By Matt Bittle

DOVER — Dale Wolf, who served as governor of Delaware for three weeks between Mike Castle and Tom Carper in the early 1990s, died recently. He was 96.

A Republican, Mr. Wolf was elected lieutenant governor with 53.5% of the vote in 1988. He served under Gov. Castle for four years before the fellow Republican vacated the office on the last day of 1992 to take his seat in Congress.

Because Gov.-elect Carper would not be sworn in until “the third Tuesday in January,” per the state constitution, Mr. Wolf took over until Jan. 19. He is the most recent Republican governor of Delaware.

A native of Nebraska, he earned a Purple Heart and Bronze Star during World War II’s Battle of Okinawa, according to the National Governors Association. After the war, he worked for DuPont. He later joined Gov. Castle’s Cabinet as economic-development director, according to the book, “Only in Delaware,” a chronicle of the First State’s politics by longtime Delaware political journalist Celia Cohen.

Mr. Wolf did not run for reelection in 1992, and with then-U.S. Rep. Carper, a formidable candidate, campaigning for governor that year, Mr. Wolf opted not to seek the top office.

Still, he got a chance to make his mark on Delaware history. During his four years as lieutenant governor and three weeks as governor, he made literacy and drug and alcohol awareness key areas of focus, according to a 1992 story in the Delaware State News.

“I want to be constructive and make sure we do things in a positive way,” he said.

He was the first Delawarean to bridge a gap in administrations as an official but unelected governor since David Buckson served for less than three weeks between Cale Boggs and Elbert Carvel in the early 1960s.

In a statement Tuesday, Sen. Carper praised Mr. Wolf: “It was an honor and a joy to know and work with Dale. Dale and my wife Martha worked together at DuPont for years, and we had so much respect and affection for him and his family.

“During his time serving as Delaware’s lieutenant governor and the short time as governor, he was especially focused on creating a more nurturing environment for job creation and job preservation in Delaware, and had a keen understanding of the agriculture industry, which continues to be such an important part of our state’s economy today. After serving our state, he retired with no enemies — something most of us can only aspire to. I hope the rest of us can live as long, and continue to give of ourselves right up until the end, like Dale did.”

Sen. Chris Coons also had kudos for the former governor, describing Mr. Wolf as “a dedicated public servant and member of our Greatest Generation,” known for his “leadership, advocacy and commitment to charitable organizations in the First State.”

Mr. Wolf continued to live in the Wilmington area and was active in his community and with several companies after his tenure in state government, according to the National Governors Association.