John Whitmire

Infobox State Senator


honorific-prefix =
name = John Whitmire
honorific-suffix =
state_senate = Texas
state = Texas
district = 15th
term_start = 1983
preceded = Jack C. Ogg
succeeded = Incumbent
party = Democrat
birth_date = birth date and age|1949|8|13
birth_place = Hillsboro, Texas
death_date =
death_place =
spouse = Becki
residence = Houston, Texas
alma_mater = University of Houston
occupation =
profession = attorney
religion =
website =

John Harris Whitmire (born 1949) is the longest-serving of current members of the Texas State Senate representing District 15, which includes much of northern Houston, since 1983. Previously he was a member of the Texas House of Representatives from 1973 through 1982.

Whitmire was born August 13, 1949 in Hillsboro, Texas to James M. Whitmire and Marie Harris Whitmire, [cite web | url = http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/tx/hill/vitals/births/1949/hill4902.txt | title = Birth Certificate for John Harris Whitmire | accessdate = 2006-12-19 | date = 1949-08-13 | format = Third party index of birth records for Hill County | publisher = [http://www.rootsweb.com Rootsweb.com] | author = Texas Department of State Health Services, Vital Records] and graduated from Waltrip High School and the University of Houston.

Whitmire served as the Acting Governor of Texas in 1993 as part of the Governor for A Day tradition.

In 2003, Whitmire was one of the "Texas Eleven", a group of Democrats who fled the state for New Mexico in 2003 in a quorum-busting effort aimed at preventing the passage of controversial redistricting legislation that would have benefited Texas Republicans.

National House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, a powerful figure in Texas politics, advocated arresting Whitmire, along with the other members of the Texas 11, telling reporters that he supported using Federal Bureau of Investigation agents or U.S. marshals to arrest the runaway Democrats and bring them back to Austin, asserting that redistricting is a federal matter of federal concern.

It was Whitmire who first broke ranks and headed back home to Austin. His stated reason for doing so was that he wished to preserve consensus in the state Senate instead of allowing no-holds-barred partisan civil war to continue. Others have speculated about a possible "deal" between Republicans and Whitmire.

Besides the New Mexico controversy, he voiced his opposition to the City of Houston's Safe Clear program which unanimously passed by Houston Mayor Bill White. Whitmire introduced legislation to disband Safe Clear where it was deemed a revenue generator to which two Houston City Councilmembers decried its policy. The proposed legislation was later withdrawn after a private meeting in Austin where Mayor Bill White and Whitmire negotiated.

In July 2005 "Texas Monthly", in its article “The Best and Worst Legislators of 2005” the magazine named Whitmire one of the ten best legislators in the Seventy-ninth Texas Legislature. [cite news | first = Paul | last = Burka | authorlink = Paul Burka | coauthors = and Patricia Kilday Hart | title = The Best and Worst Legislators of 2005 | url = http://www.texasmonthly.com/2005-07-01/feature.php | format = subscription required | work = Texas Monthly | date = 2005-07 | accessdate = 2006-12-19]

Whitmire is the former brother-in-law to Kathy Whitmire, the mayor of Houston from 1982 to 1991.

Cloak Room incident

A bartender at a bar called the Cloak Room, which is located next to the Texas State Capitol and is frequented by politicians and lobbyists, alleges that she was fired in retaliation for having refused to serve Whitmire, whom she says appeared intoxicated. Whitmire is alleged to have threatened to have the bartender fired, to prevent the police from coming to the scene, and other similar abuses of power. Shortly after the incident, the bartender was fired. She has now sued the manager and owner of the bar. Unbeknownst to the bar manager the employee reportedly tape recorded the conversation. On the audio tape, which has not been released publicly, the bar manager stated that employees are to give state senators anything that they want, that as long as senators came to the bar the bar would not be investigated by the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, and that Senator Whitmire could "kill them." [ [http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/06/21/21whitmire.html Article] (link now defunct) in "Austin American-Statesman", June 21, 2007.] [ [http://media.www.dailytexanonline.com/media/storage/paper410/news/2007/09/21/TopStories/Hearings.Begin.In.Bar.Dispute-2983864.shtml "Hearings begin in bar dispute", by Amanda DeBard] , "The Daily Texan", September 21, 2007.]

Election history

Election history of District 15 from 1992. [Uncontested primary elections are not shown.]

Most recent election

2002

Election box begin
title=Texas general election, 2002: Senate District 15 [cite web | url = http://elections.sos.state.tx.us/elchist.exe | title = 2002 General Election | accessdate = 2006-12-19 | publisher = Office of the Secretary of State (Texas)] Election box candidate with party link
party= Republican Party (US)
candidate = Michael P. Wolfe
votes = 41,003
percentage = 39.63
change = +4.69Election box candidate with party link
party= Democratic Party (US)
candidate = John Whitmire
votes = 62,458
percentage = 60.37
change = -4.69Election box majority
votes = 21,455
percentage = 20.71
change = -9.38Election box turnout
votes = 103,461
percentage =
change = -29.76Election box hold with party link no swing
winner = Democratic Party (US)

