Jack Kingston
| Jack Kingston | |
|---|---|
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia's 1st district |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 3, 1993 |
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| Preceded by | Robert Lindsay Thomas |
| Member of the Georgia House of Representatives from the 153rd district |
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| In office 1985–1993 |
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| Preceded by | Bobby Phillips |
| Succeeded by | David Graves |
| Personal details | |
| Born | John Heddens Kingston April 24, 1955 Bryan, Texas |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Libby Morris |
| Residence | Savannah, Georgia |
| Alma mater | University of Georgia |
| Occupation | insurance agent, agribusiness |
| Religion | Episcopalian |
John Heddens "Jack" Kingston (born April 24, 1955) is the U.S. Representative for Georgia's 1st congressional district in Southeast Georgia, serving since 1993. He is a member of the Republican Party. He has announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate seat currently occupied by retiring Senator Saxby Chambliss.
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Early life, education, and business career [edit]
Kingston was born April 24, 1955 in Bryan, Texas, the son of Martha Ann (née Heddens) and Albert James Kingston, Jr., a widely-published University professor who co-founded the National Reading Conference.[1] He spent most of his life in Athens, Georgia. He earned a degree from the University of Georgia, where he also joined Lambda Chi Alpha and the Demosthenian Literary Society. He has lived in Savannah since 1977 and spent over a decade selling insurance and working in agribusiness throughout southeastern Georgia before entering politics in 1982. He was Vice President of Palmer, Cay and Carswell from 1979-1992.[2]
Georgia House of Representatives (1985-1993) [edit]
Elections [edit]
In 1984, he defeated Democrat Bobby Phillips 62%-38%.[3] He won re-election in 1986, 1988, and 1990 all unopposed.
Committee assignments [edit]
- House Committee on Ways and Means[4]
U.S. House of Representatives (1993-Present) [edit]
Elections [edit]
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, and has never received less than 66 percent of the vote. Even when all of Savannah was briefly placed back into the district from 1996 to 2002 (most of it was cut back out in the 2000s round of redistricting), Kingston was reelected handily, even running unopposed in 1998. He was also reelected unopposed in 2004.
Tenure [edit]
From 2003 through the end of 2006, Kingston served as vice-chairman of the House Republican Conference, the sixth-ranking post among House Republicans. An early attempt to become chair of the influential House Appropriations Committee in the 112th Congress (2011–2013) was rebuffed by Republican leadership.[5]
Kingston is a fiscal and social conservative, opposing abortion and supporting tax cuts.
- Healthcare
Jack Kingston is a supporter of Medicare prescription drug coverage, human genome research, and bio-terrorism training for health workers. Although he supports a patient's right to appeal denied health claims, he opposes allowing a patient to sue their health care provider over denied claims.[6] In 2009 he voted against the Affordable Health Care for America Act, asserting the bill would raise premiums, taxes, and cut Medicare.[7]
- Education
In 2003 Kingston co-introduced H.R. 2039 (A PLUS Act). According to Kingston's web site, his bill would have "give[n] power back to states allowing them to implement initiatives that each state individually develops to best meet the unique needs of their particular students."[8] In June 2007 his bill was referred by a Democratic congress to the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education. After nearly two years of being stalled in committee, the bill was purged from the House at the end of the 110th Congress.[9]
- Energy
Kingston supports various environmental reforms including the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and Emission Control. He also supports research of alternative energy, especially Ethanol and Nuclear energy. Although he believes in controlling global warming, he criticizes Democrats for inefficient handling of the situation. For example, in 2009 Kingston voted against HR 2454 (Cap and Trade Law Amendments), claiming the bill would cost the average household $1,500.[10][11] In 2008 Kingston received a rating of 94 percent from the interest group Alliance to Stop the War on the Poor – Affordable Energy.[12]
- Washington work week
About the Democratic House leadership extending the House Washington work week from 3 days to 5: “Keeping us up here eats away at families,” said Rep. Jack Kingston (R-Ga.), who typically flies home on Thursdays and returns to Washington on Tuesdays. “Marriages suffer. The Democrats could [sic] care less about families – that’s what this says.”[13]
Committee assignments [edit]
Kingston's committee assignments in the 113th Congress (2011–2013) are:
Caucus memberships [edit]
- Balanced Budget Amendment Caucus
- Congressional Caucus on Unfunded Mandates
- International Conservation Caucus
- Liberty Caucus
2014 U.S. Senate election [edit]
In May 2013, Kingston officially announced he would run for the open senate seat vacated by Republican U.S. Senator Saxby Chambliss.[14]
Electoral history [edit]
| Year | Democrat | Votes | Pct | Republican | Votes | Pct | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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% | |||
| 2010 | Oscar L. Harris, II | 46,449 | 28.4% | Jack Kingston | 117,270 | 71.6% |
Personal life [edit]
Kingston is a frequent guest on shows such as HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher, Comedy Central'sThe Colbert Report, and TV news shows. He appeared as an extra in The Last Song, a movie filmed in Savannah and Tybee Island.[17] He has expressed skepticism against anthropogenic global warming and believes creationism to be valid science.[18]
Kingston is married to Libby Morris, together they have 4 children, all adults, and 2 cats.
