Gaston Caperton

Gaston Caperton (2010)

William Gaston Caperton III (born February 21, 1940 in Charleston , West Virginia ) is a former American politician . He was the 31st governor of the state of West Virginia from 1989 to 1997 .

Early years

Gaston Caperton attended Episcopal High School in Alexandria and the University of North Carolina . Upon returning to West Virginia, he joined the family's insurance company. He soon took over the management of the company, which then climbed to tenth place of all US insurance companies. Caperton also got into banking in view of his success. Politically he did not appear until 1988. That year he was elected as the Democratic Party candidate for the new governor of West Virginia.

West Virginia Governor

Caperton's term as governor began on January 16, 1989. After re-election in 1992, he was able to serve two four-year terms. He saw his main task in reducing the national debt. To this end, taxes were increased and a state lottery was introduced, which resulted in a surplus at the end of his tenure. On the other hand, he supported the idea of ​​equipping all schools with computers. Numerous new schools were built across the state and many existing institutions were modernized. The salaries of teachers and their training have also been improved. Governor Caperton also promoted the economic development of his country. The infrastructure was improved by expanding the transport network. At that time around 86,000 new jobs were created and the unemployment rate fell from 9.8 percent to 6.2 percent. The governor also campaigned for environmental protection and improved health policies. He was a member of numerous governor's associations.

Another résumé

After his tenure, Caperton taught political science at Harvard University . He then founded the Institute of Education and Government at Columbia University , of which he is now director.

Web links

• Gaston Caperton in the database of the National Governors Association (English)
• The governors of West Virginia (English)