| Jeff Kessler | |
| Office: | President of the West Virginia Senate |
| Governor: | Earl Ray Tomblin |
| Term Start: | November 14, 2011 |
| Term End: | January 14, 2015 Acting: November 15, 2010 - November 14, 2011 |
| Predecessor: | Earl Ray Tomblin |
| Successor: | Bill Cole |
| Office2: | Minority Leader of the West Virginia Senate |
| Term Start2: | January 14, 2015 |
| Term End2: | January 11, 2017 |
| Predecessor2: | Mike Hall |
| Successor2: | Roman Prezioso |
| State Senate3: | West Virginia |
| District3: | 2nd |
| Term Start3: | November 10, 1997 |
| Term End3: | January 11, 2017 |
| Predecessor3: | Larry Wiedebusch |
| Successor3: | Mike Maroney |
| Birth Name: | Jeffrey Vincent Kessler |
| Birth Date: | 16 November 1955 |
| Birth Place: | Wheeling, West Virginia, U.S. |
| Party: | Democratic |
| Spouse: | Gretchen Kessler |
| Alma Mater: | West Liberty University West Virginia University College of Law |
Jeffrey Vincent Kessler (born November 16, 1955) is an American politician and former Democratic member of the West Virginia Senate in the United States, representing the 2nd district from 1997 to 2017. He is the former President of the Senate/Lieutenant Governor, Minority Leader of the Senate, Acting President of the Senate and Chairman of the Judiciary Committee. Kessler is also involved in private practice, where he is a partner in the law firm Berry, Kessler, Crutchfield, Taylor & Gordon.
Kessler was born November 16, 1955, in Wheeling, West Virginia. He is the son of George Henry Kessler (1924–2009) and Rosemary Krupica Kessler (1930–1978). He is a 1974 graduate of Bishop Donahue High School in McMechen, West Virginia. He also attended West Liberty State College (now West Liberty University) near Wheeling, West Virginia, and the West Virginia University College of Law in Morgantown, West Virginia.
Kessler unsuccessfully ran for the Democratic nomination in the 2011 gubernatorial election, losing to Earl Ray Tomblin, and in the 2016 gubernatorial election, losing to Jim Justice.[1]
Jeff Kessler was born in 1955, he is of Russian descent on his mother's side. His father served in the US Navy during World War II and the Korean War, then later worked as a cookie salesman for Nabisco, he would bring home free samples and damaged cookies which Kessler enjoyed as a child. His mother stayed at home and took care of Jeff and his three siblings. Jeff's younger brother, Chris, was diagnosed with aplastic anemia when he was a toddler, he went into remission and survived. In 1994, Chris was elected Marshall County Assessor. Kessler's mother later died of breast cancer at the age of 47.[2]
In 2014, Kessler spearheaded the SCORE Initiative, which stands for Southern Coalfields Organizing and Revitalizing the Economy. The initiative aims to provide economic opportunities in areas which have suffered from job losses and economic hardships primarily due to losses in the coal industry. According to Kessler, the program acts as a counterpunch to the effects of the "war on coal" and aims to "change our way of thinking so that [Southern West Virginia] can once again become a region that offers our children and grandchildren opportunities for a better future."[3]
Kessler has previously voted in favor of a bill that eliminated the requirement for a permit and training before a person can carry a concealed weapon. He refers to himself as a "second amendment advocate."[4]
In 2015, Kessler proposed raising the state cigarette tax by $1 per pack, stating that a $1 increase in the cigarette tax would bring in an estimated $130 million.[5] Citing West Virginia's relatively high smoking rate, he has proposed setting aside $20 million of the new revenue for substance abuse programs; this move comes as part of a larger effort [6] He also hopes to set aside $10 million of the money for collegiate scholarships.[7] The idea began to receive increased support in late 2015, with some newspaper boards citing the higher rates of neighboring states and comparing West Virginia's "arbitrarily low" rates to government subsidies for smokers.[8]