Wes Moore
Westley Watende Omari Moore (born October 15, 1978) is an American politician, investment banker, author, nonprofit executive, and former television producer. Since 2023, he has been the 63rd governor of Maryland.
Wes Moore | |
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2023 | |
| 63rd Governor of Maryland | |
| Assumed office January 18, 2023 | |
| Lieutenant | Aruna Miller |
| Preceded by | Larry Hogan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Westley Watende Omari Moore October 15, 1978 Takoma Park, Maryland, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Residence | Government House |
| Education | Valley Forge Military Academy and College (AA) Johns Hopkins University (BA) Wolfson College, Oxford (MLitt) |
| Signature | |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1998–2014 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Unit | 82nd Airborne Division |
| Battles/wars | War in Afghanistan |
| Awards | National Defense Service Medal Afghanistan Campaign Medal Armed Forces Reserve Medal Army Service Ribbon Parachutist Badge |
Moore was born in Maryland and raised largely in New York. He graduated from Johns Hopkins University and received a master's degree from Wolfson College, Oxford, as a Rhodes Scholar. After several years in the U.S. Army and Army Reserve, he became an investment banker in New York. Between 2010 and 2015, Moore published five books, including a young-adult novel. He served as CEO of the Robin Hood Foundation from 2017 to 2021. Moore authored The Other Wes Moore and The Work. He also hosted Beyond Belief on the Oprah Winfrey Network, and was executive producer and a writer for Coming Back with Wes Moore on PBS.
Moore is a longtime member of the Democratic Party. He won the 2022 Maryland gubernatorial election against Republican nominee Dan Cox, to become Maryland's first African-American governor, the third African-American person elected as governor of any U.S. state, and as of 2024, the only African-American incumbent governor of any U.S. state. Moore is the fifth African-American U.S. state governor overall following P. B. S. Pinchback of Louisiana, Douglas Wilder of Virginia, Deval Patrick of Massachusetts and David Paterson of New York.