Lowell Palmer Weicker, Jr.
85th Governor of Connecticut
In office January 9, 1991 – January 4, 1995
Lieutenant(s)	Eunice Groark
Preceded by	William A. O'Neill
Succeeded by	John G. Rowland
United States Senator from Connecticut
In office January 3, 1971 – January 3, 1989
Preceded by	Thomas J. Dodd
Succeeded by	Joseph I. Lieberman
Born	May 16, 1931 (1931-05-16) (age 76) Paris, France
Political party	A Connecticut Party; Republican
Spouse	Claudia Weicker
Profession	Politician

Lowell Palmer Weicker, Jr. (born May 16, 1931) is an American politician who has served as a U.S. Representative, U.S. Senator, and Governor of Connecticut. Though a member of the Republican Party during his time in Congress, he later left the Republican Party and became one of the few independents to be elected as a state governor in the United States in recent years. Since his retirement from political office, he has moved more towards the Democratic Party. Image File history File links Lowell_Weicker. ... The following is a list of Governors of the State of Connecticut, from the Colonial period through present day. ... January 9 is the 9th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the 1991 Gregorian calendar). ... January 4 is the 4th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full 1995 Gregorian calendar). ... The following is a list of Deputy or Lieutenant Governors of the State of Connecticut, from the Colonial period through present day. ... Eunice Groark (b. ... Governor William ONeill William Atchison ONeill (born August 11, 1930) was a U.S. political figure. ... John G. Rowland (born May 24, 1957 in Waterbury, Connecticut) was the Governor of Connecticut from 1995 to 2004. ... The United States Senate is the upper house of the U.S. Congress, smaller than the United States House of Representatives. ... It has been suggested that this article be split into multiple articles. ... January 3 is the 3rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday. ... January 3 is the 3rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Thomas Joseph Dodd (May 15, 1907-May 24, 1971) was a United States Senator and Representative from Connecticut. ... Joseph Isadore Lieberman (born February 24, 1942) is an American politician from Connecticut. ... May 16 is the 136th day of the year (137th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1931 (MCMXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1931 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Eiffel Tower has become the symbol of Paris throughout the world. ... The A Connecticut Party was a party formed by former Republican Senator and gubenatorial candidate Lowell P. Weicker, Jr. ... The Republican Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States of America, along with the Democratic Party. ... Claudia Weicker is the former First Lady of Connecticut. ... The Politics series Politics Portal This box:      A politician is an individual who is a formally recognized and active member of a government, or a person who influences the way a society is governed through an understanding of political power and group dynamics. ... May 16 is the 136th day of the year (137th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1931 (MCMXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1931 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Politics series Politics Portal This box:      A politician is an individual who is a formally recognized and active member of a government, or a person who influences the way a society is governed through an understanding of political power and group dynamics. ... The United States House of Representatives (or simply the House) is one of the two chambers of the United States Congress; the other is the Senate. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Chief Justice Associate Justices Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Politics Portal      The United States Senate is one of the two chambers of the bicameral United States Congress, the... The following is a list of Governors of the State of Connecticut, from the Colonial period through present day. ... It has been suggested that this article be split into multiple articles. ... The Republican Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States of America, along with the Democratic Party. ...

Weicker was born in Paris, France, to American parents and is a graduate of the Lawrenceville School, Yale University (class of 1953), and the University of Virginia Law School. He began his political career after serving in the U.S. Army (1953-1955) during the Korean War. The Eiffel Tower has become the symbol of Paris throughout the world. ... The Lawrenceville School is a coeducational, independent preparatory boarding school for grades 9-12 located on 700 acres in the historic community of Lawrenceville, in Lawrence Township, New Jersey, U.S. five miles southwest of Princeton. ... “Yale” redirects here. ... The University of Virginia (also called U.Va. ... // A law school is an institution where future lawyers obtain legal degrees. ... The United States Army is the largest branch of the armed forces of the United States. ... Combatants United Nations:  Republic of Korea,  Australia,  Belgium,  Luxembourg,  Canada,  Colombia,  Ethiopia,  France,  Greece,  Luxembourg,  Netherlands,  New Zealand,  Philippines,  South Africa,  Thailand,  Turkey,  United Kingdom,  United States Medical staff:  Denmark,  Australia,  Italy,  Norway,  Sweden Communist states:  Democratic People’s Republic of Korea,  Peoples Republic of China,  Soviet Union Commanders...

