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[[Image:‎Joe_Wilson_senate_photo.jpg‎ |right|250px|thumb|Discredited Ex-Diplomat Joseph Wilson]]‎

[[Image:‎Joe Wilson senate photo.jpg‎|right|250px|thumb|Discredited Ex-Diplomat Joseph Wilson]]‎

'''Joseph Charles Wilson IV''' (born November 6, 1949) is a retired [[diplomat]] of the [[United States Foreign Service]], who was posted to African nations and Iraq during the [[George H. W. Bush]] administration. During the [[George W. Bush]] administration, after his retirement from foreign service, Wilson became known to the general public as a result of his controversial [[editorial|op-ed]] published in ''[[The New York Times]]'' on July 6, 2003, four months after the invasion of Iraq began in March 2003. In the op-ed, entitled "What I Didn't Find in Africa," Wilson alleges his February 2002 trip investigating whether Iraq purchased or attempted to purchase [[yellowcake]] from Niger in the late 1990s and accuses the [[George W. Bush]] administration of "exaggerating the Iraqi threat" in order to justify war."<ref>Joseph C. Wilson IV, [http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/06/opinion/06WILS.html?pagewanted=1&ei=5007&en=6c6aeb1ce960dec0&ex=1372824000&partner=USERLAND "What I Didn't Find in Africa,"] ''The New York Times'', July 6, 2003.</ref>  

'''Joseph Charles Wilson IV''' (born November 6, 1949) is a retired [[diplomat]] of the [[United States Foreign Service]], who was posted to African nations and Iraq during the [[George H. W. Bush]] administration. During the [[George W. Bush]] administration, after his retirement from foreign service, Wilson became known to the general public as a result of his controversial [[editorial|op-ed]] published in ''[[The New York Times]]'' on July 6, 2003, four months after the invasion of Iraq began in March 2003. In the op-ed, entitled "What I Didn't Find in Africa," Wilson alleges his February 2002 trip investigating whether Iraq purchased or attempted to purchase [[yellowcake]] from Niger in the late 1990s and accuses the [[George W. Bush]] administration of "exaggerating the Iraqi threat" in order to justify war."<ref>Joseph C. Wilson IV, [http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/06/opinion/06WILS.html?pagewanted=1&ei=5007&en=6c6aeb1ce960dec0&ex=1372824000&partner=USERLAND "What I Didn't Find in Africa,"] ''The New York Times'', July 6, 2003.</ref>  

==Biographical Information==

==Biographical Information==

Wilson was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, in 1949 to Joseph Charles Wilson III and Phyllis (Finnell) Wilson. On his father's side, the Wilson's uncle is [[Pete Wilson]], former United States Senator and Governor of California. He is married to his third wife, the former [[Valerie Plame|Valerie Elise Plame]], and their two children, twins Trevor Rolph and Samantha Finnell Diana, born in 2000. <ref>Vicky Ward, [http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2004/01/plame200401?printable=true&currentPage=all "Double Exposure"], ''[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]],'' January 2004.</ref>

Wilson was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, in 1949 to Joseph Charles Wilson III and Phyllis (Finnell) Wilson. On his father's side, the Wilson's uncle is [[Pete Wilson]], former United States Senator and Governor of California. He is married to his third wife, the former [[Valerie Plame|Valerie Elise Plame]], and their two children, twins Trevor Rolph and Samantha Finnell Diana, born in 2000.<ref>Vicky Ward, [http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2004/01/plame200401?printable=true&currentPage=all "Double Exposure"], ''[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]],'' January 2004.</ref>

The Vietnam protests of the 1960s, when Wilson was a student at the University of California, Santa Barbara, galvanized him along with much of that generation and "pitted parents against kids in [his] family just as it did in many households around the country."

The Vietnam protests of the 1960s, when Wilson was a student at the University of California, Santa Barbara, galvanized him along with much of that generation and "pitted parents against kids in [his] family just as it did in many households around the country."

