Charles Stenholm
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Charles W. Stenholm
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| In office 1979–2005 |
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| Preceded by | Omar Burleson |
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| Succeeded by | Chet Edwards |
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| Born | October 26, 1938 Stamford, Texas |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Cynthia Ann Watson |
| Profession | Cotton farmer, Lobbyist |
| Religion | Lutheran |
Charles Walter "Charlie" Stenholm, (born October 26, 1938) is a politician from the state of Texas. He was a member of the United States House of Representatives for 13 terms, from 1979 to 2005.
Stenholm was born in Stamford, Texas and he graduated from Texas Tech University — with a B.S. (1961) and an M.S. (1962) in Agriculture Education (1961). He was a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity. He has operated a cotton farm in Jones County, near Abilene, for many years, and also worked as a vocational teacher.
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[edit] Congressional career
Stenholm was elected to the House as a Democrat in 1978, representing the Abilene-based 17th District. He became one of the most conservative Democrats in the House, belonged to the Blue Dog Coalition and was a leader of the Boll Weevils during the 1980s. Stenholm opposed abortion and gun control. In 1990 he was one of the only three House Democrats to vote against the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.[1] However, his main interests were in agriculture and budget matters. For six years, he was ranking Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee. He worked very closely with the committee's chairman, Republican Larry Combest of the neighboring 19th District (and himself a farmer), to shepherd the 2002 Farm Bill through Congress. He was a longtime supporter of a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution.
Stenholm frequently clashed with President Bill Clinton, and voted for three of the four articles of impeachment against him. However, he was a severe critic of the Bush Administration's fiscal policy, and voted against making Bush's tax cut permanent.
Stenholm, as the ranking Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee, joined the Republicans to kill a bill that would have prevented sick cattle that are unable to walk from entering the US food supply.[2]
[edit] Reelection defeat
Despite his moderate-to-conservative voting record, Stenholm faced several tough reelection campaigns in the late 1990s. His district, which stretched from San Angelo to the western fringes of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, had become increasingly friendly to Republicans at all levels. By the end of the 20th century, Stenholm was the only elected Democrat above the county level in much of the district. It was considered very likely that he would be succeeded by a Republican once he retired.
However, he was a major target of the Tom DeLay-engineered redrawing of Texas' congressional districts in 2003. Stenholm's district was dismantled and split among four districts. Most of his former territory, including his home in Abilene, was thrown into the heavily Republican Lubbock-based 19th District, represented by Combest's successor, Randy Neugebauer. The next-biggest chunk of his old territory, including his cotton farm and the Jones County side of Abilene, was thrown into the equally Republican Amarillo-based 13th District, represented by Mac Thornberry.
Stenholm opted to run in the 19th. Despite his 13 terms of seniority, he was unable to overcome the fact that 60 percent of the new 19th was Neugebauer's former territory. He lost by 10 percentage points in the November 2004 election.
[edit] Post-Congressional career
After his November 2004 defeat, Stenholm was mentioned by some major news organizations as a possible candidate for Secretary of Agriculture in President Bush's second term Cabinet, despite Bush's support of the redistricting plan. In the end, Bush nominated Nebraska Governor Mike Johanns, a fellow Republican, for the post.
After leaving Congress, Stenholm became a lobbyist, representing various agricultural interests, including the horse meat industry. In 2006, he was the most visible lobbyist for three foreign-owned horse-slaughter plants in the U.S. that are fighting legislation that would force them to close.[3] Meat from these horses is used as food in some European Union countries, Japan and Mexico, for zoo food, and for medical purposes.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Charles Stenholm at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Charlie Stenholm, on NNDB.
- Congressman Charlie Stenholm bio, from the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission. Accessed January 27, 2006
- "National Farmers Union presents leadership award", Southwest Farm Press, September 27, 2004. Accessed January 27, 2006
| United States House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by Omar Burleson |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 17th congressional district 1979–2005 |
Succeeded by Chet Edwards |
