H. William DeWeese - Citizendia

Bill DeWeese

Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from the 50th district
In office 1976 – present
135th Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
In office 1993 – 1994
Preceded by	Robert O'Donnell
Succeeded by	Matt Ryan

Born	April 18, 1950 (1950-04-18) (age 58) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Holly Kinser (divorced)
Residence	Waynesburg, Pennsylvania
Alma mater	Wake Forest University
Religion	Presbyterian

H. The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Legislature of the U Year 1976 ( MCMLXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives holds the oldest state-wide Elected office in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Year 1993 ( MCMXCIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar) Year 1994 ( MCMXCIV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar) Robert W O'Donnell is the former Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, is widely regarded as one of the most able and gifted members to serve in the legislature Matthew J Ryan (1932-2003 served as Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Events 1025 - Bolesław Chrobry is crowned in Gniezno, becoming the first King of Poland. Year 1950 ( MCML) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Democratic Party is one of two major Political parties in the United States, the other being the Republican Party. Waynesburg is a borough in and the County seat of Greene County, Pennsylvania, United States, 60 miles (96 km southwest of Pittsburgh Alma mater is Latin for "nourishing mother" It was used in Ancient Rome as a title for the mother Goddess, and in Medieval Wake Forest University is a private, coeducational University in North Carolina, founded in 1834 Presbyterianism is a family of Christian denominations within the Reformed branch of Protestant Western Christianity William "Bill" DeWeese, (born April 18, 1950) is the Majority Leader of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Events 1025 - Bolesław Chrobry is crowned in Gniezno, becoming the first King of Poland. Year 1950 ( MCML) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. In US politics, the majority leader is a partisan position in a legislative body The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Legislature of the U DeWeese served as 135th Speaker of the Pennsylvania House in 1993-1994.

1 Background
2 State House
3 Speech
4 References
5 External links

Background

DeWeese was born April 18, 1950, in Pittsburgh and raised in rural Greene County. Events 1025 - Bolesław Chrobry is crowned in Gniezno, becoming the first King of Poland. Year 1950 ( MCML) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Greene County is a County located in the US state of Pennsylvania and is part of the Pittsburgh DMA. After earning a B. A. , History at Wake Forest University, he joined the United States Marine Corps 1972-1975. Wake Forest University is a private, coeducational University in North Carolina, founded in 1834 Year 1972 ( MCMLXXII) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1975 ( MCMLXXV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

State House

After leaving the Marines, DeWeese was elected to the Pennsylvania House in a 1976 special election and has served the 50th district (all of Greene and parts of Fayette and Washington Counties) since. A by-election or bye-election (called special election in the United States) is an Election held to fill a political office that has become vacant Fayette County is a County located in the US state of Pennsylvania. Washington County is a County located in the US state of Pennsylvania and is part of the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Statistical Area.

DeWeese's ascent through the echelons of House Democratic leadership began when he was elected by his colleagues as Majority Whip in 1988. Whip is a role in party-based politics whose primary purpose is to ensure control of the formal decision-making process in a parliamentary legislature Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar) Upon the death of Speaker of the House James J. Manderino, DeWeese was elected House Majority Leader in January 1990, serving in that position until he was elected Speaker of the House for the 1993-94 term. Year 1990 ( MCMXC) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar) Year 1993 ( MCMXCIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar) Year 1994 ( MCMXCIV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar) In 1994, he lost the Speakership when Democrat Rep. Stish switched parties, giving the GOP the majority. He went on to serve as Minority Leader from 1994 until 2006. In US politics, the minority leader is the Floor Leader of the second-largest Caucus in a legislative body

Following November 2006 elections, a tight race in Chester County gave a slim 102-101 majority to the Democrats, DeWeese became Democratic speaker-designate. Chester County (known colloquially as "Chesco" is a County located in the U Days before the General Assembly convened on January 2, 2007, Rep. Thomas Caltigirone (D) of Berks County announced he would not support DeWeese as speaker but would remain a Democrat. For the second time, DeWeese was denied the speakership by a member of his own party. DeWeese made a shocking move in the Hall of the House when he nominated Philadelphia County Republican Rep. Philadelphia (ˌfɪləˈdɛlfiə Dennis O'Brien for the office of Speaker. O'Brien defeated fellow Northeast Philadelphia Republican John M. Perzel in a 105-97 vote. John Michael Perzel (born January 7 1950 is an American Republican Politician who represents the 172nd Legislative District ( Northeast Philadelphia Many political analysts speculate DeWeese's leadership style led to the 1994 and 2007 party defections.

