Mike Castle
Mike Castle | |
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2006 | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Delaware's at-large district | |
| In office January 3, 1993 – January 3, 2011 | |
| Preceded by | Tom Carper |
| Succeeded by | John Carney |
| 69th Governor of Delaware | |
| In office January 15, 1985 – December 31, 1992 | |
| Lieutenant | S. B. Woo Dale E. Wolf |
| Preceded by | Pete du Pont |
| Succeeded by | Dale E. Wolf |
| 20th Lieutenant Governor of Delaware | |
| In office January 20, 1981 – January 15, 1985 | |
| Governor | Pete du Pont |
| Preceded by | James D. McGinnis |
| Succeeded by | S. B. Woo |
| Member of the Delaware Senate from the 1st district | |
| In office January 7, 1969 – January 4, 1977 | |
| Preceded by | Russell Dineen |
| Succeeded by | Harris McDowell III |
| Member of the Delaware House of Representatives from the 6th district | |
| In office January 3, 1967 – January 7, 1969 | |
| Preceded by | Frank Parisi |
| Succeeded by | George Hering |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Michael Newbold Castle July 2, 1939 Wilmington, Delaware, U.S. |
| Died | August 14, 2025 (aged 86) Greenville, Delaware, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse |
Jane DiSabatino (m. 1992) |
| Education | Hamilton College (BS) Georgetown University (LLB) |
Michael Newbold Castle (July 2, 1939 – August 14, 2025) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the U.S. representative for Delaware's at-large congressional district from 1993 to 2011. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the 69th Governor of Delaware from 1985 to 1992, Lieutenant Governor from 1981 to 1985, and as a member of the Delaware General Assembly from 1967 to 1977. As of 2025, Castle was the most recent Republican to represent Delaware in the U.S. Congress and the last Republican to have been elected governor of the state.
The district Castle represented includes the entire state of Delaware and is the oldest intact surviving district in the nation. He was the longest-serving U.S. Representative in the state's history.[1]
On October 6, 2009, Castle announced his candidacy in the 2010 special election for the seat in the United States Senate held by Democrat Ted Kaufman.[2] Kaufman, appointed by Governor Ruth Ann Minner to fill the vacancy created by Joe Biden (who resigned to become vice president of the United States), was not a candidate in the election.[3] The election determined who would fill the balance of Biden's term, which ended on January 3, 2015. In one of the most surprising election results of 2010, Castle lost the Republican primary to Christine O'Donnell.[4] He would have been heavily favored in the general election against Democrat Chris Coons, who defeated O'Donnell by 17 percentage points.[5]
- ^ "Rep. Mike Castle announces run for U.S. Senate". WHYY. October 6, 2009. Archived from the original on November 6, 2009. Retrieved December 15, 2009.
- ^ "Delaware GOP Congressman to Run for Biden's Former Senate Seat". FOX News. October 6, 2009. Archived from the original on October 18, 2015. Retrieved February 1, 2010.
- ^ Brumfield, Sarah (November 25, 2008). "Longtime Biden aide picked to fill his Senate seat". FOX News. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved February 1, 2010.
- ^ "Christine O'Donnell upsets Mike Castle in Delaware Senate primary". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on July 23, 2012.
- ^ "Election 2010: Delaware Senate". Rasmussenreports.com. Retrieved January 4, 2011.