Jack Kingston
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Jack Kingston
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 3, 1993 |
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| Preceded by | Robert Lindsay Thomas |
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| Born | April 24, 1955 Bryan, Texas |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Libby Morris |
| Residence | Savannah, Georgia |
| Alma mater | University of Georgia |
| Occupation | insurance agent, agribusiness |
| Religion | Episcopalian |
John Heddens Kingston (born April 24, 1955), Republican politician, has been a member of the United States House of Representatives since 1993, representing Georgia's 1st congressional district (map).
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[edit] Early life and background
Kingston was born April 24, 1955 in Bryan, Texas, but spent most of his life in Athens, Georgia. He earned a degree in economics from the University of Georgia, where he also joined Lambda Chi Alpha. He has lived in Savannah since 1977 and spent over a decade selling insurance and working in agribusiness throughout southeastern Georgia before entering politics. [1]
[edit] State House
He was elected to the Georgia General Assembly in 1984. He succeeded to Democratic incumbent Bobby Phillips and became the State Representative from the 153rd district. He was re-elected in 1986, 1988 and 1990. [2]
[edit] United States Representative
In 1992, Kingston gave up his seat in the state house to pursue a congressional run in Georgia's 1st congressional district after five-term Democratic incumbent Lindsay Thomas announced his retirement. The district had turned increasingly Republican at the national level, but was still willing to elect conservative Democrats at the state and local level (in fact, Democrats represented much of this area well into the 1990s). He easily won the election with 58 percent of the vote, becoming the first Republican to represent this district since Reconstruction. Kingston was likely helped by the 1990s round of redistricting, which significantly altered the district. The 1st had been based in Savannah for over a century, but redistricting shifted most of Savannah's black residents to the newly created 12th District. Kingston has not been seriously challenged since; he ran unopposed in 1998 and 2004, and has never received less than 66 percent of the vote.
[edit] Positions
Kingston is a fiscal and social conservative, opposing abortion and supporting tax cuts.
[edit] Status in Congress
From 2003 through the end of 2006, Kingston served as vice-chairman of the House Republican Conference, the sixth-ranking post among House Republicans.
[edit] Committee assignments
Kingston's committee assignments in the 111th Congress (2009-2010) include:
[edit] Interviews and public life
Kingston is frequent guest on shows such as "The Colbert Report," and HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher," and TV news shows.
[edit] Electoral history
| Year | Democrat | Votes | Pct | Republican | Votes | Pct | |||
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| 1992 | Barbara Christmas | 75,808 | 42% | Jack Kingston | 103,932 | 58% | |||
| 1994 | Raymond Beckworth | 27,197 | 23% | Jack Kingston | 88,788 | 77% | |||
| 1996 | Rosemary D. Kaszans | 50,622 | 32% | Jack Kingston | 108,616 | 68% | |||
| 1998 | (no candidate) | Jack Kingston | 92,229 | 100% | |||||
| 2000 | Joyce Marie Griggs | 58,776 | 31% | Jack Kingston | 131,684 | 69% | |||
| 2002 | Don Smart | 40,026 | 28% | Jack Kingston | 103,661 | 72% | |||
| 2004 | (no candidate) | Jack Kingston | 188,347 | 100% | |||||
| 2006 | Jim Nelson | 43,668 | 31% | Jack Kingston | 94,961 | 69% | |||
| 2008 | Bill Gillespie | 83,444 | 33.5% | Jack Kingston | 165,890 | 66.5% |
[edit] References
- ^ Project Vote Smart - Representative Jack Kingston - Biography
- ^ Charles S. Bullock, III, The Georgia Political Almanac, The General Assembly 1993-94
- ^ "Election Statistics". Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives. http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/index.html. Retrieved on 2008-01-10.
- ^ "Georgia Election Results - Official Results of the Tuesday, November 04, 2008 General Election". Secretary of State of Georgia. 2009-02-18. http://sos.georgia.gov/elections/election_results/2008_1104/swfed.htm. Retrieved on 2009-02-26.
[edit] External links
- U.S. Representative Jack Kingston official House site
- Jack Kingston at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- On the Issues — Jack Kingston issue positions and quotes
- OpenSecrets.org — Jack Kingston campaign contributions
- Project Vote Smart — Representative Jack Kingston (GA) profile
- SourceWatch Congresspedia — Jack Kingston profile
- Washington Post — Congress Votes Database: Jack Kingston voting record
- Kingston introduction of Fuel Choices for American Security Act of 2005
| Georgia House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Bobby Phillips (D) |
Georgia State Representative from 153rd district January 1985 – January 1993 |
Succeeded by Eric Johnson (R) |
| United States House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by Robert Lindsay Thomas |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia's 1st congressional district January 3, 1993 – present |
Incumbent |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by Deborah Pryce Ohio |
Vice-Chairman of House Republican Conference 2003–2007 |
Succeeded by Kay Granger Texas |
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