Previous elections

2000

Election box begin
title=Texas general election, 2000: Senate District 15 [cite web | url = http://elections.sos.state.tx.us/elchist.exe | title = 2000 General Election | accessdate = 2006-12-19 | publisher = Office of the Secretary of State (Texas)] Election box candidate with party link
party= Republican Party (US)
candidate = Warren A. Lawless
votes = 51,465
percentage = 34.94
change = -3.01Election box candidate with party link
party= Democratic Party (US)
candidate = John Whitmire
votes = 95,826
percentage = 65.06
change = +3.01Election box majority
votes = 44,361
percentage = 30.12
change = +6.02Election box turnout
votes = 147,291
percentage =
change = +12.65Election box hold with party link no swing
winner = Democratic Party (US)

1996

Election box begin
title=Texas general election, 1996: Senate District 15 [cite web | url = http://elections.sos.state.tx.us/elchist.exe | title = 1996 General Election | accessdate = 2006-12-19 | publisher = Office of the Secretary of State (Texas)] Election box candidate with party link
party= Republican Party (US)
candidate = Tom Kelly
votes = 49,619
percentage = 37.95
change = +37.95Election box candidate with party link
party= Democratic Party (US)
candidate = John Whitmire
votes = 81,134
percentage = 62.05
change = -37.95Election box majority
votes = 31,515
percentage = 24.10
change = -75.90Election box turnout
votes = 130,753
percentage =
change = +97.09Election box hold with party link no swing
winner = Democratic Party (US)

1994

Election box begin
title=Texas general election, 1994: Senate District 15 [cite web | url = http://elections.sos.state.tx.us/elchist.exe | title = 1994 General Election | accessdate = 2006-12-19 | publisher = Office of the Secretary of State (Texas)] Election box candidate with party link
party= Democratic Party (US)
candidate = John Whitmire
votes = 66,341
percentage = 100.00
change = +30.12Election box majority
votes = 66,341
percentage = 100.00
change = +55.79Election box turnout
votes = 66,341
percentage =
change = -33.62Election box hold with party link no swing
winner = Democratic Party (US)

1992

Election box begin
title=Texas general election, 1992: Senate District 15 [cite web | url = http://elections.sos.state.tx.us/elchist.exe | title = 1992 General Election | accessdate = 2006-12-19 | publisher = Office of the Secretary of State (Texas)] Election box candidate with party link
party= Democratic Party (US)
candidate = John Whitmire
votes = 69,844
percentage = 69.88
change =Election box candidate with party link
party= Republican Party (US)
candidate = Thomas V. Kelly
votes = 25,660
percentage = 25.67
change =Election box candidate with party link
party= Libertarian Party (US)
candidate = George Hollenback
votes = 4,438
percentage = 4.44
change =Election box majority
votes = 44,184
percentage = 44.21
change = Election box turnout
votes = 99,942
percentage =
change = Election box hold with party link no swing
winner = Democratic Party (US)Election box begin no party
title=Democratic Party Primary Runoff Election, 1992: Senate District 15 [cite web | url = http://elections.sos.state.tx.us/elchist.exe | title = 1992 Democratic Party Primary Runoff Election | accessdate = 2006-12-19 | publisher = Office of the Secretary of State (Texas)] Election box candidate no party with winner
winner =
candidate = Roman O. Martinez
votes = 15,390
percentage = 47.61
change = Election box candidate no party with winner
winner = ✓
candidate = John Whitmire
votes = 16,938
percentage = 52.39
change = Election box turnout no party
votes = 32,328
percentage =
change = Election box begin no party
title=Democratic Party Primary Election, 1992: Senate District 15 [cite web | url = http://elections.sos.state.tx.us/elchist.exe | title = 1992 Democratic Party Primary Election | accessdate = 2006-12-19 | publisher = Office of the Secretary of State (Texas)] Election box candidate no party with winner
winner =
candidate = David Alley
votes = 1,587
percentage = 4.97
change = Election box candidate no party with winner
winner = ✓
candidate = Roman O. Martinez
votes = 15,575
percentage = 48.87
change = Election box candidate no party with winner
winner = ✓
candidate = John Whitmire
votes = 14,707
percentage = 46.14
change = Election box turnout no party
votes = 31,869
percentage =
change =

References

External links

* [http://www.senate.state.tx.us/75r/senate/members/dist15/dist15.htm Senate of Texas - Senator John Whitmire] official TX Senate website
* [http://www.votesmart.org/bio.php?can_id=5464 Project Vote Smart - Senator John Whitmire (TX)] profile
*"Follow the Money" - John Whitmire
** [http://www.followthemoney.org/database/StateGlance/candidate.phtml?c=81254 2006] [http://www.followthemoney.org/database/StateGlance/candidate.phtml?c=71836 2004] [http://www.followthemoney.org/database/StateGlance/candidate.phtml?c=6462 2002] [http://www.followthemoney.org/database/StateGlance/candidate.phtml?c=52669 2000] campaign contributions

Persondata
NAME=John Harris Whitmire
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Houston, Texas politician
DATE OF BIRTH=13 August 1937
PLACE OF BIRTH=Hillsboro, Texas
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=