David Beasley

David Beasley (2011)

David Muldrow Beasley (born February 26, 1957 in Lamar , South Carolina ) is an American politician. He was governor of South Carolina between 1995 and 1999. He has been Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Program since April 2017 .

Early years and political advancement

David Beasley attended Lamar High School until 1975, then studied microbiology at Clemson University until 1978 . This was followed by a law degree at the University of South Carolina . Originally Beasley was a member of the Democratic Party, but he switched to the Republicans very early on. Between 1979 and 1992 he was a member of the South Carolina state parliament , and for the last two years he was Deputy Speaker of the House. There he was active in various committees. He was also a member of the Board of Trustees of the University of South Carolina (1990–1991) and Francis Marion College (1988–1991).

Governor of south carolina

In 1994, Beasley was nominated by the Republican Party as the top candidate for the upcoming gubernatorial election. He won the election with 50.4% of the vote against his Democratic rival Nick Theodore . As governor, he campaigned for the economic development of his country, a prison reform and an improved education policy. During his tenure, South Carolina invested $ 11 billion in investment, creating 50,000 new jobs. In the education sector, teacher salaries have been raised, standards raised and curricula redesigned. Beasley was also a member of several governors' associations. Despite his above-mentioned successes, he suffered a significant defeat in his re-election in 1998. Many voters accused him of failing to keep all of his 1994 election promises. In addition, his negative attitude towards the demand for all-day kindergartens cost him many votes. He lost the election to James Hovis Hodges . In 2004 he applied unsuccessfully for a seat in the US Senate. In the primaries for the 2008 US presidential election, he supported the unsuccessful Mike Huckabee .

International career

In February 2017, US Permanent Representative to the United Nations Nikki Haley (also a former Governor of South Carolina) nominated David Beasley for the post of Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Program (WFP). In March 2017, he was appointed to the post by UN Secretary General António Guterres and the then Head of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) José Graziano da Silva .

As Executive Director of the WFP, Beasley has the rank of Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and is a member of the Senior Management Group (SMG) under the direction of António Guterres. He has been a member of the Advisory Board on Humanitarian Investment Projects of the World Economic Forum since 2019 .

Private

Davis Beasley is married to Mary Wood Payne, with whom he has four children.

literature

• Governors of the American States, Commonwealths and Territories. National Governors' Association, 1998.

Web links

• David Beasley in the National Governor Association (English)
• South Carolina Information Highway (English)

Individual evidence

1. ^ WFP Executive Board Welcomes Appointment Of David Beasley As New Head , wfp.org, March 29, 2017
2. ↑ Nikki Haley nominates former South Carolina Gov. David Beasley for UN food post . In: The Post and Courier . February 28, 2017.
3. ↑ David Beasley of United States appointed as head of UN emergency food agency . UN News Center. 29th March 2017.
4. ↑ Senior Management Group United Nations .
5. ↑ World Economic Forum 2019 Annual Meeting launching a new Humanitarian Investing Initiative World Economic Forum , press release of January 18, 2019.