David Wilkins, U.S. Ambassador to Canada
Wikipedia's article on David H. Wilkins lists, among its external links, an interview with him published by Cambridge Now, with audio. The archived copy of that story is empty. This page therefore describes the interviewee and says nothing about the interview's content.
Quick facts
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | David Horton Wilkins |
| Born | October 12, 1946 |
| Nationality | American |
| Role | Former United States Ambassador to Canada |
| President served under | George W. Bush |
| Earlier career | Attorney; South Carolina House of Representatives, 25 years |
| Party | Republican |
Background
Wilkins is a lifelong resident of South Carolina. He graduated from Greenville High School, attended Clemson University on a tennis scholarship and graduated cum laude in 1968. He earned his law degree at the University of South Carolina and served in the U.S. Army as a first lieutenant. In the early 1970s he returned to Greenville with his wife, Susan, and they raised two sons.
State legislature
Wilkins was first elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives in 1980. He chaired the Judiciary Committee for six years and served as speaker pro tem for two before being elected speaker, a position he held for 11 years. No Republican had been elected speaker of any legislative body in the South since Reconstruction until he was. When he retired on June 2, 2005, he was the third-longest-serving speaker in the state's history.
During his 25 years in the legislature he took part in reform bills including the state's ethics bill and the Education Accountability Act. The National Conference of State Legislatures gave him its 2004 Excellence in State Legislative Leadership Award.
Ambassador to Canada
After leaving the state legislature, Wilkins served as U.S. Ambassador to Canada under President George W. Bush. He then returned to private legal practice and chairs the public policy and international law practice department of a South Carolina law firm.
The Cambridge Now interview
Cambridge Now ran an interview with the ambassador. Wikipedia describes it as including audio and now marks the link dead. No transcript is available.
Frequently asked questions
Who was David Wilkins? A former speaker of the South Carolina House and U.S. Ambassador to Canada under President George W. Bush.
When was he born? On October 12, 1946.
What was in the Cambridge Now interview? The content has not been recovered.
How long was he in the state legislature? 25 years, 11 of them as speaker.
Sources
Wikipedia article on David H. Wilkins; U.S. Department of State Office of the Historian (history.state.gov) for the dates of the ambassadorship.