Joe Manchin III
Governor of West Virginia
Joe Manchin III is West Virginia's 34th Governor. He was born and raised in the little coal town of Farmington, West Virginia where he learned at a very young age the value of commitment - commitment not only to his family, but to his community and neighbors as well. From his grandfather, an immigrant from Italy and the town grocer, he inherited a head for business, while from his grandmother, a virtual one woman social services agency, he discovered his heart for people.
After attending West Virginia University on a football scholarship, he became a successful businessman. As a member of the legislature from 1982-1996, he earned a reputation for standing up for West Virginians to improve our schools, protect our veterans and senior citizens, and create jobs. Under his leadership as Secretary of State from 2000-2004, the office became known for providing excellent customer service. In addition, its SHARES program promoted democracy to all schoolchildren and registered 42,000 high school students to vote. Subsequently, the 2004 General Election saw the highest number of West Virginians cast a vote since 1972.
Never forgetting his family's commitment to their local community, he also served from 2000 to 2004 as president of the Marion County Rescue Squad.
As Governor, Joe Manchin is taking responsibility for improving our state's economic climate so that we can retain and create good paying jobs with health care benefits for our state's workforce and reduce West Virginia's long-term debt. He is also committed to making affordable and accessible health care available to our citizens, a seamless education system for our children, prescription drug assistance for our seniors, and a better support structure for our veterans.
Under his leadership, West Virginia has become "Open for Business". Working with the legislature, he has fixed the state's workers' compensation system, instituted insurance reforms, established the first comprehensive teacher pay package in over 15 years, decreased the state's debt, strengthened its ethics laws and reduced the food tax. Most recently during a special session, the Governor proposed and approved $100 million in tax relief for West Virginia's citizens and businesses.
Put simply, Governor Manchin believes that the people of West Virginia expect and deserve a Governor who works hard every day to make things better for our state and who uses common sense to remove any barriers standing in the way of our economic development and our children's future. However, he also acknowledges that he can't achieve success alone - it will take all West Virginians working together to achieve real and lasting change. That is why he is known throughout the state as a team builder who encourages cooperation and values all input.
He has quickly become a leader on the national scene as well. Governor Manchin currently serves as Chairman of the Southern States Energy Board, Vice-Chair and Chair-Elect for 2008 of the Democratic Governors Association and Chair-Elect of the Southern Governors' Association.
Governor Manchin is also an avid pilot, outdoorsman, hunter, fisherman and motorcyclist. He has been married for 39-years to the former Gayle Conelly of Beckley. They are the parents of three children: Heather, Joseph IV and Brooke, and the proud grandparents of Joseph V, Sophie, Kelsey, Madeline, Chloe and Jack.