Congressman and Senator

Weicker served in the Connecticut State House of Representatives from 1962 to 1966 and as first selectman of Greenwich, Connecticut before winning election to the U.S. House of Representatives, in 1968, as a Republican. Weicker only served one term in the House before being elected to the U.S. Senate in 1970; he served in the U.S. Senate for three terms, from 1971 to 1989, before being defeated for a fourth term by Joe Lieberman. He gained national attention for his service on the Senate Watergate Committee. During his Senate service, Weicker was always regarded as somewhat of a maverick, and a liberal voice in an increasingly conservative Republican Party. President Reagan referred to him in his diaries as "a pompous, no good, fathead", a reflection of Weicker's attitude towards the Reagan administration. The Connecticut House of Representatives is the lower house in the Connecticut General Assembly of the U.S. state of Connecticut. ... Location in Connecticut Coordinates: NECTA Bridgeport-Stamford Region South Western Region Settled 1640 Joined Connecticut 1656 Government  - Type Representative town meeting  - First selectman James A. Lash  - Town administrator Edward Gomeau  - Town meeting moderator Thomas J. Byrne Area  - City 174. ... The United States House of Representatives (or simply the House) is one of the two chambers of the United States Congress; the other is the Senate. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Chief Justice Associate Justices Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Politics Portal      The United States Senate is one of the two chambers of the bicameral United States Congress, the... Joseph Isadore Lieberman (born February 24, 1942) is an American politician from Connecticut. ... The Senate Watergate Committee was a special committee convened by the United States Senate to investigate the Watergate scandal after it was learned that the Watergate burglars had been directed to break into and wiretap the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee by CREEP, President Richard Nixons re-election... Look up maverick in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Look up liberal on Wiktionary, the free dictionary Liberal may refer to: Politics: Liberalism American liberalism, a political trend in the USA Political progressivism, a political ideology that is for change, often associated with liberal movements Liberty, the condition of being free from control or restrictions Liberal Party, members of... American conservatism is a constellation of political ideologies within the United States under the blanket heading of conservative. ...

Weicker's tense relations with establishment Republicans may have roots in receiving strong support from President Nixon in his 1970 Senate bid, support repaid in the eyes of his critics by a vehement attack on the White House while serving on the Watergate Committee. Later, his relations with the Bush family soured, and the brother of then Vice President Bush (Prescott Bush, Jr.) made a short-lived bid against Weicker to gain the 1982 Republican Senate nomination. Finally, conservative animus spilled into overt support for Joe Lieberman in 1988, both from national sources such as National Review (publisher William F. Buckley, Jr., and his brother, former New York Senator James Buckley, both endorsed and campaigned for Lieberman in 1988), but more importantly, from rank-and-file Connecticut Republicans irate with Weicker's effort to make the local party more liberal and prevent the nomination of conservatives to state office, and the poor showing of Weicker-backed candidates in the 1986 elections. Weicker was defeated in the 1988 election by less than 1% of the vote, owing in large part to defections by Republicans to Lieberman. Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913 – April 22, 1994) was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. ... The Bush family:President George W. Bush, First Lady Laura Bush, former First Lady Barbara Bush, and former President George H. W. Bush sit surrounded by family in the Red Room (White House) on January 6, 2005, together to celebrate the senior couples 60th wedding anniversary. ... Prescott Bush Jr. ... Joseph Isadore Lieberman (born February 24, 1942) is an American politician from Connecticut. ... National Review (NR) is a biweekly magazine of political opinion, founded by author William F. Buckley Jr. ... William F. Buckley, Jr. ... James Lane Buckley (born March 9, 1923 in New York City) was a United States Senator from the Conservative Party of New York State from January 3, 1971 to January 3, 1977. ...

Governor

Weicker's political career appeared to be over after his 1988 defeat for reelection to the Senate by Lieberman, and he became a professor at The George Washington University Law School. However, two years later, he ran for Governor of Connecticut as a member of "A Connecticut Party" against Republican John G. Rowland and Democrat Bruce Morrison. The Politics series Politics Portal This box:      Politics is defined as a group of people who are influenced to change laws and other such things to make the world a better place the process by which groups of people make decisions. ...   The George Washington University (GWU), or informally, G.W., is a private, coeducational, non-sectarian university located in Washington, D.C.. Founded in 1821 as the Columbian College, the university has since developed into a leading educational and research institution. ... The A Connecticut Party was a party formed by former Republican Senator and gubenatorial candidate Lowell P. Weicker, Jr. ... John Grosvenor Rowland (born May 24, 1957) was the Governor of Connecticut from 1995 to 2004. ... Bruce Andrew Morrison (b. ...

