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William H. DeWeese
William H. DeWeese (b. April 18, 1950) was a Democratic member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, representing District 50. He served from 1977 to April 24, 2012. He resigned hours before his conviction on corruption charges.[1]
DeWeese earned his B.A. in history from Wake Forest University in 1972. He then served in the United States Marine Corps as a First Lieutenant from 1972 to 1975.
DeWeese joined the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 1976, representing the 50th District. From 1989 to 1990 and again in 2009, he served as House Majority Whip. He also served as House Majority Leader from 1990 to 1992, and as Speaker of the House from 1993 to 1994.
Committee assignments
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, DeWeese served on the following committees:
2009-2010
In the 2009-2010 legislative session, DeWeese served on these committees:
Noteworthy events
Corruption conviction
The state Attorney General's office joined together the trials of DeWeese and former state Rep. Stephen Stetler, who were accused of different crimes and indicted with different grand jury presentments.
Rep. DeWeese and former state Rep. Stephen Stetler (D-York) were charged with crimes uncovered during the Attorney General's wide-ranging political corruption investigation, which focused on elected officials' use of public personnel and resources for political efforts.
DeWeese was charged with using taxpayer money to pay staffers to conduct political fundraising activities and do general campaign work. Stetler was accused of the same, but his charges were entirely separate from the charges against his former colleague.[2]
On April 24, 2012, DeWeese was sentenced to 2 1/2 to 5 years in prison on corruption charges and ordered to pay a $25,000 fine and $117,000 in restitution.[1]
DeWeese on Corbett
DeWeese on whether Corbett can enact reforms |
On November 10, 2010, DeWeese answered some questions asked by PA Independent reporters about what he thought about Governor-elect Tom Corbett enacting reform.
Elections
2012
DeWeese ran in the 2012 election for Pennsylvania House District 50. DeWeese ran unchallenged in the Democratic primary on April 24 and is opposed by Mark Fischer in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012. [3][4]
Although he resigned from the House the same day as the primary, DeWeese's name will remain on the ballot unless he withdraws it by August 13. If he were to win the general election his conviction on corruption charges would have to be overturned in order for him to take office.[1]
2010
DeWeese won re-election to the 50th District Seat in 2010. He won the primary election, receiving 5,350 votes while his opponents Pam Snyder and Tony Brnusak received 4,205 and 977 votes respectively. DeWeese defeated Richard Yeager in the general election which took place on November 2, 2010.[5]
| Pennsylvania State House, District 50 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
 H. William DeWeese (D)
|
8,514 | 52.5% | ||
| Richard Yeager (R) | 7,708 | 47.5% | ||
2008
On November 4, 2008, DeWeese won re-election to the 50th District seat of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. He received 13,059 votes, defeating Republican Greg Hopkins (10,953).[6]
| Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 50 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| Bill DeWeese (D)
|
13,059 | 54.4% | ||
| Greg Hopkins (R) | 10,953 | 45.6% | ||
Campaign finance summary
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Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
DeWeese and his wife are separated.
Recent news
This section displays the most recent stories in a Google News search for the term "William + DeWeese + Pennsylvania + House"
- All stories may not be relevant to this legislator due to the nature of the search engine.
External links
- William DeWeese's official campaign website
- Pennsylvania House of Representatives - Rep. H. William DeWeese
- Legislative profile from Project Vote Smart
- Biography from Project Vote Smart
- Campaign Contributions: 2008, 2006, 2004, 2002, 2000, 1998
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Lehigh Valley Live, "Longtime Pa. Democratic leader Bill DeWeese sentenced to up to 5 years in prison," April 24, 2012
- ↑ "AG Wants 'Unusual' Combined Trial For DeWeese, Stetler," PA Independent, September 2, 2010
- ↑ Pennsylvania Department of State, "Official Primary Results," accessed April 15, 2014
- ↑ Pennsylvania Department of State, "2012 Primary Candidate List," April 15, 2014
- ↑ 2010 general election results from the Pennsylvania Secretary of State's office
- ↑ Pennsylvania Department of State, "Official 2008 General Election Results," accessed April 15, 2014
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by ' |
Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 50 1977–April 24, 2012 |
Succeeded by NA |