References [edit]
- ^ "kingston". Freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com. Retrieved 2012-08-28.
- ^ Project Vote Smart – Representative Jack Kingston – Biography
- ^ "GA State House 125 Race - Nov 06, 1984". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 2012-08-28.
- ^ http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=BbkmAAAAIBAJ&sjid=6EQDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6696,2597912&dq=jack+kingston&hl=en
- ^ "Tea party favorite may not get chair - Simmi Aujla". Politico.Com. Retrieved 2012-08-28.
- ^ "Project Vote Smart – Representative Jack Kingston – Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)". Votesmart.org. Retrieved 2010-08-22.
- ^ "Project Vote Smart – Representative Jack Kingston – Affordable Health Care For America Act". Votesmart.org. Retrieved 2010-08-22.
- ^ "Page | Congressman Jack Kingston – First District of Georgia". Kingston.house.gov. Retrieved 2010-08-22.
- ^ "H.R. 1539 [110th]: A PLUS Act". GovTrack.us. Retrieved 2010-08-22.
- ^ "Project Vote Smart – Representative Jack Kingston – Voting Record". Votesmart.org. 2010-07-30. Retrieved 2010-08-22.
- ^ "Project Vote Smart – Representative Jack Kingston – Global Warming Just Isn't Panning Out the Way the Left Thought It Would Be". Votesmart.org. 2009-05-19. Retrieved 2010-08-22.
- ^ "Project Vote Smart – Representative Jack Kingston – Interest Group Ratings". Votesmart.org. Retrieved 2010-08-22.
- ^ View all comments that have been posted about this article. (2006-12-06). "Culture Shock on Capitol Hill: House to Work 5 Days a Week". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2010-08-22.
- ^ http://atr.rollcall.com/jack-kingston-will-make-announcement-on-thursday/
- ^ "Election Statistics". Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives. Retrieved 2008-01-10.
- ^ "Georgia Election Results – Official Results of the Tuesday, November 04, 2008 General Election". Secretary of State of Georgia. 2009-02-18. Retrieved 2009-02-26.
- ^ Landers, Mary. "Wayward wildlife crashes Miley set". savannahnow.com. Retrieved 2010-08-22.
- ^ "Congressman Jack Kingston (R) Of Georgia". savannahnow.com. Retrieved 2011-01-30.
External links [edit]
- U.S. Representative Jack Kingston official U.S. House site
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Congressional profile at GovTrack
- Congressional profile at OpenCongress
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Financial information (federal office) at OpenSecrets.org
- Staff salaries, trips and personal finance (federal office) at LegiStorm.com
- Issue positions and quotes at On the Issues
- Voting record at The Washington Post
- Appearances on C-SPAN programs
- Profile at SourceWatch
- 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 |
| United States order of precedence | ||
| Preceded by Peter King R-New York |
United States Representatives by seniority 62nd |
Succeeded by Carolyn Maloney D-New York |
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