JOINTLY WITH THE EMPIRE CLUB OF CANADA.
On November 14th, the Canadian and Empire Clubs welcome the second speaker in their joint Canada/US speakers’ series, US Ambassador David Wilkins. Ambassador Wilkins examines the U.S.- Canada relationship — both the ties that bind us and the issues that divide us — and the shared responsibility of both nations in safeguarding and building the world’s most successful friendship.
David H. Wilkins became the 21st United States Ambassador to Canada on June 29, 2005. Prior to taking on this role, Mr. Wilkins served in the South Carolina House of Representatives for 25 years – 11 as speaker of the House, one of the longest serving speakers in the USA.
In his 25 years in the South Carolina Legislature, David Wilkins has been on the cutting-edge of most major reform initiatives. He wrote or co-sponsored the legislation on welfare reform, property tax relief, education accountability, LIFE scholarships, judicial reform, government restructuring, and truth-in-sentencing. He was also instrumental in crafting South Carolina’s historic ethics bill and played a key role in the relocation of the Confederate flag and the fight to ban video gambling.
A native of Greenville, SC, David Wilkins received his undergraduate degree at Clemson University and his law degree at the University of South Carolina School of Law. After service in the Army, he returned to Greenville where he practiced law for more than thirty years. David and his wife Susan have two sons – James and Robert.
