Vic Snyder
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Vic Snyder
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 3, 1997 |
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| Preceded by | Ray Thornton |
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| Born | September 27, 1947 Medford, Oregon |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Betsy Singleton |
| Children | Four Sons |
| Residence | Little Rock, Arkansas |
| Alma mater | Willamette University, Oregon Health & Science University |
| Occupation | physician |
| Religion | Methodist |
| Military service | |
| Service/branch | United States Marine Corps |
| Years of service | 1967-1969 |
| Rank | corporal |
| Unit | 1st Marine Division |
| Battles/wars | Vietnam War |
Victor F. (Vic) Snyder (born September 27, 1947) is a politician from the U.S. state of Arkansas. He is a member of the Democratic Party, and represents Arkansas's 2nd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives.
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[edit] Early life
Vic Snyder was born in Medford, Oregon. He is a graduate of Medford High School (1965) and attended college at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, where he was a member of Kappa Sigma. In 1967, after two years of college, Snyder volunteered for the United States Marine Corps. He served in Vietnam with Headquarters Company of the US 1st Marine Division during the Vietnam War, attaining the rank of corporal. Snyder earned a degree in Chemistry in 1975 from Willamette and earned his medical degree from the University of Oregon Health Sciences Center (now Oregon Health & Science University) in Portland, Oregon in 1979.
Snyder moved to Little Rock, Arkansas and served his residency at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. In 1982 after completing his residency he worked as a family practice physician for 15 years. During this time he travelled overseas to volunteer his medical services at Cambodian refugee camps in Thailand, Salvadoran refugee camps in Honduras, and Ethiopian refugee camps in Sudan. From 1985 to 1988 Snyder attended the University of Arkansas at Little Rock School of Law to obtain his law degree while still maintaining his medical practice.
[edit] Political career
In 1990 he successfully ran for a seat in the Arkansas legislature and served in that body until 1996. In the Arkansas legislature, Snyder stepped into one of his earliest legislative controversies when he attempted to repeal the state's aged "Sodomy Laws". Ultimately, however, his efforts failed, and the sodomy laws stayed in effect until the state Supreme Court struck it down in Jegley v. Picado in March 2001.
Snyder was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1996 and was reelected in 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2008. Snyder focuses on many traditionally liberal issues, including a particular interest in support for veteran's and military families, serving on the House Committee on Veteran's Affairs and the House Armed Services Committee. He has a fairly liberal voting record for being an elected politician from the South and otherwise conservative-leaning Arkansas. Snyder voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment, the ban on partial-birth abortions, banning lawsuits against gun manufacturers and distributors, bankruptcy reform, drilling in ANWR, and on October 10, 2002, he was among the 133 members of the House who voted against authorizing the invasion of Iraq. In addition, Snyder was one of only two Congressmen to vote against prosecuting Saddam Hussein.
On issues of free and expanded trade, Snyder differs with his party, especially his Southern populist colleagues. He has also opposed legislation cracking down on Wal-Mart, which is headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas.
Vic Snyder voted for the 2008 FISA Bill which would expand the surveillance of US citizens through wiretaps on domestic calls and limit the liability of Telecoms who provide the Federal Government with access.
[edit] Committee Assignments
[edit] Personal life
Snyder married The Reverend Betsy Singleton, a United Methodist minister at Little Rock's Quapaw Quarter United Methodist Church, in 2003. Together they have four children, all boys, named Penn, Aubrey, Wyatt, and Sullivan. The latter three are triplets
[edit] External links
- Congressman Vic Snyder official U.S. House website
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
- Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
- Campaign contributions at OpenSecrets.org
- Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
- Issue positions and quotes at On The Issues
- Profile at SourceWatch Congresspedia
- Kappa Sigma Famous Alumni
| United States House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by Ray Thornton |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Arkansas's 2nd congressional district 1997-01-03 – present |
Incumbent |
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