The most volatile issue facing Connecticut at that time was the attempt to implement a broad-based state income tax. Connecticut traditionally had no state income tax except for a fairly steep one imposed on "unearned income" such as interest and dividends. Weicker ran on a platform of solving Connecticut's fiscal crisis without the implementation of the broad-based income tax to include the taxation of earned income. Weicker won on election day 40-37% over Rowland, losing Fairfield and New Haven counties to Rowland, but drawing especially strong support from the Hartford metro area, where he had been strongly endorsed by the Hartford Courant and by many state employee labor unions. Weicker gained national attention through his upset victory. Democratic candidate Bruce Morrison’s distant third place showing in a relatively Democratic state shows that Weicker gained a large amount of his support from Democrats. An income tax is a tax levied on the financial income of persons, corporations, or other legal entities. ... Interest is the rent paid to borrow money. ... It has been suggested that ex-dividend date be merged into this article or section. ... The Hartford Courant is Connecticuts largest daily newspaper, and the only morning newspaper for most of the state north of New Haven and east of Waterbury. ... A union (labor union in American English; trade union, sometimes trades union, in British English; either labour union or trade union in Canadian English) is a legal entity consisting of employees or workers having a common interest, such as all the assembly workers for one employer, or all the workers...

However, shortly after his inauguration, Weicker reversed his position and became an advocate of the tax that he had campaigned against. Liberal forces applauded his "political courage" and his willingness to "face reality", while conservative forces were equally quick to denounce him in no uncertain terms as a "liar" and a "traitor." The broad income tax he had come to favor passed the General Assembly. However, a huge protest rally in Hartford held shortly after it was implemented and the withholding for it begun, attracted over 50,000 participants. After this, the Assembly passed a measure repealing the broad-based income tax, which was subsequently vetoed by Governor Weicker. The override of the veto fell a vote short, and the massively unpopular tax was kept in effect. Weicker's critics are quick to blame his implementation of the state income tax for Connecticut losing one congressional district as a result of the 2000 census (based on a theory that the tax negatively impacted Connecticut population growth).This position was held by the conservative Yankee Institute, which claimed in August 2006 that after 15 years the income tax had failed to achieve its stated goals^[1] However, Weicker also has a cadre of supporters who insist that he was the only person who could have solved the state's ongoing fiscal problems and had the courage to address them directly and forthrightly, and also note that the enactment of the income tax was coupled with a reduction of the state's sales tax to a level comparable to that of surrounding states, benefitting Connecticut merchants. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... A sales tax is a consumption tax charged at the point of purchase for certain goods and services. ...

Critics respond that since the income tax was implemented that studies show that Connecticut has gone from being one of the lowest-taxed per capita of the fifty states to one of the highest, if not the highest. However, Weicker supporters contend that only since his implementation of the income tax has there been an adequate stream of state revenue, including funding for areas which Connecticut voters had previously expressed support for in theory but then were unwilling to pay for, and note that Connecticut still has the highest per capita income of any of the 50 U.S. states. Weicker has a reputation, in any event, for courting controversy, and as such is well-liked by his friends and deeply disliked by his detractors. Weicker is generally well regarded by liberals, and is harshly criticized by many Republicans and some Democrats, such as Joseph Lieberman. The income tax controversy may well have prompted Weicker not to seek any further term as governor, but there seems to be little indication that he had ever intended to make that office a career as he had his Senate service.

Supporters of the income tax also pointed to the state spending cap added to the state constitution in 1992 as a benefit from its enactment. In 2007 Governor Jodi Rell proposed a budget that far exceeded the spending cap, causing one observer to remark that 16 years of fiscal discipline were being jettisoned. [1]. Ironically Rell had been an anti-tax state legislator in the early 1990s. Categories: Stub | 1946 births | Governors of Connecticut ...

Weicker did not seek re-election as governor in 1994. In 2000, he endorsed Senator Bill Bradley (D-NJ) for President. In 2004, Weicker supported former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean's (D-VT) presidential bid. This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Capital Montpelier Largest city Burlington Area  Ranked {{{AreaRank}}}  - Total {{{TotalAreaUS}}} sq mi ({{{TotalArea}}} km²)  - Width 80 miles (130 km)  - Length 160 miles (260 km)  - % water 3. ... Howard Brush Dean III (born November 17, 1948) is an American politician and physician from the U.S. state of Vermont, and currently the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, the central organ of the Democratic Party at the national level. ...

