Solomon P. Ortiz
| Solomon Ortiz | |
|---|---|
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 27th district |
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| In office January 3, 1983 – January 3, 2011 |
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| Preceded by | None (District Created After 1980 Census) |
| Succeeded by | Blake Farenthold |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 3, 1937 Robstown, Texas |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Divorced |
| Residence | Corpus Christi, Texas |
| Alma mater | Del Mar College |
| Occupation | Politician, Law Enforcement |
| Religion | Methodist |
| Military service | |
| Service/branch | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1960-1962 |
Solomon Porfirio Ortiz (born June 3, 1937) is the former U.S. Representative for Texas's 27th congressional district, serving from 1983 until 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district is based in Corpus Christi. In 2010, Ortiz was defeated by Republican challenger Blake Farenthold.[1][2]
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[edit] Early life, education, and business career
Solomon Ortiz was born in Robstown, Nueces County, Texas; his family had immigrated from Mexico.[3] As a boy, he held several odd jobs, including working as a shoeshiner and an inker for The Robstown Record's letter press. Ortiz befriended, and became fascinated with, law enforcement officers.[4] He attended Robstown High School until the age of 16, when he dropped out after his father's death to help support his family.
Ortiz joined the United States Army in 1960, serving two years and earning his GED. He received basic training at Fort Hood, Texas and served a tour of duty in Verdun and Vitry-le-François, France. Expressing his interest in law enforcement, Ortiz was reassigned to the 61st Military Police Company Criminal Investigation Office and received advanced military police training in n Fort Gordon, Georgia.[4]
After returning to South Texas, Ortiz worked for three years as an insurance agent.
[edit] Early political career
In 1964, he was urged on by friends to run for Nueces County Constable and was elected in 1965, defeating the incumbent in a runoff election.[5] He was elected to the County Commissioners Court of Nueces County in 1969, the first Hispanic to serve in that capacity. He remained in that position until 1976, when he was elected County Sheriff, another first for a Hispanic in Nueces County.
[edit] U.S. House of Representatives
[edit] Elections
When the 27th District was created in 1982, Ortiz ran for the seat on a platform of jobs incentives and attention to education.[5] He won the Democratic primary run-off election with 52% of the vote,[6] defeating State Representative Joe Salem.[7] In the general election, he won with 64% of the vote.[8]
He won re-election thirteen times. He dipped below 60% only four times before 2010. His lowest winning percentage was in 1992, when he defeated attorney Jay Kimbrough[9] 55%-43%.[10]
- 2010
On election night (November 2) Ortiz appeared to have lost to Republican Blake Farenthold but Ortiz asked for a recount.[2] After the recount, Ortiz conceded on November 22, 2010. Farenthold defeated him 47.8%-47.1%, a margin of just 770 votes. Ortiz won four of the district's six counties, losing only the northern most counties (Nueces and San Patricio).[11]
[edit] Tenure
Ortiz is a moderate Democrat. He is somewhat conservative on social issues (for instance, he opposes abortion), but usually votes more with his party on economic issues.
[edit] Committee assignments
- 111th Congress
- Previous committees
In 1983, as a Freshman, he was assigned to the U.S. Select Committee on Narcotics Abuse and Control.[12] In 1993, Ortiz was named chairman of a House subcommittee that oversees the Gulf of Mexico.[13]
[edit] References
- ^ Ortiz-Farenthold recount expected next week The Brownsville Herald, November 12, 2010
- ^ a b "Dem Rep. Ortiz to seek re-count in S. Texas race". Houston Chronicle. http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/politics/7281796.html. Retrieved 9 November 2010.
- ^ "ORTIZ, Solomon P. - Biographical Information". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=o000107. Retrieved 5 October 2010.
- ^ a b "U.S. Representative Solomon P. Ortiz : About Me". United States House of Representatives. http://ortiz.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=2§iontree=2. Retrieved 5 October 2010.
- ^ a b "Hispanic Americans in Congress -- Ortiz". http://www.loc.gov/rr/hispanic/congress/ortiz.html. Retrieved 5 October 2010.
- ^ http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=224962
- ^ http://m.caller.com/news/2000/Dec/17/heart-gold/
- ^ http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=37419
- ^ http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=SAEC&p_theme=saec&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0F2230F161165AEC&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM
- ^ http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=28650
- ^ http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=526147
- ^ http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=d41eAAAAIBAJ&sjid=6U8NAAAAIBAJ&pg=1369,4179173&dq=solomon+ortiz+committee&hl=en
- ^ http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=SAEC&p_theme=saec&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0F22314A83C561FF&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM
[edit] External links
- 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
- 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
- Appearances on C-SPAN programs
- Profile at SourceWatch
| United States House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by District created after 1980 census |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 27th congressional district 1983–2011 |
Succeeded by Blake Farenthold |
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