Gayle Conelly Manchin Sen. Joseph Manchin’s Wife

Gayle Conelly Manchin

Gayle Conelly Manchin is the loving longtime wife of West Virginia senator, Joseph Manchin. Her husband served as Governor of West Virginia from 2005 to 2010.

Gayle’s husband Joseph Manchin III was born on Aug. 24, 1947, in Farmington, W.Va. The second-oldest of five children, he is the grandson of Italian immigrants.

Manchin won a football scholarship to West Virginia University, where he suffered a career-ending knee injury. Focusing on his education, he received his bachelor’s degree in business in 1970.

He entered politics in 1982, when he was elected to the West Virginia House of Delegates. Next, he ran for the state Senate. He served until 1996, when he ran for governor but lost the primary. In 2000, he was elected secretary of state, and in 2004, Manchin ran again for governor, this time winning and taking office on Jan. 17, 2005.

But Joseph isn’t the only political figure at home. His wife, is a former educator, politician and former first lady of West Virginia.

Gayle was born June 20, 1947; the West Virginia native received both her Bachelor of Arts in language arts and education, and a Master of Arts in reading from West Virginia University.

Gayle met her husband at West Virginia University. They married on Aug. 5, 1967. Together are the proud parents of three grown children Heather, Joseph IV, and Brooke.

In 1999, she received a second master’s degree in educational technology leadership from Salem International University. She is a career educator. She has worked as a teacher in the Marion County Public School district and a faculty member at Fairmont State University, where she established the university’s inaugural Community Service Learning Program.

In 2007, Manchin was appointed to an eight-year term on the West Virginia Board of Education (WVBE) from 2007 to 2015, which included a two-year stint as the President of the West Virginia Board of Education from 2013 to 2014.

Earlier this year, she was appointed as the state Secretary of Education and the Arts by governor Jim Justice. In her role she s responsible for the oversight of six West Virginian state government agencies, including West Virginia Public Broadcasting (WVPB).