CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Governor Jim Justice has ordered that all flags in West Virginia state-owned facilities be flown at half-staff on Tuesday, Nov. 9, to honor former West Virginia Speaker of the House Bob Kiss.
Justice announced Speaker Kiss’ death in a statement on Friday.
Cathy and I send our deepest condolences to Speaker Kiss’s family and friends during this difficult time and ask all West Virginians to join us in prayer for them.
Speaker Kiss embodied the West Virginia spirit of devotion to serving others. He was one of the longest serving Speakers of the House in our state’s history, and after that served as Gov. Tomblin’s Secretary of Revenue. During his time in government, he was an integral part of establishing West Virginia’s Rainy Day Fund, and also helped establish the School Building Authority and Water Development Council, both of which are now vitally important to government operations.
Speaker Kiss ensured first and foremost that West Virginia’s finances were on solid ground, and worked tirelessly to make sure West Virginia was in a better position than when he started. His legacy will not soon be forgotten.
I personally knew Speaker Kiss as Bob and considered him a friend. He will be deeply missed by many.
West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice, statement on Nov. 5
Speaker Kiss was a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates for 18 years, serving as House Finance Chairman from 1993 to 1996 and Speaker of the House of Delegates from 1997 to 2006. He also served as Cabinet Secretary of the West Virginia Department of Revenue as part of Governor Earl Ray Tomblin’s administration from 2013 to 2016.
In his Monday proclamation, Gov. Justice called the late Speaker Kiss “a committed and respected public servant, and a devoted son, husband, father, uncle, friend, and neighbor.”
