Dennis A. Wicker

Dennis Alvin Wicker (born June 14, 1952) is an American lawyer and politician who served as a member of the North Carolina House of Representatives from 1981 to 1993 and as the 31st lieutenant governor of North Carolina from 1993 to 2001. As lieutenant governor, he became the first statewide elected official to chair the State Board of Community Colleges, which sets policy for the state's 58-campus system. Wicker was also a member of the North Carolina State Board of Education and the State Board of Economic Development.

He was an unsuccessful candidate for the Democratic Party's nomination for Governor of North Carolina in 2000, losing to North Carolina attorney general Mike Easley.

The Dennis A. Wicker Civic Center at Central Carolina Community College was named in his honor in 1995 because of his role in securing funding for the center.

Wicker is the leader of the Government Relations group at Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, LLP. Wicker is a regular panelist on the television show NC Spin discussing various current issues in North Carolina politics.

Wicker is a founding Board member of the Lee County Education Foundation, an acclaimed public-private venture dedicated to improving the quality of public education in the Lee County public schools.

Wicker is a Shelby American collector and enthusiast.

Wicker also sits on the board of directors at Coca-Cola Consolidated and First Bank.

Early life Dennis Alvin Wicker was born on June 14, 1952, in Sanford, North Carolina, United States to J. Shelton Wicker and Clarice Burns Wicker. His father served in the North Carolina House of Representatives, and as a boy he acted as a page in the House.

Political career Legislative career Wicker served six terms in the North Carolina House of Representatives from 1981 until 1993. In 1985 Republican James G. Martin was seated as Governor of North Carolina, and Democrats in the North Carolina General Assembly attempted to weaken the powers of his office. Wicker proposed a bill to call for a referendum to amend the state constitution and eliminate gubernatorial succession, whereby a governor could serve two consecutive terms. The Assembly passed the bill by April, but after doubting the merits and popularity of a measure to remove succession, the legislators repealed Wicker's bill in 1986. In 1989 he became the Democrats' House majority leader, a position he held for the rest of his tenure in the legislature.

2000 gubernatorial campaign In 1999 Wicker began fundraising for a campaign to secure the Democratic nomination for the 2000 North Carolina gubernatorial election. In January 2000 he officially filed his candidacy. A few weeks later Attorney General Mike Easley filed his own candidacy for the Democratic nomination. Wicker was endorsed by the N.C. Academy of Trial Lawyers, the leaders of the N.C. Association of Educators and most of North Carolina's black political organizations.

Both Wicker and Ealsey pledged to reduce the size of public school classes, eliminate hog waste lagoons, and create a state lottery. Wicker also indicated that he would prefer to use state lottery proceeds to establish a college scholarship fund, while Easley said he would use the funds to reduce elementary school class sizes and expand pre-school education opportunities.

Post-government career Following his defeat in the 2000 Democratic primary, Wicker returned to private legal practice, joining Helms Mulliss Wicker, a Charlotte-based law firm. He headed its new government affairs division, which assisted companies in government interactions. He later mended his relationship with Easley, and came to approve of his performance as governor, saying in 2006, "I think the governor has done a very good job leading the state in tough times."

In 2009 Wicker mulled challenging Richard Burr in the 2010 United States Senate election, but decided against it after determining that fundraising would be difficult and campaign would leave him without time to spend with his family.