Theodore G. "Wes" Westmoreland II | |
State: | North Carolina |
State Senate: | North Carolina |
District: | 46th |
Term Start: | January 27, 2012 |
Term End: | January 1, 2013 |
Predecessor: | Debbie Clary |
Successor: | Warren Daniel |
Birth Date: | 4 May 1964 |
Birth Place: | Shelby, North Carolina |
Birth Name: | Theodore Garmon Westmoreland II |
Nationality: | American |
Party: | Republican |
Residence: | Shelby, North Carolina |
Education: | Gardner-Webb University, Bachelor of Arts, Political science, 1988 |
Occupation: | Printer, former state senator |
Theodore Garmon "Wes" Westmoreland, II also known as Wes Wes is a printer, entrepreneur, businessman and former state senator.[1] [2] Westmoreland was appointed to the North Carolina Senate by Governor Beverly Perdue to fill the unexpired term of North Carolina Senator Debbie Clary in 2012.[2] He is the second great grandson of John Franklin Westmoreland, also a printer, who also served in the North Carolina Senate 26th District from 1895 through 1896.[3] [4] Westmoreland is the founder and president of Westmoreland Printers, Inc. based in Shelby, North Carolina.[3] He is a founding board member of Pinnacle Classical Academy, a college preparatory charter school in Cleveland County.[5]
Westmoreland completed his undergraduate degree at Gardner-Webb University in 1988.[6] He is a fifth-generation printer and founded Westmoreland Printers, Inc. in 1999.[7] Westmoreland was named Entrepreneur of the Year by the Cleveland County Chamber of Commerce in 2004.[8]
In 2006, Westmoreland ran for the 46th Senate District seat against incumbent Senator Walter Dalton.[8] In 2012, Westmoreland was appointed to the North Carolina Senate by Governor Bev Perdue to serve the remainder of North Carolina Senator Debbie Clary’s two-year term for the 46th Senate District, at that time comprised Cleveland and Rutherford counties.[1] [2]
In January 2012, Westmoreland was appointed to six standing committees including Agriculture/Environment/Natural Resources, Appropriations on Natural and Economic Resources, Commerce, Finance, Judiciary II and Program Evaluation.[9] During the short session of 2012, Westmoreland was the primary sponsor of two bills passed into law, SB 805 and SB 951.[10] [11] As a member of the Program Evaluation Committee, Westmoreland added a study to review the process of opening charter schools in North Carolina.
Westmoreland is a founding board member of Pinnacle Classical Academy, a college preparatory charter school in Cleveland County, serving as board chair from 2014-2017.[5] In 2013, Westmoreland was appointed to the Rural Infrastructure Authority for the North Carolina Department of Commerce, and elected Vice-Chairman in August 2017.[12] He also served on the board of the directors of the Printing Industries of the Carolinas from 2013-2017, a trustee for Cleveland Community College serving as chair for the 2017-18 academic year,[13] [5] and on the Executive Board of the North Carolina Association of Community College Trustees.[14]
Previously, Westmoreland served on the Board of Directors of Cleveland County Communities in Schools and the Commercial Graphics Advisory Committee of Spartanburg Technical College.[5] [15] He also served as President of the Gardner-Webb University Alumni Association and was a Trustee for Gardner-Webb from 2006 through 2009.[5]