Joe Courtney (politician)

Infobox_Congressman
name = Joe Courtney


date of birth=birth date and age|1953|04|16
place of birth = Hartford, Connecticut
state = Connecticut
district = 2nd
term_start = January 4, 2007
preceded = Rob Simmons
succeeded = Incumbent
party = Democrat
spouse = Audrey Courtney
alma_mater=Tufts University, University of Connecticut
occupation=attorney
residence=Vernon, Connecticut
religion=Roman Catholic

Joseph (Joe) Courtney, born April 6, 1953 in Hartford, Connecticut, is a Democrat and a Congressman of the United States House of Representatives for ushr|Connecticut|2|.

Courtney grew up in suburban Harftord and became a 1975 graduate of Tufts University. He earned a law degree from the University of Connecticut School of Law in 1978 and worked as a public defender for 3 years after leaving school. Courtney is a partner in the law firm Courtney, Boyan & Foran. He also serves as Town Attorney in Vernon, Connecticut, the town in which he currently resides.

Courtney is a former State Representative from Vernon, representing Connecticut's 56th district from 1987 to 1994. Here he served as chairman of the Public Health and Human Service Committee and oversaw the Blue Ribbon Commission on Universal Health Insurance. In 1994, he was honored by Connecticut Magazine for his bipartisan efforts in the state house.

In 1998, Courtney made an unsuccessful bid for Lieutenant Governor. He ran for Congress against incumbent Rob Simmons in 2002 and lost 54%-46%. He ran again and unseated Simmons in 2006 in a race that political strategists projected would be very close.

Courtney was declared the winner on Election Day 2006 by the slim margin of 91 votes out of over 242,000 cast. Under Connecticut law the race qualified for an automatic re-canvas because he won by less than one half percent. An up and down recount that found several errors including one that gave Courtney an extra 100 votes was finished 14 November. The final results gave Courtney 83 votes over Simmons. [Jennifer Medina, "Democrat Wins House Seat After Recount in Connecticut," "New York Times", November 16, 2006.]

Courtney lives with his wife, a nurse practitioner, and two children in Vernon. On May 21, 2008, he announced his support for Barack Obama for president.

While in Congress, Courtney has consistantly supported and sponsored healthcare reform, as in line with is career in the Connecticut House. He has also supported alternative energy and environmental programs and has opposed the Patriot Act. He was the only Representative from Connecticut to vote against the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008.

Committee Assignments

*Education and Labor Committee
**Subcommittee on Higher Education, Lifelong Learning, and Competitiveness
**Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions
*Armed Services Committee
**Readiness Subcommittee
**Seapower and Expeditionary Forces Subcommittee

References

External links

* [http://courtney.house.gov/ Representative Joe Courtney] official U.S. House website
* [http://www.joecourtney.com/ Joe Courtney for Congress] official campaign website
* [http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Joe_Courtney Profile] at SourceWatch Congresspedia
* [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/photo/gallery/070607/GAL-07Jun07-76840/index.html Freshman congressman Joe Courtney learns the ropes and tries to keep his balance on Capitol Hill] "Washington Post Photo Gallery", June 7, 2007