Bud Cramer
| Robert "Bud" Cramer | |
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Alabama's 5th district |
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In office January 3, 1991 – January 3, 2009 |
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| Preceded by | Ronnie Flippo |
| Succeeded by | Parker Griffith |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
August 22, 1947 Huntsville, Alabama |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Widowed |
| Children | Hollan Cramer |
| Residence | Huntsville |
| Alma mater | University of Alabama |
| Occupation | attorney |
| Religion | United Methodist |
| Military service | |
| Service/branch | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1976-1978 |
| Unit | Reserves |
Robert Edward "Bud" Cramer, Jr., (born August 22, 1947) is an American politician and was a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from 1991 to 2009, representing Alabama's 5th congressional district. On March 13, 2008, Cramer announced he would not seek another term.
Cramer was born and raised in Huntsville, Alabama. Known as Bud by his classmates, he earned a bachelor of arts in 1969 and law degree from the University of Alabama in 1972. After graduating, he joined the Army as a tank officer. He served at Fort Knox, Kentucky, and remained a member of the Army Reserve from 1976 to 1978.
A widower, Cramer has a daughter, Hollan Lanier; two grandsons, Dylan and Mason; and a granddaughter, Patricia. He is a member of the United Methodist Church, and taught Sunday school classes to young people for many years.
In 1973, Cramer was appointed assistant district attorney in Madison County, a position he held until going into private practice in 1975. He remained in private practice until 1980, when he challenged the incumbent Madison County District Attorney and won at age 33. He was district attorney from 1981 to 1990, until Rep. Ronnie Flippo ran unsuccessfully for governor. Cramer ran for the vacant Congressional seat and won. In 1985, he founded the National Children's Advocacy Center, a child-friendly environment for abused children. He was briefly considered for a post in the Bush administration in 2001.
On March 13, 2008, Cramer surprised colleagues by announcing that he would not seek re-election in 2008 and would retire at the end of his term. Alabama State Senator and Democrat Parker Griffith defeated Republican Wayne Parker in the race to succeed Cramer. Griffith would announce on December 22, 2009 that he was switching parties to join the Republican caucus, becoming only the second Republican ever to represent the district.
Cramer was handily reelected in 1992. However, he was nearly defeated in 1994 by Republican businessman Wayne Parker—the closest that a Republican had come to winning one of the few remaining districts in the former Confederacy to have never elected a Republican since Reconstruction. Cramer only held onto his seat by 1,770 votes. Cramer managed to defeat Parker with less difficulty in 1996 and never faced serious opposition again, winning five more terms by over 70 percent of the vote and running unopposed in 2006.
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