Roger Byron Wilson (born October 10, 1948) is an American politician who briefly served as the 52nd Governor of Missouri from October 16, 2000 to January 8, 2001. Wilson was serving his second four-year term as lieutenant governor and was preparing to retire from elected public service when Governor

Mel Carnahan Melvin Eugene Carnahan (February 11, 1934 – October 16, 2000) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 51st Governor of Missouri from 1993 until his death in a plane crash in 2000. A Democrat, he was elected posthumously to t ...

died in a plane crash on October 16, 2000. Wilson first became acting governor and was sworn in as governor when Carnahan’s death was confirmed. After leaving the governor’s office, Wilson was elected by fellow Democrats to serve as

Missouri Democratic Party The Missouri Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Missouri. Its chair is Michael Butler, vice chair is Genevieve Williams, treasurer is Cydney Mayfield, and secretary is Manny Abarca. Mayfield has been th ...

chair.

Early life and education

Wilson was born in

Boone County, Missouri Boone County is located in the U.S. state of Missouri. Centrally located in Mid-Missouri, its county seat is Columbia, Missouri's fourth-largest city and location of the University of Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the population was 183 ...

. He attended college at

Central Methodist College Central Methodist University (formerly known as Central Methodist College and also known as Central College or CMU) is a private university in Fayette, Missouri. CMU is accredited to offer masters, bachelors, and associate degrees. The school is ...

and graduated class of 1977. He was a school teacher and an elementary school principal in Columbia, Missouri.

Political career

Wilson began his political career as a Boone County Collector in 1976.Roger B. Wilson
/ref> He was elected to the

Missouri State Senate The Missouri Senate is the upper chamber of the Missouri General Assembly. It has 34 members, representing districts with an average population of 174,000. Its members serve four-year terms, with half the seats being up for election every two yea ...

from the 19th District in a 1979 special election and was re-elected by large majorities in 1980, 1984, and 1988 He served as Lieutenant Governor of Missouri from 1993 to 2000. As lieutenant governor to

, Roger Wilson was dedicated to advocating for the "Four E's": economic development, education, efficiency in government, and the elderly.

Governor of Missouri

In October 2000, Governor

died in an airplane crash, and Wilson served as governor until the end of the term in 2001. Following Governor Carnahan's posthumous election to the

U.S. Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

, Wilson appointed his widow

Jean Carnahan Jean Anne Carnahan (née Carpenter; born December 20, 1933) is an American politician and writer who was the First Lady of Missouri from 1993 to 2000, and served as the state's junior United States senator from 2001 to 2002. A Democrat, she wa ...

to serve in his place.

Chairman of the Missouri Democratic Party

In August 2004, Wilson became Chairman of the

and endorsed

Claire McCaskill Claire Conner McCaskill (; born July 24, 1953) is an American politician who served as a United States Senator from Missouri from 2007 to 2019 and as State Auditor of Missouri from 1999 to 2007. McCaskill is a native of Rolla, Missouri. She gr ...

(D) in her bid to unseat incumbent Governor

Bob Holden Robert Lee Holden Jr. (born August 24, 1949) is an American politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 53rd Governor of Missouri from 2001 to 2005. Previously, he served as the State Treasurer of Missouri from 1993 to 2001 a ...

(D) in the Democratic Primary. McCaskill won the primary, but lost the general election to Republican

Matt Blunt Matthew Roy Blunt (born November 20, 1970) is an American former naval officer and politician who served as the 54th Governor of Missouri from 2005 to 2009. Before his election as governor, Blunt served ten years in the United States Navy, was e ...

. In January 2007, Wilson announced he would not seek an additional term as Democratic Chairman.

Subsequent career

On April 12, 2012, Wilson pleaded guilty to federal charges of money laundering. Wilson had improperly donated money to the Missouri Democratic Party and billed the public entity Missouri Employers Mutual for legal fees to cover it up. Wilson pled guilty and was fined $2,000 by the Missouri Ethics Commission. In July he was sentenced to two years of probation on the money laundering charge.Probation in Campaign Fund Case, by the Associated Press, July 10, 2012 Wilson was also ousted as President and CEO of Missouri Employers Mutual in Columbia, Missouri in June 2011.

References

External links

*
National Governors Association
, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Roger B. 1948 births Living people American money launderers Democratic Party governors of Missouri Politicians from Columbia, Missouri Democratic Party Missouri state senators Lieutenant Governors of Missouri University of Missouri alumni Central Methodist University alumni State political party chairs of Missouri Missouri politicians convicted of crimes