Brian Bushweller
Encyclopedia
Brian J. Bushweller is a Delaware
State Senator
for the 17th District.
Raised in New York
, Bushweller received an A.A. in Liberal Arts
from Ulster County Community College
, a B.A.
in Music
from Oklahoma City University
, an A.M.
in Education
from Stanford University
in 1970, and an M.A.
in Management
and Supervision from Central Michigan University
.
Originally a junior high school music teacher at a public school and an elementary school
teacher at a Christian school
, Bushweller became a labor union official in Florida
and then New York
. He moved to Dover, Delaware
when he was given a job with the Delaware State Education Association union.
Bushweller left the union in 1993 when Governor Tom Carper hired him as his Legislative Liaison. Five years later, Carper appointed him Secretary of the Department of Public Safety. When Carper was elected to the United States Senate
in 2000, Bushweller became his State Director until leaving the position in 2007 to launch his campaign for the Delaware Senate
.
Bushweller was elected as a Democrat
to the 17th District seat in the Delaware Senate in 2008, defeating his Republican opponent, former Dover
Mayor James Hutchison
. Bushweller is a member of the Adult & Juvenile Corrections, Finance, Highways & Transportation, Insurance, and Public Safety committees.
Bushweller married Rocky Bushweller in 1966, with whom he has five adult children and ten grandchildren.
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
State Senator
Delaware Senate
The Delaware Senate is the upper house of the Delaware General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. State of Delaware. It is composed of 21 Senators, each of whom is elected to a four-year term, except when reapportionment occurs, at which time Senators may be elected to a two-year term....
for the 17th District.
Raised in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Bushweller received an A.A. in Liberal Arts
Liberal arts
The term liberal arts refers to those subjects which in classical antiquity were considered essential for a free citizen to study. Grammar, Rhetoric and Logic were the core liberal arts. In medieval times these subjects were extended to include mathematics, geometry, music and astronomy...
from Ulster County Community College
Ulster County Community College
SUNY Ulster is a public two-year college supported by Ulster County, New York and the State University of New York. The main campus is located in Stone Ridge, New York...
, a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in Music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
from Oklahoma City University
Oklahoma City University
Oklahoma City University, often referred to as OCU, is a coeducational, urban, private university historically affiliated with the United Methodist Church...
, an A.M.
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
in Education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
from Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
in 1970, and an M.A.
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
in Management
Management
Management in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively...
and Supervision from Central Michigan University
Central Michigan University
Central Michigan University is a public research university located in Mount Pleasant in the U.S. state of Michigan...
.
Originally a junior high school music teacher at a public school and an elementary school
Elementary school
An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
teacher at a Christian school
Christian school
A Christian school is a school run on Christian principles or by a Christian organization.The nature of Christian schools varies enormously from country to country, according to the religious, educational, and political cultures...
, Bushweller became a labor union official in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
and then New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. He moved to Dover, Delaware
Dover, Delaware
The city of Dover is the capital and second largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. It is also the county seat of Kent County, and the principal city of the Dover, Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Kent County. It is located on the St. Jones River in the Delaware...
when he was given a job with the Delaware State Education Association union.
Bushweller left the union in 1993 when Governor Tom Carper hired him as his Legislative Liaison. Five years later, Carper appointed him Secretary of the Department of Public Safety. When Carper was elected to the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
in 2000, Bushweller became his State Director until leaving the position in 2007 to launch his campaign for the Delaware Senate
Delaware Senate
The Delaware Senate is the upper house of the Delaware General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. State of Delaware. It is composed of 21 Senators, each of whom is elected to a four-year term, except when reapportionment occurs, at which time Senators may be elected to a two-year term....
.
Bushweller was elected as a Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
to the 17th District seat in the Delaware Senate in 2008, defeating his Republican opponent, former Dover
Dover, Delaware
The city of Dover is the capital and second largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. It is also the county seat of Kent County, and the principal city of the Dover, Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Kent County. It is located on the St. Jones River in the Delaware...
Mayor James Hutchison
James Hutchison (American politician)
James L. "Hutch" Hutchison Sr. is an American politician. Hutchison served as the first full-time Mayor of Dover, Delaware, from 1994 to 2004. Hutchison is a member of the Republican Party. However, Dover's mayoral office is officially nonpartisan....
. Bushweller is a member of the Adult & Juvenile Corrections, Finance, Highways & Transportation, Insurance, and Public Safety committees.
Bushweller married Rocky Bushweller in 1966, with whom he has five adult children and ten grandchildren.