| Roger Wicker | |
|---|---|
| United States Senator from Mississippi |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office December 31, 2007 Serving with Thad Cochran |
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| Preceded by | Trent Lott |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Mississippi's 1st district |
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| In office January 3, 1995 – December 31, 2007 |
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| Preceded by | Jamie Whitten |
| Succeeded by | Travis Childers |
| Mississippi State Senator | |
| In office 1987–1994 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | Roger Frederick Wicker July 5, 1951 Pontotoc, Mississippi |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Gayle Wicker |
| Children | Margaret Wicker Caroline Wicker McDaniel Wicker |
| Residence | Tupelo, Mississippi |
| Alma mater | University of Mississippi (B.A.) |
| 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) is the junior United States Senator from Mississippi and a member of the Republican Party. In December 2007 he was appointed by Governor Haley Barbour to fill the seat vacated by Trent Lott. He subsequently won the 2008 special election for the remainder of the term. Wicker served in the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Mississippi's 1st congressional district from 1995 to 2007.
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Wicker was born in Pontotoc, Mississippi on July 5, 1951, the son of Wordna Glen (née Threadgill) and Frederick T. "Fred" Wicker.[1] He served as a page in the U.S. House of Representatives when he was 16. 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.
After graduation, Wicker served as an officer in the United States Air Force from 1976 to 1980.[2][3] Starting in 1980, he was a member of the Air Force Reserve; he retired from the Reserve in 2003 as a lieutenant colonel.[2] Wicker served as a judge advocate.[4]
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.
In 1994, Democrat Jamie Whitten declined to seek re-election; he had represented the 1st District for 54 years, a historical record at the time. 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,[5] 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). The last time it supported a Democrat for president was in 1976, when Jimmy Carter carried the district. Before then, Mississippi had not supported the official Democratic candidate since 1956 (it voted for George Wallace in 1968). 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 advocated 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.[6] In his final year as Representative, Wicker topped the list in earmarks.[7]
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.[8] He was sworn in by the clerk of the U.S. Senate just prior to that news conference.[9]
Wicker ran for the remainder of Lott's term in the November 2008 special election against Ronnie Musgrove, Barbour's predecessor as governor. 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.
On September 16, 2010, President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate Wicker as representative of the United States to the Sixty-fifth Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations.[10]
The following is a partial summary of Wicker's election results.
| 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% |
Wicker is married to the former Gayle Long of Tupelo. They have three children: Margaret and son-in-law Manning McPhillips; Caroline and son-in-law Kirk Sims; and McDaniel; and one granddaughter, Caroline McPhillips. The Wickers reside in Tupelo, where he is a deacon at First Baptist Church.
| 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 |
| United States order of precedence | ||
| Preceded by John Barrasso R-Wyoming |
United States Senators by seniority 70th |
Succeeded by Mark Udall D-Colorado |
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