TERRY R. SPENCE

Terry R. Spence was first elected to the Delaware House of Representatives in 1980. As a Representative, Mr. Spence has held the position of Majority Whip and Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, both powerful positions within the House of Representatives.

Representative Spence was born in Wilmington and graduated from William Penn High School in 1960. Following graduation, Rep. Spence served six years in the Air National Guard. Later, he attended and graduated from Goldey Beacom College and Wilmington College. Mr. Spence is retired from the DuPont Company, where he held the position of Account Executive for 32 years. He presently works for Brooks Courier Service, Inc., Wilmington, Delaware.

He was elected to his present position as Speaker of the Delaware House of Representatives in 1987. Representative Spence has the distinction of being the longest serving Speaker of the House in Delaware’s history.

As Speaker of the House, Representative Spence presides over the House Chamber, acts as Chief Parliamentarian and keeps order. He is responsible for assigning House members to specific committees and for assigning bills to committee. He also determines the House Agenda, establishes budget policies, and allocates and supervises committee staff. He is often called upon to mediate between members and to make appointments to various Task Forces and Boards established by specific legislation and to national legislative organizations.

In addition to the duties of Speaker, Representative Spence serves on the House Ethics Committee, Legislative Council (acting as chairman every other year), and the House Administration Committee.

Representative Spence is recognized as an advocate for public safety. He has been active in and responsible for the strengthening of Delaware’s drunk driving laws. Under his authorship, a bill increasing the drinking age to 21 became law. Representative Spence, as a father of four, is also quite concerned for the safety of our youthful drivers.

This dedication to public safety earned Rep. Spence the MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) Distinguished Legislator Award for 1987. In 1986 he received the Distinguished Legislative Service Award from the Delaware State Bar Association. In 1996 he was awarded the Minute Man Award for Outstanding Legislative Service by the Delaware National Guard.

Education is also of great interest to Representative Spence. He serves on the Business/Public Education Council. This Council holds regularly scheduled meetings to discuss the problems and solutions to our State’s educational needs. Rep. Spence also authored and helped pass Delaware’s mandatory school crime reporting bill. Former HB 85 and HB 322 have helped Delaware’s public schools to take a tough stand against violence in our schools. Any crime committed in a Delaware public school is required by law to be reported to the local police authority or the Delaware State Police, for further investigation and action.

As an active Representative, Mr. Spence maintains strong ties with his community and his church. He is a member of Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church in New Castle, the Wilmington Rotary Club, the National Rifle Association, the Lions Club, and the Delaware Association of Retarded Citizens. He is an Honorary Member of the Delaware Association of Blind Athletes, the Wilmington Manor Volunteer Fire Company and the Christiana Fire Company. For the past eight years, Representative Spence has hosted an annual charity golf tournament with the proceeds going to a different designated organization each year.

Currently, Representative Spence serves as a member of the Governor’s International Trade Council. On behalf of the Council in 1989, he served as Co-Leader for an 18-member trade mission to Eastern Europe and the USSR. He also participates in various functions for the Council and promotes the Delaware initiative in the Yucatan, Mexico and Japan.

In November 1996, Representative Spence was invited to serve as a member of the Executive Committee of the National Speakers Conference. He was appointed president of the National Speakers Conference in September, 2006, and will be hosting the conference in Delaware, September, 2007. Representative Spence is the longest serving Speaker in the history of Delaware and is the longest sitting Speaker in our Nation. In 1999, the National Republican Legislators Association named him Leader of the Year.

Representative Spence is a hard-working and energetic legislator. He is respected on both sides of the aisle for his sense of fair play and ability to reach a diplomatic conclusion.

He currently resides in Stratford, New Castle with his wife Nancy. They have four children, Terry, Jr., Mark, Greg and Laura. He is the proud grandfather of four grandchildren, Terry III, Alaina, Zachary and Joshua. He spends his leisure hours involved in family activities, community events and playing golf