Governor of Okalahoma visits the Assembly

Rhodri Morgan and Andrew Davies met Brad Henry, the Governor of the US state of Oklahoma yesterday at an event in the Senedd in Cardiff Bay

The event was organised by Swansea University’s American Studies department who are one of the leading centres for American Studies in the UK and offer a wide range of courses in American literature, history and politics. They also have a thriving exchange programme with American Universities.

First Minister Rhodri Morgan said:

It was a great privilege to have the Governor of Oklahoma come to Wales and visit the assembly yesterday

That’s not just because he is the Governor of a state that is just a little bit bigger than Wales with 3.6million population compared to our 3million people, but it is also because he is secretary of the club of the 50 state Governors, a position which Bill Clinton held as governor or Arkansas before becoming president of the USA in 1992.

Finance Minister Andrew Davies added:

The event provided an opportunity to discuss the development of closer ties between Oklahoma and Wales, such as in the areas of early years education, higher education and strategic planning.

The idea for this visit came from Don Davies, the Governor’s former chief of staff and former President of Cameron University in Oklahoma who now teaches on Swansea University’s School of American studies.

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