Role in the 2005 legislative pay raise

Main article: 2005 Pennsylvania General Assembly pay raise controversy

Rep. In the early morning hours of July 7, 2005, the Pennsylvania General Assembly passed pay increases for state lawmakers judges and top executive-branch officials DeWeese supported a legislative and judicial pay raise in 2005. In the early morning hours of July 7, 2005, the Pennsylvania General Assembly passed pay increases for state lawmakers judges and top executive-branch officials After criticism from the media and activist groups, DeWeese joined his colleagues in a near unanimous repeal of the pay raise.

DeWeese reorganized the Democratic Caucus following the vote. Members who voted in favor of the pay raise were promoted to those positions; while those who voted against lost such positions as a result of their opposition. Republicans and a small number of fellow Democrats, including Governor Ed Rendell, criticized DeWeese's move; but he stood by his decision, explaining that those who opposed the pay-raise legislation knew the realignment would be a consequence. Edward Gene "Ed" Rendell (born January 5 1944) is an American politician and member of the Democratic Party. ^[1]

Despite the defeats of several legislative leaders in the wake of the pay scandal, DeWeese fought off a 2006 primary election challenge and was elected for an additional term in office on November 7, 2006.

2007 Speaker Election

In 2006, the Democratic party won a 102-101 majority in the House, giving DeWeese a second chance at the speaker's gavel. However, several Democratic representatives were rumored to be unhappy with Deweese. Among them were Rep. Rosita Youngblood of Philadelphia whom DeWeese accused of being "owned lock, stock and barrel by Perzel Incorporated. ^[2] Caltagirone publicly announced his intention to support Perzel, thereby denying DeWeese the Speakership. ^[3] However, Democrats foiled Perzel's move by nominating a Republican, Dennis M. O'Brien for Speaker. Dennis Michael O'Brien is the 137th and current Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. O'Brien went on to win the election.

Bonus Investigation

Main article: 2006 Pennsylvania General Assembly bonus controversy

It is alleged that DeWeese is the target of Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett's investigation into whether the House Democratic caucus made illegal payments to staffers, including bonuses for campaign work. In 2007 Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett began investigating $3 The Pennsylvania Attorney General is the chief law enforcement officer of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Tom Corbett is the current Attorney General of the state of Pennsylvania, United States, elected in 2004 He chose to fire several Democratic caucus staffers, including his chief of staff, after it was alleged that they improperly destroyed documents related to the Attorney General's investigation. ^[4]

He has survived calls for his resignation from reform activists ^[5] and his fellow state representatives ^[6]and claims to have solid support for his leadership within the caucus. ^[7]

Speech

DeWeese is well known for his idiosyncratic style of speaking and writing, which incorporates an extensive vocabulary, anachronistic usages, and attenuated metaphors. An anachronism (from the Greek "ana" " ανά " "against anti-" and "chronos" " χρόνος " Metaphor (from the Greek: μεταφορά - metaphora, meaning "transfer" is language that directly compares seemingly unrelated subjects For instance, a 2002 letter by DeWeese to lobbyist Stephen Wojdak regarding Wojdak's hiring of DeWeese's ex-wife, Holly Kinser, began with the following paragraph:

Let's cut to the chase . . . you sir, are a liar. The measure of the person in our enterprise is his word. When a man comes to my Capitol Hill enclave and stands beneath that impressive chandelier of gold, looks me in the eye with a gimlet gaze, shakes my hand with a sturdy grip and gives me his word, to me it's axiomatic that the gentleman is telling the truth. You are an abject, ignoble, mendacious knave! ^[8]

While some take DeWeese's use of language as evidence of his high level of intellect, others complain that his prose is frequently mangled. Others find his linguistic choices pompous. In a 2002 interview with the Allentown Morning Call, DeWeese said regarding his metaphors: "My intelligence is in the middle range, but my enthusiasm is above average. The Morning Call is a daily Newspaper based in Allentown, Pennsylvania, in the United States. "

References

External links

Pennsylvania House of Representatives - H. William DeWeese official PA House website
Project Vote Smart - Representative H. William DeWeese (PA) profile
Follow the Money - H. William DeWeese
- 2006 2004 2002 2000 1998 campaign contributions
Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus - Rep. Bill DeWeese official Party website

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