- Charlie Gonzalez
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Charlie Gonzalez Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Texas's 20th districtIncumbent Assumed office
January 3, 1999Preceded by Henry Gonzalez Personal details Born May 5, 1945
San Antonio, TexasPolitical party Democratic Residence San Antonio, Texas Alma mater University of Texas, St. Mary's University Occupation attorney, judge Religion Roman Catholic Military service Service/branch United States Air National Guard Years of service 1969-1975 Rank Technical Sergeant Unit Texas Charles A. "Charlie" Gonzalez (born May 5, 1945), is a Democratic politician from Texas. He has represented Texas's 20th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1999. The district includes more than half of San Antonio.
Contents
Biography and career
Gonzalez was born in San Antonio, Texas. His father, Henry B. Gonzalez, represented the 20th from 1961 until his son took over in 1999. Charlie graduated from Thomas A. Edison High School. He received his bachelor's degree in government from the University of Texas at Austin in 1969, and then later earned his Juris Doctor degree from St. Mary's University in San Antonio in 1972. As a youth, he was a Boy Scout in Troop 90 of San Antonio.[1] His father was the Scoutmaster.[2]
Gonzalez served as a technical sergeant in the Texas Air National Guard from 1969 until 1975. He then began practicing law until 1982 when he began rising through the ranks of the court system. He served first as a municipal court judge, then later as a judge in county and then district court, both of which are elected positions.
Henry Gonzalez had long groomed his son as his successor, so Charlie was well-positioned to run when his father didn't seek a full 19th term in 1998. After dispatching former San Antonio city councilwoman Maria Berriozabal in the primary runoff in April 1998, he defeated his only major challenger in the general election, Republican James Walker, carrying 63% of the vote and became only the fourth person to represent the 20th District since its creation in 1935; in fact, Charlie's first race was the first open-seat race in the district's 64-year history. He was reelected with no major-party opposition in 2000 and 2006, unopposed in 2002, and with 63% of the vote in 2004.
Charlie Gonzalez is a member of the New Democrat Coalition and is considered to be a moderate Democrat. He is supportive of liberal policies on the environment and the economy.
He is generally seen as less confrontational than his father, who once punched someone for calling him a communist. Between them, the father and son have served 48 consecutive years in Congress as of November, 2009; the only father and son combination to serve longer in the House has been the Dingells of Michigan, who have represented the state's 15th District for 72 consecutive years.
Rep. Gonzalez was one of the first congressmen to actively support Barack Obama in the 2008 Democrat presidential primary. "Senator Obama brings all these new fresh faces,’’ Gonzalez told the San Antonio Express-News. "He has a wider audience. He has the greater potential to engage a greater number of people.’’
Congressional committee assignments
- Committee on Energy and Commerce
- Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade
- Subcommittee on Energy and Power
- Subcommittee on Health
- Committee on House Administration
- Subcommittee on Elections
- Subcommittee on Oversight
Caucus memberships
- Congressional Hispanic Caucus
- Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus
- Congressional Arts Caucus
References
- ^ "San Antonio, Troop 90". http://www.sa-troop90.org. Retrieved 2010-06-30.
- ^ Gonzalez, Charlie (2010-06-30). 2010 Hispanic Leadership Awards (Speech). Washington, D.C..
External links
- U.S. Representative Charles A. Gonzalez official U.S. House site
- Charles A. Gonzalez Congressional Committee official campaign site
- 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
- Issue positions and quotes at On The Issues
- Financial information at OpenSecrets.org
- Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
United States House of Representatives Preceded by
Henry GonzalezMember of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Texas's 20th congressional district
1999–presentSucceeded by
incumbentUnited States order of precedence Preceded by
Joe Crowley
D-New YorkUnited States Representatives by seniority
151stSucceeded by
Rush D. Holt
D-New JerseyRoybal • García • Richardson • Martínez • Torres • Bustamante • Fuster • de la Garza • Ortiz • Serrano • Pastor • Becerra • Roybal-Allard • Reyes • Rodriguez • Napolitano • Baca • Velázquez • GonzalezCurrent members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus House Joe Baca (CA-43) (D), Xavier Becerra (CA-31) (D), Dennis Cardoza (CA-18) (D), Jim Costa (CA-20) (D), Henry Cuellar (TX-28) (D), Charles A. Gonzalez (TX-20) (D), Raúl Grijalva (AZ-07) (D), Luis V. Gutiérrez (IL-04) (D), Rubén Hinojosa (TX-15) (D), Ben R. Luján (NM-03) (D), Grace Napolitano (CA-38) (D), Ed Pastor (AZ-04) (D), Pedro Pierluisi (PR-At large) (D), Silvestre Reyes (TX-16) (D), Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-34) (D), Gregorio Sablan (MP-At large) (D), Linda Sánchez (CA-39) (D), José Enrique Serrano (NY-16) (D), Albio Sires (NJ-13) (D), Nydia Velázquez (NY-12) (D)Senate Categories:- 1945 births
- Living people
- Members of the United States House of Representatives from Texas
- American judges of Mexican descent
- Texas state court judges
- United States Air Force airmen
- American politicians of Mexican descent
- Hispanic and Latino American people in the United States Congress
- People from San Antonio, Texas
- St. Mary's University School of Law alumni
- Committee on Energy and Commerce
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