U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (I-WV) was sworn into the United States Senate on November 15, 2010. For Senator Manchin, serving as West Virginia's Senator was truly an honor and a privilege.
Born and raised in the small coal mining town of Farmington, W.Va., Sen. Manchin grew up learning the values that all West Virginians share — family, common sense, fairness, and hard work. As a small businessman, he learned firsthand from his grandfather, Papa Joe, who was an Italian immigrant and the town grocer, the importance of serving the public. As a young man, his beloved grandmother, Mama Kay, inspired Senator Manchin's belief in public service through her unflagging compassion and desire to help those less fortunate.
From his days as a state legislator to his six years as Governor, Senator Manchin has always been committed to his philosophy of "retail government" — in other words, connecting with all of his constituents and making service to them his top priority.
During his time in office, Senator Manchin was committed to working with Republicans and Democrats to find commonsense solutions to the problems in our country and was sharply focused on ushering in a new bipartisan spirit in the Senate and Congress.
Legislatively, job creation was Senator Manchin's top priority and he believes that government should act as a partner, not an adversary, in helping to create the environment that produces good American jobs. Senator Manchin also firmly believes that our nation can and must do what he did in West Virginia - put our fiscal house in order. He believes we must find commonsense ways to cut spending while keeping our promises to our seniors and veterans by protecting Social Security and Medicare.
Senator Manchin served as the Chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and also served on the Senate Committee on Appropriations, the Senate Committee on Armed Services, and the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs — four critical committees that tackle the important work of addressing our nation's energy needs, overseeing discretionary spending, defending our nation, and standing up for our Veterans.
Senator Manchin is an avid pilot, outdoorsman, hunter, angler and motorcyclist. He has been married for more than five decades to the former Gayle Conelly of Beckley. They have three children: Heather, Joseph IV, and Brooke, and are the proud grandparents of Joseph V, Sophie, Kelsey, Madeline, Chloe, Jack, Carly, Vivian, Beaux, and Knox.
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In November 2025, Senator Manchin will kick off the MPSF Speaker Series season with an evening of thoughtful reflection on leadership, bipartisanship, and the future of our country. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to hear directly from one of the most influential voices in American politics today.