For a year midway in his career as a diplomat (1985–1986), Wilson served as a Congressional Fellow in the offices of Senator [[Al Gore]] and Representative [[Tom Foley]]; his working for Democrats was simply a matter of "happenstance." Although Wilson claimed to have been a Republican who crossed to the Democrats because of the Plame Affair, in fact Wilson was a longtime Democrat. ).<ref>Vicky Ward, [http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2004/01/plame200401?printable=true&currentPage=all "Double Exposure"], ''[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]]'', January 2004.</ref> That experience helped him to achieve his position as Special Assistant to President [[Bill Clinton]] and Senior Director for African Affairs at the [[National Security Council]], over a decade later (1997-98), during which he arranged the first trip of President Clinton to Africa. That was the final position that he held upon retiring from government service, in 1998. It was as a "private citizen" with extensive knowledge and experience of Africa, and specifically of Niger, that he was tapped to travel there again on behalf of the [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] in February 2002; he returned in March 2002. Also as a "private citizen," in 2000, Wilson had contributed $2,000 to Vice President Gore’s presidential campaign and $1,000 to [[George W. Bush]]'s presidential campaign, but he voted for Gore and Lieberman in the general election. In 2003 Wilson began to support and formally endorsed [[John Kerry]] for president, donating $2,000 to Kerry’s presidential campaign in 2004, and served as an adviser to and speech writer for the campaign in 2003 and 2004.<ref> "Spouse of Outed CIA Officer Signs On with Kerry," ''[[The Washington Times]],'' February 14, 2004, abstract (original article unavailable) at http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-695535/Spouse-of-outed-CIA-officer.html#abstract</ref>. He has made contributions to the campaigns of Democratic candidates, such as Senator [[Ted Kennedy]] of Massachusetts and Congressman [[Charles B. Rangel]] of New York, and to Republican Congressman [[Ed Royce]] of California.<ref>[http://www.opensecrets.org/indivs/search.asp?txtName=wilson&txtState=DC&txtZip=&txtEmploy=&txtCand=&txt2006=&txt2004=&txt2002=&txt2000=Y&txt1998=Y&txt1996=&txt1994=&txt1992=&txt1990=&txtSoft=N&Order=N&Cycles=2&Cycle1=2000&Cycle2=1998&Cycle3=&Page=2 Joseph C. Wilson search] at ''opensecrets.org''.</ref>

For a year midway in his career as a diplomat (1985–1986), Wilson served as a Congressional Fellow in the offices of Senator [[Al Gore]] and Representative [[Tom Foley]]; his working for Democrats was simply a matter of "happenstance." Although Wilson claimed to have been a Republican who crossed to the Democrats because of the Plame Affair, in fact Wilson was a longtime Democrat. ).<ref>Vicky Ward, [http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2004/01/plame200401?printable=true&currentPage=all "Double Exposure"], ''[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]]'', January 2004.</ref> That experience helped him to achieve his position as Special Assistant to President [[Bill Clinton]] and Senior Director for African Affairs at the [[National Security Council]], over a decade later (1997–98), during which he arranged the first trip of President Clinton to Africa. That was the final position that he held upon retiring from government service, in 1998. It was as a "private citizen" with extensive knowledge and experience of Africa, and specifically of Niger, that he was tapped to travel there again on behalf of the [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] in February 2002; he returned in March 2002. Also as a "private citizen," in 2000, Wilson had contributed $2,000 to Vice President Gore’s presidential campaign and $1,000 to [[George W. Bush]]'s presidential campaign, but he voted for Gore and Lieberman in the general election. In 2003 Wilson began to support and formally endorsed [[John Kerry]] for president, donating $2,000 to Kerry’s presidential campaign in 2004, and served as an adviser to and speech writer for the campaign in 2003 and 2004.<ref>"Spouse of Outed CIA Officer Signs On with Kerry," ''[[The Washington Times]],'' February 14, 2004, abstract (original article unavailable) at http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-695535/Spouse-of-outed-CIA-officer.html#abstract</ref> He has made contributions to the campaigns of Democratic candidates, such as Senator [[Ted Kennedy]] of Massachusetts and Congressman [[Charles B. Rangel]] of New York, and to Republican Congressman [[Ed Royce]] of California.<ref>[http://www.opensecrets.org/indivs/search.asp?txtName=wilson&txtState=DC&txtZip=&txtEmploy=&txtCand=&txt2006=&txt2004=&txt2002=&txt2000=Y&txt1998=Y&txt1996=&txt1994=&txt1992=&txt1990=&txtSoft=N&Order=N&Cycles=2&Cycle1=2000&Cycle2=1998&Cycle3=&Page=2 Joseph C. Wilson search] at ''opensecrets.org''.</ref>

After the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Wilson supported activist groups like Win Without War, a coalition of far left-wing groups united in opposition to the Iraq War. On July 16, 2007, the [[Drudge Report]] reported that Wilson supports [[Hillary Clinton]] for President of the United States in the 2008 election.

After the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Wilson supported activist groups like Win Without War, a coalition of far left-wing groups united in opposition to the Iraq War. On July 16, 2007, the [[Drudge Report]] reported that Wilson supports [[Hillary Clinton]] for President of the United States in the 2008 election.

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[[category:biographies]]

[[Category:Biographies]]