, the DLC released The 10 Elements of High Quality Digital Learning.
In August 2011, Wise was named to The NonProfit Times "Power & Influence Top 50," an annual listing of the fifty most influential executives in the nonprofit sector.[7]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Fischer, Karin and Stacey Ruckle (December 22, 1998). "Wise turns his attention toward governor's job - Congressman to form a panel to explore his options". Charleston Daily Mail. p. 1A. http://docs.newsbank.com.ezproxy.uky.edu/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:AWNB:CDMB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=0FE89D44A7FD0EB6&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=0D0CB617760FFC75. Retrieved 2008-08-21.
- ^ "Sandra Casber Is Wed To Rep. Robert Wise," New York Times, Published: July 29, 1984
- ^ a b c "Wise says he's leaving state in better shape Outgoing governor gives farewell address". Charleston Daily Mail. January 13, 2005. p. P5A.
- ^ a b Garrison, Michael S. and J. Thomas Jones (December 1, 2004). "The success of Promise Scholarship keeping more students in W.Va.". Charleston Gazette. p. P5A. http://infoweb.newsbank.com.ezproxy.uky.edu/iw-search/we/InfoWeb?p_product=AWNB&p_theme=aggregated5&p_action=doc&p_docid=106BA92BAD6EA83C&p_docnum=7&p_queryname=7. Retrieved 2008-08-25.
- ^ www.wvgazette.com, December 25, 2009, "Decade in Review:2003"
- ^ "National Briefing". The New York Times. August 13, 2003. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0DEFD61E31F930A2575BC0A9659C8B63.
- ^ "NonProfit Times Names 'Top 50' Leaders". The NonProfit Times. August 2, 2011. http://foundationcenter.org/pnd/news/story.jhtml;jsessionid=ZWKERPRNMJZFHLAQBQ4CGXD5AAAACI2F?id=347700022.
[edit] External links
| Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Bob Wise |
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
- Inaugural Address of Robert E. Wise, Jr.
- Official Bob Wise biography
| United States House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Mick Staton |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from West Virginia's 3rd congressional district 1983–1993 |
Succeeded by Nick Rahall |
| Preceded by Harley O. Staggers, Jr. |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from West Virginia's 2nd congressional district 1993–2001 |
Succeeded by Shelley Moore Capito |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Cecil H. Underwood |
Governor of West Virginia 2001–2005 |
Succeeded by Joe Manchin |
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- 1948 births
- Duke University alumni
- George Washington High School (Charleston, West Virginia) alumni
- Governors of West Virginia
- Living people
- Members of the United States House of Representatives from West Virginia
- People from Charleston, West Virginia
- People from Washington, D.C.
- Tulane University alumni
- Tulane University Law School alumni
- West Virginia Democrats
- West Virginia State Senators
