Joseph Charles Wilson IV (born November 6, 1949) is the CEO of his own firm JC Wilson International Ventures, "a consulting firm specializing in strategic management and international-business development." In January 2007, Wilson joined Jarch Capital, LLC, as vice chairman, to advise the firm's expansion in areas of Africa considered "politically sensitive."
A United States Foreign Service diplomat before retiring in 1998, Wilson was posted to African countries and to Iraq during the George H. W. Bush administration and later served as Special Assistant to US President Bill Clinton and as Senior Director for African Affairs on the United States National Security Council. Wilson became known to the general public as a result of his op-ed "What I Didn't Find in Africa", published in The New York Times four months after the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Wilson's op-ed documented his 2002 Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) investigation into whether Iraq had purchased or attempted to purchase uranium yellowcake from Niger. He concluded that the George W. Bush administration twisted intelligence to "exaggerate the Iraqi threat."
The week after the article's publication, Robert Novak, in his syndicated Washington Post column, disclosed that Wilson's wife, Valerie Plame, worked for the CIA as an undercover officer. Subsequently, former Ambassador Wilson and others alleged that the disclosure was part of the Bush administration's attempts to discredit his report about his investigations in Africa and the op-ed describing his findings because they did not support the government's rationale for the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Wilson's allegations led to a federal investigation of the leak by the United States Department of Justice, to the appointment of a Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald, to the CIA leak grand jury investigation, and to a major American political scandal variously dubbed by the press "Plamegate", the "Plame affair", the "CIA leak scandal", and other terms relating to the public disclosure or "leak" of Mrs. Wilson's then-classified covert CIA identity as "Valerie Plame".
Although no one was "indicted for actually leaking Plame's identity," the investigation resulted in a federal criminal trial United States v. Libby in which Lewis Libby, the former Chief of Staff to Vice President of the United States, Dick Cheney, was tried on five federal felony counts. He was convicted on four of the counts, involving false statements, perjury, and obstruction of justice, none of which related directly to the Plame relevation but rather to his failure to cooperate with the subsequent investigation into the revelation. Libby was sentenced to 30 months in prison and a fine of $250,000.
The prison time was commuted by President Bush, an act possibly explained by a Ray McGovern piece in CounterPunch , where McGovern writes:
The Wilsons have appealed the dismissal, on jurisdictional grounds, of Wilson v. Cheney , their ongoing civil suit brought against Cheney, Libby, Karl Rove, Richard Armitage, and other unnamed parties. This case has been dismissed by a federal appeals court. It is not clear if further appeals will be filed.
Early life and education
Joseph C. Wilson, IV, was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut in 1949 to Joseph Charles Wilson, III, and Phyllis (Finnell) Wilson; he grew up in California and Europe (Wilson, The Politics of Truth 32–33). He was raised in a "proud Republican family" in which "there a long tradition of politics and service to the farm" and for which "olitics was a staple around the table" (Wilson, The Politics of Truth 31). His mother's uncle, James "Sunny Jim" Rolph, was mayor of San Francisco, California from 1912 to 1931 and served as California's governor until his 1934 death in office ( The Politics of Truth 31). Wilson's mother's brothers jokingly referred to noted conservative Barry Goldwater was "a bit liberal" (31). Military service was also a strong part of his family history. Both of Wilson's grandfathers served in the two world wars, his paternal grandfather receiving both the British Distinguished Flying Cross and the French Croix de Guerre for his service in World War I (32). Wilson's father Joe was a Marine pilot in World War II and narrowly escaped death by taking off immediately before the bombing of the aircraft carrier Franklin , in which 700 other American servicemen died (31).
In 1968, Wilson matriculated at the University of California, Santa Barbara, majoring, he once joked, in "history, volleyball, and surfing" and maintaining a "C" average ( The Politics of Truth 32). He worked as a carpenter for five years after his 1971 graduation. Later, he became more serious about his education, winning a graduate fellowship and studying public administration. The Vietnam War protests of the late 1960s galvanized Wilson along with much of his generation and "pitted parents against kids in family just as it did in many households around the country" ( The Politics of Truth 32).
Personal life and family
Wilson's first marriage was to his college sweetheart Susan Otchis in 1974 ( The Politics of Truth 33). In 1979, the couple had a set of twins, Sabrina Cecile and Joseph Charles V. The marriage ended in an amicable divorce in 1986, toward the end of his service in Burundi. Wilson married his second wife Jacqueline, a Frenchwoman raised in Africa, in 1986 (68–69). Though Wilson and Jacqueline began to live separate lives in the 1990s, they did not divorce until 1998 because Wilson "was never in one place long enough to complete the process" (242). Wilson had met Valerie Plame in 1997, while working for President Bill Clinton; they married in 1998, after Wilson's divorce from Jacqueline (242). Wilson lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with his wife and their two children, twins Trevor Rolph and Samantha Finnell Diana, born in 2000. Among Wilson's hobbies are golf, bicycling, and fitness.
