Russell Edgar Weeks Jr. (born May 12, 1942) is a former American Republican politician who served as a

State Senator A state senator is a member of a state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. Description A state senator is a member of an upper house in the bicameral legislatures of 49 ...

from West Virginia's 9th Senatorial District. Weeks was elected in 2002, defeating Senate Judiciary Chairman

William R. Wooton William R. Wooton (born September 20, 1944) is an American attorney and politician who has served as a justice of the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia since January 1, 2021. Education Wooton received his Bachelor of Arts in business ma ...

. Weeks had not served in public office prior to being elected. He was defeated in 2006. He was the Republican nominee at the 2008 West Virginia gubernatorial election but was defeated by Democrat

Joe Manchin Joseph Manchin III (born August 24, 1947) is an American politician and businessman serving as the senior United States senator from West Virginia, a seat he has held since 2010. A member of the Democratic Party, Manchin was the 34th governor o ...

. Born May 12, 1942, to Jeanette Weeks and Russ Weeks, Sr. in

Beckley, West Virginia Beckley is a city in and the county seat of Raleigh County, West Virginia, United States. It was founded on April 4, 1838. This city is the home of the West Virginia University Institute of Technology or West Virginia University, Beckley Campus. ...

, he is a lifelong resident of the city. He is married to Helen C. Peterson with whom he had two children. The couple has three grandchildren. Weeks did not graduate from high school but began working to help support his mother and siblings. He enlisted in the US Navy and served in

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making it ...

, commanding a boat in the

Mekong Delta The Mekong Delta ( vi, Đồng bằng Sông Cửu Long, lit=Nine Dragon River Delta or simply vi, Đồng Bằng Sông Mê Kông, lit=Mekong River Delta, label=none), also known as the Western Region ( vi, Miền Tây, links=no) or South-weste ...

. Returning to Beckley, he became a leader in the

Right to Life The right to life is the belief that a being has the right to live and, in particular, should not be killed by another entity. The concept of a right to life arises in debates on issues including capital punishment, with some people seeing it a ...

organization. This advocacy spurred his interest in seeking public office. Weeks won the 2002 election. His committee assignments included: Judiciary, Government Organization, Health and Human Resources, Military, Energy, Industry and Mining, and Agriculture. Weeks was defeated for re-election in November 2006 by Democrat Mike Green. In January 2008 it was reported that Weeks was planning to challenge incumbent Governor

in the

2008 election This electoral calendar 2008 lists the national/federal direct elections held in 2008 in the de jure and de facto sovereign states and their dependent territories. Referendums are included, even though they are not elections. By-elections are no ...

. Russ became the Republican nominee and lost the general election to Manchin.

External links

West Virginia Legislature

References

* 1942 births Living people United States Navy personnel of the Vietnam War Military personnel from Beckley, West Virginia Politicians from Beckley, West Virginia Republican Party West Virginia state senators United States Navy sailors {{WestVirginia-politician-stub

See also

External links

References