Charles Foster Bass

Infobox Congressman
name= Charlie Bass


state= New Hampshire
district= 2nd
party= Republican
term= 1995–2007
preceded= Dick Swett
succeeded= Paul Hodes
date of birth= Birth date and age|1952|1|8|mf=y
place of birth= Boston, Massachusetts
occupation= political assistant
residence= Peterborough, New Hampshire
alma_mater= Dartmouth College
spouse= Lisa Bass
religion=Episcopalian

Charles Foster "Charlie" Bass (born January 8 1952) is a former Republican member of the United States House of Representatives for the second district of New Hampshire. First elected in the 1994 Republican Revolution, he served 12 years until being defeated in the congressional elections of 2006. His father, Perkins Bass, was a Republican congressman from New Hampshire from 1955 to 1963. His grandfather, Robert P. Bass, was a Republican Governor of the state from 1911 to 1912, a founder of the Progressive Republican movement, and a friend and confidant of Teddy Roosevelt.

Bass was born in Boston to Katharine and Perkins Bass. [ [http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~battle/reps/bass.htm 1 ] ] He is a 1974 graduate of Dartmouth College, Bass currently resides in Peterborough, New Hampshire. During 1974 he worked for Maine congressman William Cohen and from 1975 until 1979 he worked for another Maine congressman, David F. Emery.

Bass was a candidate in the Republican primary for Congress in 1980, but lost. He continued in public office, serving three two-year terms as a state representative, then two two-year terms as a state Senator until he was defeated in the Republican Primary in 1992 by Dave Wheeler. He was elected to Congress in 1994.

Bass is a member of Christine Todd Whitman's Its My Party Too, The Republican Majority For Choice, Republicans For Choice and Republicans For Environmental Protection, as well as President and CEO of The Republican Main Street Partnership

Bass was one of the first and most vocal Congressmen to call for Tom DeLay to step aside as Majority Leader in early 2005 and led the organized petition that resulted in his removal from House Leadership, although DeLay's campaign committee (ARMPAC) had contributed $14,233 to Bass over more than ten years. Bass did not return or give up the money that ARMPAC had contributed.

In late September 2006, the Congressman's policy director posted comments on local blogs to demoralize the supporters of Bass' Democratic challenger, Paul Hodes. In November 2006, Bass was defeated for re-election by Democrat Paul Hodes. Hodes was able to overcome a large deficit in the polls and beat Bass due in large part to a wave of anti-Republican sentiment that swept the nation in the mid-term election. Bass' defeat helped turn control of the House of Representatives back to the Democrats, who had been out of power there since 1994.

Bass chose not to seek elective office in 2008, and now heads a coalition of centrist Republicans. [http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/long-primary-gave-dems-advantage-republicans-say-2008-09-01.html The Hill]

Election History

References

External links

* [http://www.votebass.com/ Official Campaign Site]
* [http://charliebass.macromedia.com Macromedia Home Page]
* [http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/b000220/ Voting record maintained by the Washington Post]