| Ann Louise Wagner | |
|---|---|
| United States Ambassador to Luxembourg | |
| In office July 1, 2005 – June 30, 2009 |
|
| President | George W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Peter Terpeluk, Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Cynthia Stroum |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1962 (age 49–50) St. Louis, Missouri |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Raymond Wagner |
Ann Wagner is an American politician who served as the United States Ambassador to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg from 2005 to 2009. She was also Chair of the Missouri Republican Party for six years, from 1999 until 2005, and Co-chair of the Republican National Committee for four years.
Contents |
Wagner was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, attended the all-girls' Cor Jesu Academy, and graduated from the University of Missouri in 1984 with a bachelor's degree in business administration.
Wagner entered Republican politics in 1990, heading the GOP's efforts during the decennial redistricting of Missouri. In 1992 she was state director of the campaign for the re-election of President George H.W. Bush and Vice President Dan Quayle.
She was elected to her first term of office as chair of the Missouri party in 1999, becoming the first woman to occupy the position. Her most notable achievement in that role came during her second two-year term when she oversaw the party's taking of majority control of both chambers of the Missouri General Assembly, winning the Senate in the 2001 special election and the House in the 2002 general election, the first time this had been seen for over 40 years. During her third term, the party held its majorities in both chambers and also took the Governor's seat for the first time in 12 years with the election of Matt Blunt in 2004. In the 2004 elections the party also secured the majority of Missouri's Congressional representation and that state's Presidential electors.
In 2001 she took office as a co-chair of the Republican National Committee, and helped preside over the 2004 Republican National Convention. In this role she took a strong role in directing the development of the Winning Women initiative, whose aim was to improve the image of the GOP towards women and demonstrate the relevance of its platform to them. Her work with the committee took her to 48 states. On the first day of the 2004 Convention, she gave a speech during which she told the story of Rita Arnaout, a 19-year-old cancer sufferer and road traffic accident survivor who, on being warned of the danger of over-exertion in her condition, told her doctor that the re-election of President George W. Bush was of greater importance to her and so required her efforts in the Bush/Cheney campaign. Wagner added that Republican activists had much to learn from this story. In January 2005, she left her role as co-chair after one term.
On February 20, 2005, Wagner was elected to a fourth term as Chair of the state GOP. On May 16 she was nominated by President Bush to the position of US Ambassador to Luxembourg. She had no previous diplomatic experience. On 16 July 16 she was confirmed in the post by a voice vote in the United States Senate, after which Senator Jim Talent (R-Mo) said that she was, "A considerate woman, whose character and abilities uniquely qualify her to represent our nation."
On August 1 she was sworn in as Ambassador by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in the Benjamin Franklin Room of the Harry S. Truman Building of the US Department of State in Washington D.C..
In 2004, Wagner was a fundraising "ranger" for President George W. Bush.
After returning from Luxembourg, Wagner served as Chairman for Roy Blunt's successful 2010 U.S. Senate campaign.
On November 29, 2010, Wagner sent a video message to the committee members of the Republican National Committee announcing she was running for RNC Chair.[1] The election was held in January 2011[2], and Wagner conceded after the sixth round after receiving 17 votes [3] The contest was won by Reince Priebus, Chairman of the Wisconsin Republican Party.
Wagner has announced she is running for Missouri's 2nd Congressional District after incumbent Todd Akin announced plans to run for the U.S. Senate in 2012.
Wagner is married to Ray Wagner, a former Missouri director of revenue, and has three children: Raymond III, Stephen and Mary Ruth. She has been involved with a number of charities in her hometown of St. Louis, including the Foster Care Coalition and the American Red Cross.
| Diplomatic posts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Peter Terpeluk, Jr. |
United States Ambassador to Luxembourg 2005–2009 |
Succeeded by Cynthia Stroum |