Bill Weld

William Floyd Weld (born July 31, 1945) is an American attorney, businessman and Republican politician.

Bill Weld
Weld in 2016
68th Governor of Massachusetts
In office January 3, 1991 – July 29, 1997
Lieutenant	Paul Cellucci
Preceded by	Michael Dukakis
Succeeded by	Paul Cellucci
United States Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division
In office 1986–1988
President	Ronald Reagan
Preceded by	Stephen Trott
Succeeded by	Edward Dennis
United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts
In office 1981–1986
President	Ronald Reagan
Preceded by	Edward Harrington
Succeeded by	Robert Mueller (Acting)
Personal details
Born	William Floyd Weld (1945-07-31) July 31, 1945 (age 80) Smithtown, New York, U.S.
Political party	Republican (before 2016, 2019–present)
Other political affiliations	Libertarian (2016–2019)
Spouse(s)	Susan Roosevelt ​ ​ (m. 1975; div. 2002)​ Leslie Marshall ​ (m. 2003)​
Children	5
Relatives	Weld family
Education	Harvard University (BA, JD) University College, Oxford
Signature

He was the 68th Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts from 1991 to 1997. Bill Clinton named him to be Ambassador to Mexico in 1998, but he was not approved by the Senate. He was the Libertarian vice presidential nominee in the 2016 election.

In April 2019, Weld announced his candidacy for President of the United States in a primary challenge against President Donald Trump in the 2020 election.

Failed ambassadorship nomination

He resigned as governor in 1997 to focus on his nomination by President Bill Clinton for United States Ambassador to Mexico, but because of opposition by the social conservatives such as Senator Jesse Helms, he was denied a hearing and withdrew his nomination.

2016 vice presidential campaign

In May 2016, former New Mexico Governor and Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson named Weld as his running mate and he became the vice presidential nominee for the 2016 election.^[1] They were later both formally nominated at the Libertarian National Convention.

2020 presidential campaign

Main article: Bill Weld 2020 presidential campaign

In January 2019, Weld expressed interest in running for President of the United States as a Republican, challenging President Donald Trump in the primaries, in the 2020 election.^[2][3] In February 2019, Weld rejoined the Republican Party.^[4] He launched an exploratory committee for a possible 2020 bid.^[5]

On April 15, 2019 Weld officially announced he would be running for President, challenging incumbent Donald Trump.^[6]