Bill DeWeese

H. William DeWeese
Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
from the 50th district
In office
May 10, 1976 – April 24, 2012
Preceded byDonald Davis
Succeeded byPam Snyder
135th Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
In office
January 5, 1993 – November 30, 1994
Preceded byBob O'Donnell
Succeeded byMatt Ryan
Democratic Leader of the
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
In office
January 3, 1995 – November 30, 2008
Preceded byIvan Itkin
Succeeded byTodd Eachus
In office
January 23, 1990[1] – November 30, 1992
Preceded byBob O'Donnell
Succeeded byIvan Itkin
Democratic Whip of the
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
In office
January 6, 2009 – December 19, 2009
Preceded byKeith McCall
Succeeded byFrank Dermody
In office
January 3, 1989 – January 23, 1990
Preceded byBob O'Donnell
Succeeded byIvan Itkin
Personal details
Born (1950-04-18) April 18, 1950 (age 74)
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseHolly Kinser (married 1992, divorced 1999)[2]
ResidenceWaynesburg, Pennsylvania
Alma materWake Forest University
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/serviceU.S. Marine Corps
Years of service1972–1975

H. William DeWeese (born April 18, 1950) is an American politician who is a former member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. A member of the Democratic Party, DeWeese served as the 135th Speaker of the Pennsylvania House from 1993 to 1994. After five years of investigation by Republican State Attorney General Tom Corbett, he was indicted in December 2009 on six charges of conflict of interest, theft and criminal conspiracy on accusations that two members of his staff used state resources to campaign for political office. The trial began January 23, 2010. He was re-elected in 2010 despite the charges, but was convicted of five of the six felony charges on February 6, 2012.[3]

In April 2012, DeWeese was sentenced to 30 to 60 months in state prison, and subsequently resigned his house seat.[4] He maintains that the prosecution was politically motivated,[5] and part of an ongoing feud with Corbett,[6] who became Governor in 2011.

  1. ^ Jim Moore (1990). "DeWeese takes on duties of House majority leader". Observer-Reporter. Retrieved October 26, 2011.
  2. ^ Erdely, Sabrina Rubin (March 2003). "There's Something About Holly". Philadelphia. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Metro Corp.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Verdict was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Olson, Laura (April 24, 2012). "DeWeese sentenced after resignation from Pa. House". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference PhillyInquirer was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference heraldstandard1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).