Sam Graves

This article is about the U.S. Representative from Missouri. For the British admiral during the American Revolution, see Samuel Graves.

Sam Graves
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Missouri's 6th district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2001
Preceded by	Pat Danner
Chairman of the House Small Business Committee
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2011
Preceded by	Nydia Velázquez
Personal details
Born	November 7, 1963 (1963-11-07) Tarkio, Missouri
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Lesley Hickok
Residence	Tarkio, Missouri
Alma mater	University of Missouri
Occupation	farmer
Religion	Baptist

Samuel B. Graves, Jr. (born November 7, 1963) is the U.S. Representative for Missouri's 6th congressional district, serving since 2001. He is a member of the Republican Party. The district consists of Northwest Missouri and includes the portion of Kansas City north of the Missouri River and many northern suburbs.

Early life, education and career

Graves is a lifelong resident of Tarkio, a small city not far from the Iowa and Nebraska borders. He graduated from the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri. He is a former volunteer fireman and Eagle Scout. He is also a sixth-generation farmer.

Missouri Legislature

Graves was elected to the Missouri House of Representatives in 1992. After only one term, he was elected to the Missouri Senate in 1994.

U.S. House of Representatives

Committee assignments

• Committee on Agriculture
  • Subcommittee on Conservation, Credit, Energy, and Research
  • Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management
• Committee on Small Business (Chairman)
• Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
  • Subcommittee on Aviation
  • Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management
  • Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials

Political positions

Following the economic crisis of Wall Street in September 2008, Graves voted against the proposed bailout of United States financial system, claiming that it neither "punished the wrongdoers nor adequately protected the innocent taxpayers, investors and retirees” caught in the Wall Street banking crisis."

Todd Graves controversy

Graves is the brother of Todd Graves, former U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri. In October 2008, U.S. Senator Kit Bond apologized to Todd Graves after a U.S. Justice Department report cited Bond forcing Graves out over a disagreement with Representative Graves. Following the report, U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey appointed a special prosecutor to investigate whether former U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and other officials involved in the firings of nine U.S. attorneys broke the law (dismissal of U.S. attorneys controversy).

Ethics investigation

In 2009, the House Ethics Committee began inquiring whether or not Graves used his position on the Small Business Committee to invite Brooks Hurst, a longtime friend and a business partner of his wife, to testify at a committee hearing on the federal regulation of biodiesel and ethanol production. Graves had failed to mention the financial link between Hurst and Lesley Graves at the hearing, which dealt with federal subsidies for renewable fuels. A review by the independent Office of Congressional Ethics found "substantial reason to believe that an appearance of conflict of interest was created." Graves said in a statement, "I look forward to a quick review of the facts and answering any questions that the committee may have. I believe that a speedy review will show that all the rules of the House concerning testimony in front of the Small Business Committee were followed." The Office of Congressional Ethics referred the case to the House Ethics committee, which ended its own investigation in October, and released a report finding no ethical violations, as it asserted there was no standard in place for appearances like Hurst's.

Political campaigns

Graves on the left with President George W. Bush at the Ford Kansas City Assembly Plant in Claycomo, Missouri on March 20, 2007

In 2000, Democratic U.S. Representative Pat Danner suddenly retired due to breast cancer. Graves filed within the short period of time left for filing. Graves faced Representative Danner's son, Steve Danner, a former State Senator, in the general election. Graves referred to Danner as a "tax and spend liberal" and won the race with 51% of the vote largely by running up huge margins in the rural areas of the district. He was arguably helped by George W. Bush carrying the district in the 2000 presidential election. Graves easily won reelection in 2002, 2004, and 2006.

2008

See also: United States House of Representatives elections in Missouri, 2008#District 6

Graves faced a tougher reelection race in 2008 against Democratic nominee and former Kansas City Mayor Kay Barnes. He gained national attention early in the race for running an ad accusing Barnes of promoting "San Francisco values." It was initially considered one of the hottest races in the country. However, Graves won reelection fairly handily, taking 59 percent of the vote to Barnes's 37 percent. Because the district has historically not been considered safe for either party, elections in the district tend to be closely contested.

2010

See also: United States House of Representatives elections in Missouri, 2010#District 6

Graves defeated Democratic nominee Clint Hylton (an Excelsior Springs, Missouri insurance agent who owned a farm in Polo, Missouri) and write-in candidate Kyle Yarber.

External links

• U.S. Congressman Sam Graves official U.S. House site
• Sam Graves for Congress official campaign site
• Biography at WhoRunsGov.com at The Washington Post
• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
• Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
• Congressional profile at GovTrack
• Congressional profile at OpenCongress
• Issue positions and quotes at On The Issues
• Financial information at OpenSecrets.org
• Staff salaries, trips and personal finance at LegiStorm.com
• Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
• Campaign contributions at the National Institute for Money in State Politics
• Appearances on C-SPAN programs
• Profile at SourceWatch
• Top PAC Donations to Grave's Campaign from Review Journal, 2002

United States House of Representatives
Preceded by Pat Danner	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Missouri's 6th congressional district 2001–present	Succeeded by Incumbent
Political offices
Preceded by Nydia Velázquez New York	Chairman of House Small Business Committee 2011–present	Succeeded by Incumbent
United States order of precedence
Preceded by Jeff Flake R-Arizona	United States Representatives by seniority 173rd	Succeeded by Mike Honda D-California