Wolf, Dale E.

Former Delaware Governor Dale E. Wolf was born in 1924, in Kearney, Nebraska.

Dale E. Wolf is an alumnus of the University of Nebraska from which he received a B.S. in agricultural science. He received field artillery officer training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and was commissioned a lieutenant in the U.S. Army Infantry Division. For bravery under fire as an artillery forward observer at the Battle of Okinawa on May 12, 1945, Wolf received the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart.

After the war, Wolf obtained a Ph.D. in 1950 from Rutgers University, the first doctorate awarded in the field of weed science. In 1951, Wolf co-authored, with Dr. Gilbert Ahlgren and Dr. Glenn Klingman, Principles of Weed Control .

Wolf joined the E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company in 1950, advancing from research biologist to group vice president of Agricultural Products in the course of his career. His work at Du Pont took him around the world, with extensive travel in Japan, China, Africa, and Russia. Wolf’s professional activities included leadership roles in the National Agriculture Chemical Association, the International Agriculture Chemical Association, and the Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Association.

He resigned from Du Pont in 1987 to accept Governor Michael N. Castle’s appointment as Director of Delaware Development, where he was responsible for the state’s capital budget, housing for the poor, tourism, and economic development.

Wolf was elected as the 23rd lieutenant governor of the state of Delaware in 1988, serving a four-year term with Governor Castle. As Lt. Governor, Wolf oversaw the Senate and the Pardons Board, and chaired both the Drug and Alcohol Abuse Coordinating Council and the Adult Literacy Council. In 1989 President George Bush appointed him to the U. S. Intergovernmental Policy Advisory Committee.

When then-Governor Castle was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and resigned from the governorship on December 31, 1992, Wolf was sworn in and served as Governor of Delaware until January 19, 1993. He did not seek election to a full term as governor.

In addition to professional involvements, Dale Wolf served as chairman of Daynel International in China, a consulting group assisting companies wishing to do business in China. In 1995 Wolf set up the Guangzhou office in China for the law firm of Mezzullo-McCandlish, serving as the Senior International Consultant.

Dale Wolf has served on advisory committees of the Agriculture and Hotel Management schools at the University of Delaware, as well as on the boards of Girls, Inc., the Red Cross, and Christiana Care Medical Center. He has also served as chairman of Stand Up for What’s Right and Just, an organization dedicated to improving the criminal justice system in Delaware.

Dale E. Wolf served as lieutenant governor of Delaware (1989-1992) and briefly as governor (December 31, 1992-January 19, 1993). The Dale E. and Clarice Wolf papers and memorabilia document Wolf’s military service in World War II, his early agricultural research and DuPont Company career, his political career and public service, as well as the community service of his wife, Clarice Wolf.

Clarice Elaine Marshall married Dale E. Wolf on December 31, 1945, in Windom, Minnesota. Mrs. Wolf was a graduate of Windom High School and attended the University of Nebraska. Immediately following college, Clarice Wolf taught third grade at the Mapleton Public School in Mapleton, Iowa.

"University of Delaware Library acquires Dale E. and Clarice Wolf papers, memorabilia," UDaily, July 19, 2011 http://www.udel.edu/udaily/2012/jul/library-wolf-papers-071911.html (accessed June 20, 2012). Biographical information derived from the collection.

From the guide to the Dale E. and Clarice Wolf papers and memorabilia, 1925-2011, 1980-1993, (University of Delaware Library - Special Collections)