2006 candidacy for U.S. Senator from Connecticut

Main article: Connecticut U.S. Senate election, 2006

Lowell Weicker was said to be considering a rematch against Senator Joe Lieberman in the 2006 election cycle. He objects to Lieberman's support for the Iraq War and noted in a New York Times article published on December 6, 2005, "If he's out there scot-free and nobody will [run against Senator Lieberman], I'd have to give serious thought to doing it myself, and I don't want to do it." After polls showed Weicker twenty points behind Lieberman, Weicker chose not to run and endorsed Democrat Ned Lamont. The 2006 U.S. Senate election for the state of Connecticut will be held November 7, 2006. ... Joseph Isadore Lieberman (born February 24, 1942) is an American politician from Connecticut. ... For other uses, see Iraq war (disambiguation). ... The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ... Edward Miner Lamont, Jr. ...

The Lieberman campaign released an ad which borrows from one aired during the 1988 Senate race, which depicted Weicker as a hibernating bear ignoring his Senate duties except at election time. In the 2006 ad, Weicker reappears as a wounded bear while Lamont is depicted as a bear cub sent and directed by Weicker.

On June 18, 2006, Weicker held a fundraiser for Lamont and described himself as an "anti-war activist."

Other activities

In 1999, Weicker became a member of the Board of Directors for World Wrestling Entertainment, and still holds this position. He is also on the board of directors for Compuware, a position he gained by allowing Peter Karmanos to buy the Hartford Whalers hockey team and subsequently move them from his State. World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. ... Compuware World Headquarters on Campus Martius Park in Detroit Compuware Corporation NASDAQ: CPWR is a software company with products aimed at the information technology (IT) departments of large businesses. ... Peter Karmanos, Jr. ... The Hartford Whalers (known as the New England Whalers as a World Hockey Association (WHA) franchise from 1972-79), was a National Hockey League (NHL) team that played from 1979-97. ...

Weicker is the current President of the Board of Directors of Trust for America's Health, a Washington, DC-based non-profit, non-partisan health policy research organization, and formerly a member of the Board of Directors of United States Tobacco. Trust for Americas Health (TFAH) is a Washington, DC-based health policy organization. ...

