Wes Moore

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Wes Moore is an American politician, author, and former Army officer who has been Maryland’s governor since January 2023. A Democrat, he is the state’s first Black governor and the first veteran elected to the office.

Early life and education
Moore was born on October 15, 1978, in Takoma Park, Maryland. He spent parts of his childhood in Maryland and New York after his father died in 1982. His mother moved the family to the Bronx for a while before they returned to Maryland. He attended Riverdale Country School and later Valley Forge Military College, where he earned an associate degree. He then went to Johns Hopkins University, earning a BA in international relations and economics and graduating Phi Beta Kappa. He studied abroad as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford, where he earned a master’s in international relations.

Military and early career
Moore served in the U.S. Army and Army Reserve from 1998 to 2014, including a deployment to Afghanistan with the 82nd Airborne Division, where he rose to the rank of captain. He also held a White House Fellow position in 2006. After his military service, he worked in investment banking and later built a career in media and philanthropy.

Books, media, and philanthropy
Moore is the author of several books, including The Other Wes Moore, Discovering Wes Moore, and The Work. He founded Omari Productions and BridgeEdU, a program aimed at helping students transition to college. He produced PBS series and launched a documentary project about returning veterans. From 2017 to 2021, he was the CEO of the Robin Hood Foundation, a major poverty-fighting charity in New York City.

Political career
Moore announced his bid for Maryland governor in 2021, with Aruna Miller as his running mate. He was endorsed by prominent figures and groups and won the Democratic primary in July 2022. He defeated Republican Dan Cox in the general election and was sworn in on January 18, 2023, taking the oath on the Frederick Douglass Bible and his grandfather’s Bible. He has focused on issues like expanding a service-year option for graduates, making housing development easier, and supporting military families with benefits and jobs. He has also moved to change or undo some of his predecessor’s policies.

Key events and policies as governor
Moore faced major events, including the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, and worked on legislation to help workers and businesses affected by the disruption. He has advocated for federal funding to rebuild the bridge. In his budget years, he has pursued changes to state spending and tax policy to manage deficits and fund priorities. He pushed for a policy requiring future governors to place assets in a blind trust or similar arrangement to avoid conflicts of interest.

Personal life
Moore is married to Dawn Flythe Moore (they eloped in Las Vegas in 2007 while he was briefly in Afghanistan; their formal ceremony was in 2007). The couple has two children and lives in Government House, the Maryland governor’s residence in Annapolis. He is a fan of the Baltimore Ravens, Orioles, and New York Knicks.

Honors and notes
Moore holds honorary degrees from several colleges and has served on various boards. His background includes military service, authorship, media work, and leadership in a major philanthropic foundation before entering state government. He has faced some scrutiny over biographical details and past finances, which he has addressed publicly.