Roger Wicker (R-MS-Senate)i

Mississippi Senator

Roger F. Wicker

Roger Wicker Senatorial Candidate Mississippi

Biography of Roger Wicker from Senate.gov

and

Biography of Roger Wicker from Wicker for Senate

Roger F. Wicker was elected to the United States Senate on November 4, 2008. During his time in the Senate, Wicker has championed pro-growth policies to create jobs and has worked to reduce spending, limit federal overreach, and maintain a strong national defense.

Wicker serves as Deputy Whip and is a member of the Armed Services Committee; the Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee; the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee; and the Veterans Affairs Committee. As Deputy Whip, Wicker works alongside Republican Whip Jon Kyl to promote a conservative agenda and build support for the legislative plan.

Senator Wicker has been a strong advocate for economic development initiatives to help keep Mississippians competitive in a global marketplace. He has been honored by the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) for his work on pro-growth, pro-manufacturing policies in Congress.

Senator Wicker has actively supported cancer survivorship programs and efforts to fight heart disease with the American Heart Association, diabetes, and childhood obesity. Twice, he has been recognized as a “champion” of polio eradication for his work to wipe out polio worldwide. Senator Wicker is the co-founder of the Senate Malaria Caucus and has worked to eliminate this preventable disease.

He has been instrumental in bringing more research funding to Mississippi universities for a wide range of health-related projects to fight disease and improve quality of life. Most notably, Wicker authored the Muscular Dystrophy Community Assistance, Research, and Education (MD CARE) Act of 2001, which created NIH centers of excellence to coordinate and enhance muscular dystrophy research. The Wicker Project at Children’s National Medical Center is a leader in muscular dystrophy research.

Prior to his service in the Senate, Wicker was elected seven times, beginning in 1994, to represent Mississippi’s First Congressional District in the House of Representatives. He has served Mississippians in the Senate since his appointment to the office by Governor Haley Barbour on December 31, 2007. Before being elected to Congress, he served in the state Senate on behalf of Lee and Pontotoc counties.

Senator Wicker served on active duty in the U.S. Air Force and then joined the Air Force Reserve. He retired from the Reserve in 2004 with the rank of lieutenant colonel.

A native of Pontotoc, Mississippi, the Senator is the son of former Circuit Judge Fred Wicker and the late Mrs. Wordna Wicker. He was educated in the public schools of Pontotoc and received his B.A. and law degrees from the University of Mississippi. Wicker is a member of the First Baptist Church Tupelo, where he sings in the choir.

Senator 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 Wicker; and two grandchildren: Caroline and Henry McPhillips.