Thomas R Carper - Governor of Delaware
THOMAS R. CARPER was born in Beckley, West Virginia, and grew up in Danville, Virginia. He attended Ohio State University, graduating in 1968 with a bachelor's degree in economics. He completed five years of service as a naval flight officer, serving in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. A member of the Naval Reserve for nearly twenty years, he retired with the rank of captain in 1991. In 1973, following his active military service, he moved to Delaware to earn a master's degree in business administration at the University of Delaware. He worked in Delaware's economic development office from 1975 to 1976 and then was elected state treasurer at age twenty-nine.
Thomas Carper was reelected in 1978 and 1980. As state treasurer, he established a cash management system and played a major role in improving the state's credit rating from the worst in the nation to a respectable "AA" rating in just five years. He was elected in 1982 to the U.S. House of Representatives, serving five consecutive terms. As a congressman, he chaired the House Subcommittee on Economic Stabilization and was a member of the Banking, Finance, and Urban Affairs Committee and the Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee. Since his election as Governor in 1992, he has focused on job creation, overhauling the state's education and welfare systems, strengthening families and reducing teenage pregnancy, and improving the state's credit rating while lowering taxes and preventing crime. Governor Carper is past chairman of the National Governors' Association (NGA). He currently chairs NGA's Center for Best Practices Board and serves on the association's Executive Committee.
Thomas R Carper Official home page of the Governor of Delaware
State of Delaware Facts & History:
Univ of Delaware Collections Department Thomas R. Carper Congressional Papers 1979 - 1993 (bulk dates 1982 - 1992)
17March1999 Bankruptcy GOV. THOMAS R. CARPER TESTIFIES ON BEHALF OF NATIONŐS GOVERNORS Urges Passage of Bankruptcy Reform Legislation that Protects State Claims
Democtratic Party 2000 holds a special significance for Delaware Democrats as it marks two centuries of service and leadership by the Democratic Party in Delaware. As the oldest continuously active political organization in the world, the Democratic Party has much to be proud of especially here in Delaware.