Charles W. "Chuck" Wiger, Sr. (born September 14, 1951) is a Minnesota

Minnesota

Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...

 politician and a member of the Minnesota Senate

Minnesota Senate

The Minnesota Senate is the upper house in the Minnesota Legislature. There are 67 members, half as many as are in the Minnesota House of Representatives. In terms of membership, it is the largest upper house of any state legislature. Each Senate district in the state includes an A and B House...

 representing District 55, which includes portions of Ramsey

Ramsey County, Minnesota

Ramsey County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota, founded in 1849. As of 2010, the population was 508,640. Its county seat is St. Paul, which is also Minnesota's state capital. The county is named for Alexander Ramsey , the first governor of the Minnesota Territory...

 and Washington

Washington County, Minnesota

Washington County is a county established in 1849 in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of 2010, the population was 238,136. Its county seat is Stillwater.-History:...

 counties in the northeastern Twin Cities

Twin cities

Twin cities are a special case of two cities or urban centres which are founded in close geographic proximity and then grow into each other over time...

 metropolitan area. A Democrat

Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party

The Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party is a major political party in the state of Minnesota and the state affiliate of the Democratic Party. It was created on April 15, 1944, with the merger of the Minnesota Democratic Party and the Farmer–Labor Party...

, he was first elected to the Senate in 1996, and was re-elected in 2000, 2002, 2006 and 2010.

Senate representation and leadership

Wiger is currently a member of the Senate's Education, Environment and Natural Resources, and State Government Innovation and Veterans committees. His special legislative concerns include education, economic development, health care, and the environment.

Wiger previously served as chair of the Senate Education Committee from 2007 to 2009, and as chair of the Senate Elections Committee from 2004 to 2007. He also served as chair of the Governmental Operations and Veterans Subcommittee on Veterans from 1997 to 2001, as chair of the Rules and Administration Subcommittee on Litigation Expenses from 2003 to 2007, and as chair of the Rules and Administration Subcommittee on Elections from 2005 to 2007.

Education

An attorney and a writer

Writer

A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....

 by profession, Wiger graduated magna cum laude from Hamline University

Hamline University

-Red Wing location :Hamline was named in honor of Leonidas Lent Hamline, a bishop of the Methodist Church whose interest in the frontier led him to donate $25,000 toward the building of an institution of higher learning in what was then the territory of Minnesota. Today, a statue of Bishop Hamline...

 in Saint Paul

Saint Paul, Minnesota

Saint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city...

 in 1974, and then went on to the Hamline University School of Law

Hamline University School of Law

Hamline University School of Law is a private law school affiliated with Hamline University in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The School of Law was founded in 1972 as the Midwestern School of Law by a group of legal professionals. In 1976, it was absorbed by Hamline University as its own School of Law,...

, earning his J.D.

Juris Doctor

Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...

 degree in 1977. In 1993 he attended graduate school at the School for Institution Management at the University of Colorado

University of Colorado at Boulder

The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...

 in Boulder

Boulder, Colorado

Boulder is the county seat and most populous city of Boulder County and the 11th most populous city in the U.S. state of Colorado. Boulder is located at the base of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains at an elevation of...

.

Community service

Wiger has actively served the education community in his area. He was the founding chair of the North St. Paul

North St. Paul, Minnesota

North St. Paul is a city in Ramsey County, Minnesota, east of the city of Saint Paul. The population was 11,460 at the 2010 census.North St. Paul is a distinct city, and not a neighborhood of nearby St. Paul...

-Maplewood

Maplewood, Minnesota

As of the census of 2000, there were 34,947 people, 13,758 households, and 9,190 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,017.5 people per square mile . There were 14,004 housing units at an average density of 808.5 per square mile...

-Oakdale

Oakdale, Minnesota

As of the census of 2000, there were 26,653 people, 10,243 households, and 7,129 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,408.4 people per square mile . There were 10,394 housing units at an average density of 939.2 per square mile...

 Community Education Board, and served on the board from 1973 to 1990. He was also founding chair of the East Communities Youth Service Bureau, and served as a director for Northeast Metropolitan Intermediate School District 916.

Wiger has also been active in Ramsey County and metropolitan government. He was a member of the Metropolitan Council

Metropolitan Council

The Metropolitan Council or Met Council is the regional governmental agency and metropolitan planning organization in Minnesota serving the Twin Cities seven-county metropolitan area. The Met Council is granted regional authority powers in state statutes by the Minnesota Legislature. These powers...

 from 1983 to 1989. He is a former chair and member of the Ramsey County Soil and Water Conservation District. He was a member of the Ramsey County Parks and Recreation Commission, and a liaison to the Metropolitan Parks and Open Space Commission.

External links

• Senator Wiger Web Page
• Minnesota Public Radio Votetracker: Senator Charles Wiger
• Project Vote Smart - Senator Charles Wiger Profile