Raymond Joseph Wieczorek (December 9, 1928 – November 22, 2022) was an American businessman and politician from

Manchester, New Hampshire Manchester is the List of municipalities in New Hampshire, most populous city in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. Located on the banks of the Merrimack River, it had a population of 115,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Manches ...

. A Republican, he was mayor of the city from 1990 to 2000, and represented District 4 on the

Executive Council of New Hampshire The Executive Council of the State of New Hampshire (colloquially referred to as the Governor's Council) is the executive body of New Hampshire in the United States. The Executive Council advises the Governor on all matters and provides a check o ...

from 2002 to 2012.

Career

Wieczorek was the director and president of the Manchester Scholarship Foundation between 1973 and 1976. He became commissioner of the Manchester Housing and Redevelopment Authority in 1984, and was its chairman from 1986 to 1989. He served five terms as mayor of Manchester in the 1990s. He won his first term in 1989 when he defeated incumbent Democrat Emile Beaulieu, who was seeking re-election. Wieczorek was defeated in the 1999 election by his Democratic challenger, Robert A. Baines. Wieczorek ran for Council to replace Republican Thomas Colantuono, who had resigned after being appointed United States Attorney for New Hampshire. Wieczorek defeated the Democratic nominee, state Rep. John Kacavas, and was elected to the Council in 2002. He is best known for the redevelopment of the Amoskeag Millyard, the development of the

Manchester–Boston Regional Airport Manchester–Boston Regional Airport , informally referred to as Manchester Airport, is a public use airport south of the central business district of Manchester, New Hampshire, United States on the border of Hillsborough and Rockingham coun ...

, the conversion of the city budget to fiscal year from a calendar year, and the creation of a downtown Manchester civic center. The access road to the airport, Raymond Wieczorek Drive, is named after him.

Personal life and death

Wieczorek was a

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

veteran, having served in the U.S. Army. He was a member of the

American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is an Voluntary association, organization of United States, U.S. war veterans headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. It comprises U.S. state, state, Territories of the United States, U.S. terr ...

and

Veterans of Foreign Wars The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), formally the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, is an Voluntary association, organization of United States Armed Forces, United States war veterans who fought in wars, Military campaign, campaig ...

, and owner of the Wieczorek Insurance Agency. He was married twice, first to Catherine Connare and then to Susan Kramas, who died in 2008. He had three children. In 2001, Wieczorek was awarded an

honorary An honorary position is one given as an honor, with no duties attached, and without payment. Other uses include: * Honorary Academy Award, by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, United States * Honorary Aryan, a status in Nazi Germany ...

Doctor of Law A Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) is a doctoral degree in legal studies. The abbreviation LL.D. stands for ''Legum Doctor'', with the double “L” in the abbreviation referring to the early practice in the University of Cambridge to teach both canon law ...

from New Hampshire College (now

Southern New Hampshire University Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) is a private university between Manchester, New Hampshire, Manchester and Hooksett, New Hampshire, United States. The university is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education, along with ...

). Wieczorek died at

Catholic Medical Center Catholic Medical Center (CMC) is a 330-licensed bed (with 258 beds staffed) not-for-profit full-service acute care hospital located in the West Side area of Manchester, New Hampshire, United States. CMC offers medical-surgical care with more than ...

in Manchester on November 22, 2022, aged 93, after a period of declining health.

References

External links

Campaign website

1928 births 2022 deaths 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century mayors of places in New Hampshire 21st-century New Hampshire politicians American businesspeople in insurance Businesspeople from New Hampshire Mayors of Manchester, New Hampshire Members of the Executive Council of New Hampshire Military personnel from Connecticut New Hampshire Republicans Politicians from New Britain, Connecticut Southern New Hampshire University alumni United States Army personnel of the Korean War {{NewHampshire-mayor-stub