Billy Tauzin III

Wilbert Joseph "Billy" Tauzin III was born December 1, 1973 in Thibodaux, Louisiana, the son of Congressman Billy Tauzin and Gayle Clement Tauzin. After graduating from Bishop O'Connell High School in Arlington, VA, as a National Honor Society Student and 3 sport lettermen (football, wrestling and lacrosse), Tauzin accepted an appointment to the United States Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut.

After quitting the Coast Guard Academy his junior year, Tauzin finished his bachelor's degree in marketing at Louisiana State University in 1996. That summer he applied for and accepted an entry-level position selling wireless phones for Bell Atlantic Wireless in suburban Virginia. Three promotions later, he moved to outside sales in Rockville, Maryland. When the desire to return to his home state overwhelmed him, he applied for and accepted a job in Metairie, Louisiana as a Corporate and External Affairs Manager for BellSouth.

In a decision that provoked internal dissension in the Louisiana Republican Party , the 30-year-old Tauzin was endorsed by the Republican Party executive committee as its candidate to fill the open seat caused by his father's 2004 retirement from the United States House of Representatives due to his battle with pancreatic cancer.

Tauzin bested a crowded field in the primary and faced Democratic challenger Charlie Melancon, a long-time lobbyist for the sugar cane industry, in the runoff. The hotly contested race ended with both candidates receiving 50% but Melancon edging Tauzin by over 500 votes out of over 100,000 votes cast.

Tauzin finished his Masters of Business Administration (MBA) from Nicholls State University in 2006 and currently works for AT&T (merged with BellSouth) as a district manager in Thibodaux, Louisiana. Tauzin is also a coach for the Louisiana State University Men's Lacrosse Club, a member of the New Orleans Lacrosse Club and a volunteer referee for the growing sport of lacrosse in Louisiana. He is also a member of Tau Kappa Epsilon.