Roger Wicker

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Roger Wicker
U.S. Senator Roger F. Wicker
United States Senator from Mississippi
Incumbent
Assumed office  December 31, 2007 Serving with Thad Cochran
Preceded by	Trent Lott
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Mississippi's 1st district
In office January 4, 1995 – December 31, 2007
Preceded by	Jamie Whitten
Succeeded by	Travis Childers
Born	July 5, 1951 (1951-07-05) (age 58) Pontotoc, Mississippi
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Gayle Wicker
Children	Margaret Wicker Caroline Wicker McDaniel Wicker
Residence	Tupelo, Mississippi
Alma mater	University of Mississippi
Occupation	Attorney
Religion	Southern Baptist
Website	Roger Wicker, United States Senator
Military service
Service/branch	United States Air Force
Years of service	1976-2004
Rank	Lieutenant Colonel

Roger Frederick Wicker (born July 5, 1951 in Pontotoc, Mississippi) is an American politician from the state of Mississippi. A Republican, he has been Mississippi's junior U.S. Senator since December 2007 (&0000000000000001.0000001 year, &0000000000000187.000000187 days). Prior to his appointment to the Senate, Wicker served in the United States House of Representatives, representing Mississippi's 1st congressional district for 12 years.

[edit] United States House of Representatives

Wicker began his political career as a member of Trent Lott's political counsel. He then served in the Mississippi State Senate from 1987 to 1994, representing a district that included Tupelo. He was the first Republican elected to the legislature from Northern Mississippi since Reconstruction.^{[citation needed]}

In 1994, Democrat Jamie Whitten declined to seek re-election; he had represented the 1st District for 54 years, a record longevity broken in 2009 by John Dingell. Wicker finished first in a crowded six-way Republican primary; the other big name in the primary, former U.S. Attorney Bob Whitwell, finished 600 votes short of the other runoff spot. In the runoff, Wicker defeated attorney Grant Fox with 53 percent of the vote.

In the general election, Wicker defeated Fulton attorney Bill Wheeler, capturing 63 percent of the vote^[1], making him the first Republican to represent the 1st District in over a century. However, this was not considered an upset, as the 1st has always been a rather conservative district (especially in the Memphis suburbs). It last supported a Democrat for president in 1976, when Jimmy Carter carried the district. Before then, what is now the 1st had last supported the official Democratic presidential candidate in 1956. Although Whitten had a nearly unbreakable hold on the district, it had been considered very likely that he would be succeeded by a Republican once he retired.

Then-Rep. and Mrs. Wicker visit with Afghan leader Hamid Karzai

Wicker was reelected six more times without much difficulty, never dropping below 60 percent of the vote. He was formerly a member of the House Appropriations Committee. He was also Deputy Republican Whip.

In Congress, Wicker worked on issues related to medical research and on economic development for his home state. He advocates private-public partnerships to bring investment to rural areas. Wicker also worked for veterans' issues while serving as a member of the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Subcommittee.^[2] In his final year as Representative, Wicker topped the list in earmarks.^[3]

[edit] United States Senate

At a press conference on December 31, 2007, Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour appointed Wicker to fill the Senate seat vacated by Trent Lott on December 18, 2007.^[4] He was sworn in by the clerk of the U.S. Senate just prior to that news conference.^[5]

Wicker ran for the remainder of Lott's term in the November 2008 special election against Barbour's predecessor as governor Ronnie Musgrove. He won the seat with 55% of the vote. Wicker's resignation from the House also triggered a May 13, 2008 special election to fill the vacancy in the House, which was won by Democrat Travis Childers.

[edit] Committee assignments

• Committee on Armed Services
  • Subcommittee on Airland
  • Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support
• Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation
  • Subcommittee on Aviation Operations, Safety, and Security
  • Subcommittee on Consumer Affairs, Insurance, and Automotive Safety
  • Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard
  • Subcommittee on Space, Aeronautics, and Related Agencies
  • Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety and Security
• Committee on Foreign Relations
  • Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs
  • Subcommittee on International Operations and Organizations, Human Rights, Democracy and Global Women's Issues
  • Subcommittee on European Affairs
  • Subcommittee on International Development and Foreign Assistance, Economic Affairs, and International Environmental Protection
• Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship
• Committee on Veterans' Affairs
• Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe

[edit] Electoral history

Official photo as U.S. Representative.

This section requires expansion.

The following is a partial summary of Wicker's election results.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Personal life

Wicker was born in Pontotoc, Mississippi on July 5, 1951. He is of French, German, English, and Native American descent.^{[citation needed]} He served as a page in the U.S. House of Representatives when he was 16.^{[citation needed]} He earned a bachelor's degree in journalism and political science and a law degree from the University of Mississippi where he was a member of the Sigma Nu fraternity.^{[citation needed]}

Wicker and his wife Gayle have three children: Margaret, a Capitol Hill staffer in Washington, D.C.; Caroline, who also currently works in D.C.; and McDaniel, a Phi Beta Kappa upperclassman at the University of Mississippi.^{[citation needed]} The Wickers reside in Tupelo, where he is a deacon at First Baptist Church.

[edit] Military service

After graduation, Wicker served as an officer in the United States Air Force from 1976 to 1980.^[6][7] Starting in 1980, he was a member of the Air Force Reserve; he left the Reserve in 2003 as a lieutenant colonel.^[6]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

United States Air Force portal

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Roger Wicker

• Official Senate website
• Official campaign website

• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
• Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
• Campaign contributions at OpenSecrets.org
• Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
• Issue positions and quotes at On The Issues
• Profile at SourceWatch Congresspedia

v • d • e United States Senators from Mississippi Class 1 Leake • Holmes • Ellis • Reed • Ellis • Black • Trotter • T. Hickman Williams • Henderson • Speight • Davis • McRae • S. Adams • Davis • Ames • Pease • Bruce • George • Money • J. Williams • Stephens • Bilbo • Stennis • Lott • Wicker Class 2 T. Hill Williams • Reed • R. Adams • Poindexter • Walker • Chalmers • Foote • Brooke • Brown • Revels • Alcorn • Lamar • Walthall • McLaurin • Walthall • Sullivan • McLaurin • Gordon • Percy • Vardaman • Harrison • Eastland • Doxey • Eastland • Cochran