Betty Ireland | |
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28th West Virginia Secretary of State | |
In office January 17, 2005 – January 19, 2009 | |
Governor | Joe Manchin |
Preceded by | Joe Manchin |
Succeeded by | Natalie Tennant |
Personal details | |
Born | 1946 (age 78–79) Charleston, West Virginia, U.S. |
Political party | Republican |
Profession | Politician, teacher, businesswoman |
Betty Ireland (born 1946) was the 28th Secretary of State of West Virginia from 2005 to 2009, as the first woman elected to the executive branch of West Virginia state government.[1] She was also the first Republican elected to that position since 1972. Ireland did not seek a second term in 2008 due to her parents' health.[2] On December 30, 2010, Ireland announced she would run in the 2011 West Virginia gubernatorial special election, where she came in second place in the Republican primary.[3]