Emmett Hanger Biography:
Emmett Wilson Hanger Jr. was born
in Staunton, VA. The oldest of five
children, Emmett wasn’t born
to affluence, but what his family
may not have had in finances they
made up for in closeness. Emmett learned
at an early age the importance of
faith in God, love of family and dedication
to his country.
At the age of 18, Emmett became the
first in his family to graduate from
high school. Despite being an honors
student, serving as class president
and being an officer in the Future
Farmers of America, college was not
something Emmett had thought of as
a possibility. Fortunately Emmett’s |
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talent
on the basketball court led to an
athletic scholarship at Madison College
(now James Madison University).
That opportunity
led Emmett to obtaining a degree in
Management & Economics and later
a Masters degree in Business Administration.
More importantly it allowed Emmett
to meet his wife Sharon, who was also
attending Madison.
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Military
Service
Emmett was commissioned
as a U.S. Army infantry officer and
served in the Virginia Army National
Guard. During his 11 years of military
service, Emmett attained the rank
of Captain.
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| He spent 6 years as the
commander of the Harrisonburg National
Guard. As commander, Emmett and his
troops distinguished themselves and
were selected as the best overall
rifle company in the state. |
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Entering
Politics
Ronald Reagan once
said that a true leader doesn’t
decide to run for office, the people
decide for him. As a young man at
the age of 30, there were enough people
around Emmett asking him to run that
in 1979 he decided to enter the world
of politics, and ran for his first
office as the Commissioner of Revenue
for Augusta County. Emmett Hanger
was the first Republican to be elected
to a countywide office in Augusta
County since reconstruction. |
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As the Commissioner
of Revenue, Emmett learned first-hand
the importance of local government
to the people it represents, and the
effect a mismanaged state budget can
have on the local governments who
must then pick up the slack to cover
core services. Following
his work as Commissioner of Revenue, Emmett
ran for and won a seat in the Virginia House
of Delegates. He held that seat for 9 years
as a conservative Republican in legislature
controlled by Democrats. As a Delegate, Emmett
Hanger was among the first to introduce a
parental notification bill to the floor of
the legislature. Emmett fought hard for the
conservative family values of the constituents
he represented. He fought so hard that he
caught the attention of the majority opposition,
and following the re-districting session of
1991, he was unable to keep his seat. |
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A
Return To Politics
In 1995, Emmett
once again received the call to lead
and ran for Virginia State Senate
against an entrenched Democrat. It
was a hard fought campaign from the
Republican Nomination to the general
election in November, but when the
final votes were tallied, Emmett Hanger
was sent back to Richmond. Emmett
was re-elected in 1999 and again in
2003, receiving over 72% of the vote.
Senator Hanger
is now a member of the Agriculture,
Conservation and Natural Resources,
Finance, Local Government and Rules
Committees as well as the Rehabilitation
and Social Services Committees where
he serves as Chair.
Senator Hanger
has been a tireless supporter of sound
fiscal management, businesses that
create Virginia jobs and ensuring
that Virginia’s children receive
a strong education. |
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Republican
Party
Emmett joined the
Augusta County Republican Committee
27 years ago and has been involved
in building the party ever since.
He and his wife Sharon have built
precinct organization and served in
numerous capacities. Emmett has served
several terms as unit chair and as
Sixth District Vice-Chair. He was
a member of the organizing committee
that held the first Republican Advance. |
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Community Service
When asked how he first
became involved in politics, Emmett always
responds that it was a natural outgrowth
of community service. After graduating from
college and starting a family, Emmett joined
the Ruritans and has maintained perfect
attendance in this organization ever since.
Emmett has served in
Ruritan in various levels of leadership
at the club, zone and district level. Ruritan
is a rural and town based community service
organization that is extremely active throughout
Virginia. Former Governor Mills Godwin was
at one time a national President in Ruritan.
Emmett has engaged in various other community
service pursuits over the years, from Scouting
to PTA and Weekday Religious Education,
to organizing a new fair in his county. |
God and Family
Emmett is a Christian
and a member of the Emmanuel Church of the
Brethren. He has been active in his church
as a trustee, superintendent, moderator
and teacher for many years. Emmett places
his faith in God above all else. He understands
that everything we have in life comes from
God and he bases his leadership decisions
on principles that are in keeping with his
moral code of ethics. |
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As a father of five and husband to
Sharon, to whom he has been married
for 37 years; Emmett Hanger has always
been a leader for strong, traditional
family values in Virginia.
Emmett lives in Augusta County. |
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Sign up for this month's meeting here!
IT IS CRITICAL THAT YOU LET US KNOW YOU ARE COMING IN ADVANCE BECAUSE OF SPACE LIMITATIONS
Speaker:
Emmett Hanger, Virginia State Senator
Subject:
Small Business and Your State Government
Date and Time:
7:00 AM, Wednesday, May 12th, 2010
Meeting will conclude at 8:00 AM
Place:
Village Inn, Route 11 South, Harrisonburg, VA
There may be a change in location if the numbers warrant, we will
Send out Twitter Updates as well as emails if the location changes AND
It will be posted on the web site.
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