Diplomatic career
Diplomatic postings and government positions:
- 1976–1978: General Services Officer, Niamey, Niger
- 1978–1979: Administrative Office, Lomé, Togo
- 1979–1981: Administrative Officer, US State Department, Washington, D.C.
- 1981–1982: Administrative Officer, Pretoria, South Africa
- 1982–1985: Deputy Chief of Mission (DCM), Bujumbura, Burundi
- 1985–1986: Congressional Fellow, offices of Senator Al Gore and Representative Tom Foley
- 1986–1988: DCM, Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo
- 1988–1991: DCM, Baghdad, Iraq
- 1992–1995: Ambassador to Gabon and São Tomé and Príncipe
- 1995–1997: Political Advisor (POLAD) to the Commander in Chief of US Armed Forces, Europe (EUCOM), Stuttgart, Germany
- 1997–1998: Special Assistant to President Bill Clinton and Senior Director for African Affairs, United States National Security Council, Washington, D.C.
Having become fluent in French as a teenager, Wilson entered the US Foreign Service in 1976, where he would be employed until 1988.
From January 1976 through 1998, he was posted in five African nations; as a general services officer in Niamey, Niger (his first assignment) he was "responsible for keeping the power on and the cars running, among other duties". From 1988 to 1991, he was the Deputy Chief of Mission (to US Ambassador to Iraq April Glaspie) at the US Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq. In the wake of Iraq's 1990 invasion of Kuwait, he became the last American diplomat to meet with Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, telling him in very clear terms to leave Kuwait (Wilson, The Politics of Truth 107–27). When Hussein sent a note to Wilson (along with other embassy heads in Baghdad) threatening to execute anyone sheltering foreigners in Iraq, Wilson publicly repudiated the dictator by appearing at a press conference wearing a homemade noose around his neck and declaring, "If the choice is to allow American citizens to be taken hostage or to be executed, I will bring my own fucking rope." Despite Hussein's threats, Wilson sheltered more than 100 Americans at the embassy and successfully evacuated several thousand people (Americans and other nationals) from Iraq. For his actions, he was called a "a true American hero" by President George H. W. Bush. From 1992 to 1995, he served as US ambassador to Gabon and São Tomé and Príncipe.
From 1995 to 1997, Wilson served as Political Advisor (POLAD) to the Commander in Chief of US Armed Forces, Europe (EUCOM), in Stuttgart, Germany. From 1997 until 1998, when he retired, he helped direct Africa policy as Special Assistant to President Bill Clinton and as National Security Council Senior Director for African Affairs.
Subsequent employment
Since retiring from government service in 1998, Wilson has managed "JC Wilson International Ventures Corp., an international business development and management company."
Early in 2007, Wilson became vice chairman of Jarch Capital, LLC. In announcing Wilson's role in the firm, Jarch Capital's Chairman Phil Heilberg states, "Not only does Ambassador Wilson bring an incredible amount of experience and knowledge on Africa to Jarch Capital, his views on American foreign policy and National Security are widely respected in Washington" and he "will be instrumental in the growth of Jarch as it expands in Africa, sometimes in politically sensitive areas."
Wilson serves as a guest speaker and panelist in conferences and other programs devoted to African business policies and political affairs as well as on the matters pertaining to the CIA leak scandal. For exam
Broder Bros
The Broder name and its association with integrity and solid service began back in 1919 with Max and Louie Broder—brothers dedicated to wholesaling various dry goods and ...
Welcome to Broder
The following item(s) are for your information. Our Customer Service Call Centers and Warehouses will be Closed on Thanksgiving Day, Nov 26th and the Day After Thanksgiving, Friday ...
Broder Bros
Broder Bros., Co.
ABOUT US . Broder Bros., Co. is a leading distributor of imprintable sportswear and accessories in the United States and operates under the "Broder", "Alpha" and "NES ...
Broder Bros., Co. - Executive and Business Contacts, Sales Leads
Company: Broder Bros., Co. Location: Trevose, PA Industry: Apparel & Accessories ID:1601970
Broder Bros
(Enter Style# or Keyword)
Broder Bros Co.: Private Company Information - BusinessWeek
Get Broder Bros Co. company research & investing information. Find executive management and the latest company developments.
Broder Bros Shirts-Polos/Long Sleeve
100% Cotton Long Sleeve T-Shirts Comfortable shirts are perfect for active work. 6.1 oz., heavyweight 100% preshrunk cotton. Reinforced shoulder seams, double-needle stitching.
Broder Bros.
Inspection Nr: 305405888: Investigation Nr: 200352557: Line Nr: 1: Nature of Injury: Other: Part of Body: Multiple: Source of Injury: Hoisting Apparatus: Event Type: Fall(From ...
Broder Bros. Sportswear company Launching Green Catalog
Imprintable sportswear distributor Broder Bros. is going green. The company, which the past two years has increased its eco-friendly assortment from four styles to more than 20 ...