May 5, 2002 – Doctor of Law
The Honorable Robert E. “Bob” Wise, Jr. will receive an honorary doctor of law degree from West Virginia Wesleyan College.
Wise is the 33rd governor of West Virginia, taking office on January 15, 2001. His victory in the election of 2000 was the latest step in a career of public service. He has pledged to revive the state’s stagnant economy, to push for better schools and colleges, and to find a middle road between environmentalists and the energy industry.
Upon taking office a governor, he immediately launched a bold legislative agenda: funding the PROMISE Scholarships, stimulating economic development, and increasing the availability of health insurance to the state’s children.
Before becoming governor, he served the citizens of West Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District for 18 years, having first won his seat in 1982. The district – one of the largest in the east – stretches from the Ohio River on the west to the eastern most tip of the state at Harper’s Ferry. As a representative, he traveled the district almost nonstop when Congress was not in session – a practice that made him very familiar with the potential and the problems of scores of West Virginia communities.
In Washington, he was a ranking member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and heped bring federal support to dozens of important road projects in West Virginia.
Wise first won elctive office in 1980 when he was elected to the West Virginia State Senate. Two years later, he ran for the U.S. House of Representatives and won the first of nine consecutive congressional elections. While in Congress, Wise served in his party’s leadership as an at-large whip, a regional whip, and parliamentarian.
He consistently voted against congressional pay raises and used a portion of his salary to fund scholarships at every college and university in his district.
Wise grew up in Charleston, where he attended public schools. He is a graduate of Duke University and the Tulane University College of Law. He is married to Sandy Wise, and they have two children, Robert and Alexandra.
Related Pages:
Commencement Speaker (2002) – Robert E. “Bob” Wise, Jr.
Sources:
Commencement Program: May 5, 2002
Sonis, Larry “Bob Wise.” e-WV: The West Virginia Encyclopedia. 16 May 2016. Web. 14 July 2018.
PLM 7/14/18