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Governors of Connecticut

Trumbull Sr • M Griswold • Huntington • Wolcott • Trumbull Jr • Treadwall • R Griswold • Smith • Tomlinson • Peters • Edwards • Foot • Edwards • Ellsworth • Cleveland • RS Baldwin • Toucey • Bissell • Trumbull • Seymour • Pond • Dutton • Minor • Holley • Buckingham • Hawley • English • Jewell • English • Jewell • Ingersoll • Hubbard • Andrews • Bigelow • Waller • Harrison • P Lounsbury • Bulkeley • Morris • Coffin • Cooke • G Lounsbury • McLean • Chamberlain • Roberts • Woodruff • Lilley • Weeks • S. Baldwin • Holcomb • Lake • Templeton • Bingham • JH Trumbull • Cross • R Baldwin • Hurley • R Baldwin • Snow • McConaughy • Shannon • Bowles • Lodge • Ribicoff • Dempsey • Meskill • Grasso • O'Neill • Weicker • Rowland • Rell Donald Jay Irwin (born September 7, 1926) is a U.S. Representative from Connecticut. ... These are tables of congressional delegations from Connecticut to the United States Senate and United States House of Representatives. ... Connecticuts 4th Congressional District has been represented in the United States House of Representatives by Chris Shays (Republican) since 1987. ... Stewart McKinney (January 30, 1931-May 7, 1987) was an American politician who represented Connecticut in the House of Representatives from 1971 until his death. ... Thomas Joseph Dodd (May 15, 1907-May 24, 1971) was a United States Senator and Representative from Connecticut. ... Connecticut ratified the Constitution on January 9, 1788. ... Abraham Alexander Ribicoff (April 9, 1910 – February 22, 1998) was an American Democratic Party politician. ... Christopher John Dodd (born May 27, 1944) is an American lawyer and politician from Willimantic, Connecticut. ... Joseph Isadore Lieberman (born February 24, 1942) is an American politician from Connecticut. ... Governor William ONeill William Atchison ONeill (born August 11, 1930) was a U.S. political figure. ... The following is a list of Governors of the State of Connecticut, from the Colonial period through present day. ... John Grosvenor Rowland (born May 24, 1957) was the Governor of Connecticut from 1995 to 2004. ... The following is a list of Governors of the State of Connecticut, from the Colonial period through present day. ... Gov. ... Matthew Griswold (1715-1799) was the Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut during the American Revolution (1769-1784). ... Samuel Huntington, 1731-1796, drawn from the life by Du Simitier in Philadelphia; engraved by B.L. Prevost at Paris. ... Oliver Wolcott (December 1, 1726–December 1, 1797), was a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence as a representative of Connecticut. ... Jonathan Trumbull Jr. ... Roger Griswold (May 21, 1762-October 25, 1812) was member of the US House of Representatives from Connecticut, serving as a Federalist. ... John Cotton Smith (born 1765 in Sharon, Connecticut) was a governor of Connecticut. ... Gideon Tomlinson (December 31, 1780 - October 8, 1854) was a United States Senator for Connecticut. ... Henry Waggaman Edwards (October, 1779–July 22, 1847) was a governor of the U.S. state of Connecticut. ... For other people named Samuel Foote, see Samuel Foote (disambiguation). ... Henry Waggaman Edwards (October, 1779–July 22, 1847) was a governor of the U.S. state of Connecticut. ... William W. Ellsworth (1791-1868) was an United States politician from Connecticut. ... Chauncey Fitch Cleveland (February 16, 1799 - June 6, 1887) was a United States Representative and Governor of Connecticut. ... Roger Sherman Baldwin (January 4, 1793–February 19, 1863) was an American lawyer involved in the Amistad case, who later became governor of Connecticut. ... Isaac Toucey (November 15, 1792–July 30, 1869) was an American statesman who served as a U.S. Senator, Secretary of the Navy, Attorney General of the United States and Governor of Connecticut. ... For others with the same name, see: Joseph Trumbull. ... William Alfred Buckingham (May 28, 1804 - February 5, 1875) was a Republican U.S. Senator from Connecticut. ... Joseph Roswell Hawley ( October 31, 1826 - March 17, 1905), American political leader, was born at Stewartsville, Richmond county, North Carolina, where his father, a native of Connecticut, was pastor of a Baptist church. ... James Edward English (March 13, 1812 - March 2, 1890) was a United States Representative and Senator from Connecticut. ... Marshall Jewell (1825–1883) was a U.S. political figure. ... James Edward English (March 13, 1812 - March 2, 1890) was a United States Representative and Senator from Connecticut. ... Marshall Jewell (1825–1883) was a U.S. political figure. ... Charles Roberts Ingersoll (16 September 1821-25 January 1903) was governor of Connecticut from 1873 to 1877. ... Richard Dudley Hubbard (September 7, 1818 - February 28, 1884) was a United States Representative and Governor of Connecticut. ... Henry Baldwin Harrison was born in 1821 in New Haven, Connecticut; graduate of Yale College, 1846; member, Skull & Bones, 1846; Member, Connecticut state senate (4th District), 1854; candidate, Lieutenant Governor, State of Connecticut, 1857; member, Connecticut state house of representatives, 1865, 1873, 1883; Speaker, Connecticut State House of Representatives, 1883... Morgan Bulkeley. ... Luzon Buritt Morris (born April 16, 1827 - died August 22, 1895) was a democratic politician. ... George Payne McLean (October 7, 1857 - June 6, 1932) was a United States Senator from Connecticut. ... George Leavens Lilley (August 3, 1859 - April 21, 1909) was a United States Representative and Governor of Connecticut. ... Simeon Eben Baldwin (February 5, 1840–January 30, 1927) was a governor of the U.S. state of Connecticut. ... Hiram Bingham III, born in Honolulu, Hawaii, served as Governor of Connecticut and United States Senator. ... John Harper Trumbull (born March 4, 1873, died May 21, 1961) was the governor of the U.S. state of Connecticut from 1925 to 1931. ... Wilbur Lucius Cross (1862 - 1948) was a U.S. educator and political figure. ... Raymond Earl Baldwin (August 31, 1893 - October 4, 1986) was a United States Senator and Governor of Connecticut. ... Raymond Earl Baldwin (August 31, 1893 - October 4, 1986) was a United States Senator and Governor of Connecticut. ... Chester Bliss Bowles (April 5, 1901 - May 25, 1986) was a liberal Democratic American diplomat and politician from Connecticut. ... John Davis Lodge (October 20, 1903 – October 29, 1985) was a Republican, was governor of Connecticut from 1951 to 1955. ... Abraham Alexander Ribicoff (April 9, 1910 – February 22, 1998) was an American Democratic Party politician. ... John Dempsey (1915-1989), born in Cahir, County Tipperary, Ireland. ... Thomas J. Meskill Jr. ... Ella Grasso (May 10, 1919 – February 5, 1981) was an American politician. ... Governor William ONeill William Atchison ONeill (born August 11, 1930) was a U.S. political figure. ... John Grosvenor Rowland (born May 24, 1957) was the Governor of Connecticut from 1995 to 2004. ... Connecticut welcome sign being fixed as Rell takes office on July 1, 2004 M. Jodi Rell (born June 16, 1946) is a Republican politician who became the 87th Governor of Connecticut on July 1, 2004. ...