Roger Wicker
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Roger Wicker
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U.S. Senator Roger F. Wicker |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office December 31, 2007 Serving with Thad Cochran |
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| Preceded by | Trent Lott |
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| In office January 4, 1995 – December 31, 2007 |
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| Preceded by | Jamie Whitten |
| Succeeded by | Travis Childers |
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| Born | July 5, 1951 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 (1 year, 187 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.
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[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.
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
- 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
| This section requires expansion. |
The following is a partial summary of Wicker's election results.[citation needed]
| 2008 Mississippi United States Senate election |
| Roger Wicker (R) (inc.) 55% |
| Ronnie Musgrove (D) 45% |
| 2006 Mississippi 1st District United States Congressional election |
| Roger Wicker (R) (inc.) 65.9% |
| Ken Hurt (D) 34.1% |
| 2004 Mississippi 1st District United States Congressional election |
| Roger Wicker (R) (inc.) 79% |
| Barbara Dale Washer (Reform) 21% |
| 1994 Mississippi 1st District United States Congressional election |
| Roger Wicker (R) 63% |
| Bill Wheeler (D) 37% |
[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
- ^ http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=28915
- ^ About Roger from Wicker's official Senate website
- ^ "They're back: Representatives reveal their earmarks". CNN. April 4, 2009. http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/04/03/congress.earmarks/index.html. Retrieved on 2009-04-04. "The top earmark requester in the House last year — now Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Mississippi — has not yet posted any earmarks for this year."
- ^ Rupp, Leah (2007-12-31). "Barbour names Wicker to Senate seat". Clarion Ledger. http://clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071231/NEWS/71231008. Retrieved on 2007-12-31.
- ^ Congressman Named to Fill Lott’s Senate Seat, a January 2008 article from The New York Times
- ^ a b Roger Wicker at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
[edit] External links
| Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Roger Wicker |
- 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
| United States Senate | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Trent Lott |
United States Senator (Class 1) from Mississippi December 31, 2007 – present Served alongside: Thad Cochran |
Incumbent |
| United States House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by Jamie Whitten |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Mississippi's 1st congressional district 1995 – 2007 |
Succeeded by Travis Childers |
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