Roger Williams (U.S. politician)
| John Roger Williams | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 25th district |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2013 |
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| Preceded by | Lloyd Doggett |
| 105th Secretary of State of Texas | |
| In office November 2004 – July 1, 2007 |
|
| Governor | Rick Perry |
| Preceded by | Geoff Connor |
| Succeeded by | Phil Wilson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 13, 1949 [1] Evanston, Illinois, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Patty Williams |
| Children | Two daughters |
| Residence | Weatherford, Parker County, Texas |
| Alma mater | Texas Christian University |
| Profession | Businessman |
| Religion | Disciples of Christ |
| Website | Representative Roger Williams |
John Roger Williams (born 1949) is an American politician who has been the U.S. Representative for Texas's 25th congressional district since 2013. Previously, he served under Governor Rick Perry as Secretary of State of Texas from November 2004 to July 1, 2007. On November 6, 2012, Williams, a Republican, won the seat for Texas's 25th congressional district against the Democrat Elaine Henderson. He handily won the House nomination in the July 31 runoff election.[2][3]
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Early life, education, and business career [edit]
Williams was reared in Fort Worth. He was a star baseball player for Texas Christian University (TCU) from 1968 to 1971 and attempted to play professionally with the Atlanta Braves farm team. He returned to Texas to coach TCU's baseball team before he embarked on a career in business and public affairs. Williams joined his father in a family automobile dealership founded in 1939.
Early political activism (1994-2004) [edit]
He served as Regional Finance Chairman for Governor George W. Bush in his 1994 and 1998 elections. He became North Texas Chairman for the Bush/Cheney 2000 campaign, North Texas Finance Chairman in 2004, and National Grassroots Fundraising Chairman for the 2004 campaign. Williams was appointed by President George W. Bush in 2001 to be Chairman of the Republican National Finance Committee’s Eagles Program.
He has also served as State Finance Chair for John Cornyn's U.S. Senate campaign and as the National Director of the "Patriots" program for Cornyn.[4]
Perry administration (2002-2007) [edit]
Williams was appointed by Governor Perry to the Texas Motor Vehicle Board. He was nominated by Lieutenant Governor Bill Ratliff to the Special Committee on State Employee Compensation and Benefits.
Perry appointed Williams to be his fourth Secretary of State of Texas. As secretary of state, Williams was the Chief Elections Officer for Texas, assisted county election officials and ensured the uniform application and interpretation of election laws through the state. He oversaw the state’s efforts to comply with the federal Help America Vote Act.[citation needed]
Williams worked to promote economic development, investment, and job creation in Texas.[citation needed] He was also Perry's chief liaison to Mexico and the Border Region of Texas. In this capacity, he worked with Mexican federal, state, and local officials on common issues.[citation needed]
As the overseer and director of Texas elections, Williams's office was in the spotlight during the 2006 Texas governor's race. Independent candidate Richard Friedman (commonly known as "Kinky") successfully lobbied to have the name "Kinky" placed on the election ballot. Another Independent candidate, Carole K. Strayhorn, sought to have the name "Grandma" placed on the ballot next to her name. (Strayhorn's campaign slogan was "one tough grandma".) Strayhorn's request was denied. Friedman and Strayhorn finished third and fourth, respectively, in the election, behind Democrat Chris Bell and the winner, incumbent Republican Perry.
Williams announced on June 11, 2007, that he would leave the appointed position to "pursue other opportunities".
State Victory chairman (2007-2008) [edit]
On July 16, 2007, Williams was named chairman of the Texas Republican Victory 2008 Coordinated Campaign, which assists candidates up and down the general election ballot.[5] Republicans again won all statewide office in 2008 and gained a seat in the United States House of Representatives but lost four seats in the Texas House of Representatives and county offices in populous Harris County.
Late in 2008, Williams formed an exploratory committee to consider a run for the United States Senate seat held by fellow Republican Kay Bailey Hutchison of Dallas, who had formed her own committee to consider a 2010 race for governor of Texas. Williams considered a run for Senate in 2012 but decided to run for Congress instead.[6]
U.S. House of Representatives [edit]
2012 election [edit]
In June 2011, Williams announced that he was dropping his Senate bid and would instead run for Texas' 25th congressional district[6][7] A television ad of Williams', called "The Donkey Whisperer" has gone viral after being uploaded to YouTube and has almost two million views.[8] It was also named as one of Comedy Central's 5 Funniest Congressional Ads of 2012.[9] Williams ranked first with 25% of the vote, failing to meet the threshold and qualifying for the run-off election. Wes Riddle ranked second with 15% of the vote, qualifying for the run-off election.[10] In the July 31 election, Williams defeated Riddle 58%-42%.[11] In the November general election, Williams defeated Democratic nominee Elaine Henderson 58%-37%.[12]
Committee assignments [edit]
Personal life [edit]
Williams and his wife, Patty, live in Weatherford, the seat of Parker County west of Fort Worth, and have two daughters who attended TCU. He owns an automobile dealership in Weatherford. He attends the University Christian Church in Fort Worth.
Williams is a trustee of TCU and the George Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University in College Station.
References [edit]
- ^ [1]
- ^ http://www.sacbee.com/2012/07/31/4679499/ex-texas-secretary-of-state-nominated.html
- ^ http://www.kdhnews.com/news/story.aspx?s=65013
- ^ http://www.rogerforcongress.com/meet-roger
- ^ http://www.star-telegram.com/state_news/story/171326.html
- ^ a b Wayne Slater (28 June 2011). "Roger Williams switches from Senate to House race". Trailblazers Blog. Dallas Morning News. Retrieved 18 July 2011.
- ^ http://www.rogerforcongress.com
- ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?&v=F6etfJgZQ7A
- ^ http://www.indecisionforever.com/blog/2012/10/26/5-funniest-congressional-ads-of-2012-video?xrs=synd_facebook
- ^ http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=739104
- ^ http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=767639
- ^ http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=759994
External links [edit]
- Official U.S. House Website
- Official Campaign Website
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Profile at Ballotpedia
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Issue positions and quotes at On the Issues
- Voting record at The Washington Post
- Career statistics and player information from The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Geoff Connor |
Secretary of State of Texas John Roger Williams 2004–2007 |
Succeeded by Samuel Philip "Phil" Wilson |
| United States House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by Lloyd Doggett |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 25th congressional district January 3, 2013 – present |
Incumbent |
| United States order of precedence | ||
| Preceded by Brad Wenstrup R-Ohio |
United States Representatives by seniority 431st |
Succeeded by Ted Yoho R-Florida |
- 1949 births
- Living people
- Members of the United States House of Representatives from Texas
- People from the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex
- People from Fort Worth, Texas
- People from Weatherford, Texas
- Secretaries of State of Texas
- Texas Christian University alumni
- Texas Republicans
- TCU Horned Frogs baseball players
