Roger Wicker

Roger Frederick Wicker (born July 5, 1951) is an American attorney and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Mississippi, a seat he has held since 2007.

Wicker was born on July 5, 1951, in Pontotoc, Mississippi, to Wordna Glen (née Threadgill) and Thomas Frederick "Fred" Wicker, a lawyer and onetime Mississippi state senator.

The district had only supported the Democratic nominee for president once since 1956, when Jimmy Carter carried the district in 1976.

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 times without serious difficulty, never receiving less than 65% of the vote.

In 1967, the 16-year-old Wicker worked as a United States House of Representatives Page for Democratic Representative Jamie L. Whitten of Mississippi's 1st congressional district.

He earned a bachelor's degree in journalism and political science and a J.D. degree from the University of Mississippi, where he was a member of the Sigma Nu fraternity and student body president.

He was inducted into Omicron Delta Kappa for his student leadership and academic merit while at the University of Mississippi.

He was an officer in the United States Air Force from 1976 to 1980 and a member of the United States Air Force Reserves from 1980 to 2003.

After graduation, Wicker served as an officer in the United States Air Force from 1976 to 1980.

During the 1980s, he worked as a political counselor to then-Congressman Trent Lott on the House Rules Committee.

Starting in 1980, he was a member of the Air Force Reserve; he retired from the reserve in 2003 as a lieutenant colonel.

Wicker served as a judge advocate.

Wicker began his political career in 1980 as House Rules Committee counsel to U.S. Representative Trent Lott.

In the general election, Wicker defeated Fulton attorney Bill Wheeler, 80,553 votes (63.06%) to 47,192 (36.94%), making him the first Republican to represent the 1st district in over a century.

This was not considered an upset, as the 1st has always been a rather conservative district (especially in the Memphis suburbs).

In 1987, Wicker was elected to the Mississippi State Senate, representing the 6th district, which included Tupelo.

He was elected to the Mississippi State Senate in 1987, spending $25,000 on the race.

A member of the Republican Party, Wicker was a Mississippi State Senator from 1988 to 1995 and the U.S. Representative from Mississippi's 1st congressional district from 1995 until 2007.

Born in Pontotoc, Mississippi, Wicker is a graduate of the University of Mississippi and the University of Mississippi School of Law.

He represented the 6th district, which included Tupelo, from 1988 to 1994.

Former U.S. Attorney Bob Whitwell finished 600 votes short of the runoff with 4,606 votes (17.14%), 1992 nominee Clyde E. Whitaker came fourth with 4,602 votes (17.12%), 1986 nominee Larry Cobb came fifth with 4,162 votes (15.48%) and 1990 nominee Bill Bowlin took the remaining 1,147 votes (4.27%).

In the runoff, Wicker defeated Fox, 11,905 votes (53.07%) to 10,527 (46.93%).

Wicker was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1994, succeeding longtime Representative Jamie Whitten.

He amended a 1994 state Medicaid bill to authorize the Mississippi Attorney General to contract private attorneys on contingency.

In 1994, Whitten declined to seek reelection; he had represented the 1st District for 53 years, longer than any other congressman at the time.

Wicker ran to succeed him, spending $750,000 on his campaign.

He finished first in a crowded six-way Republican primary with 7,156 votes (26.62%) and proceeded to a runoff with attorney Grant Fox, who received 5,208 votes (19.37%).

Wicker served in the House from 1995 to 2007, when he was appointed to the Senate by Governor Haley Barbour to fill the seat vacated by Lott.

Assuming office in 1995, Wicker was president of the freshman class, which included 53 other new Republican representatives, elected as part of the 1994 "Republican Revolution".

Wicker was 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.

In his final year as representative, Wicker topped the list in earmarks.

In 2004, he was unopposed by a Democratic candidate, facing only Reform Party nominee Barbara Dale Washer, whom he defeated by 219,328 votes (79.01%) to 58,256 (20.99%).

Wicker subsequently won a special election for the remainder of the term in 2008 and was reelected to a full term in 2012.

Wicker served as chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee from 2015 to 2017 and is a deputy Republican whip.

He was reelected in 2018, defeating Democratic nominee David Baria.