Charles Stenholm
| Charles W. Stenholm | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 17th district |
|
|
In office January 3, 1979 – January 3, 2005 |
|
| Preceded by | Omar Burleson |
| Succeeded by | Chet Edwards |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
October 26, 1938 Stamford, Texas |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Cynthia Ann Watson |
| Profession | Cotton farmer, Lobbyist |
| Religion | Lutheran |
Charles Walter "Charlie" Stenholm, (born October 26, 1938) is a Democratic Party politician from the State of Texas. He was a member of the United States House of Representatives for 13 terms, from 1979 to 2005.
Stenholm was born in Stamford, Texas, near Abilene and he graduated from Texas Tech University — with a B.S. (1961) and an M.S. (1962) in Agriculture Education (1961). He was a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity. He has operated a cotton farm in Stamford for many years, and also worked as a vocational teacher.
Stenholm was elected to the House as a Democrat in 1978, representing the 17th District. The district, based in Abilene, was a vast and mostly rural district stretching from San Angelo to the western fringes of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. He became one of the most conservative Democrats in the House, belonged to the Blue Dog Coalition and was a leader of the Boll Weevils during the 1980s. He was one of the more prominent Democratic supporters of Ronald Reagan's tax-cut package in 1981.
Like many conservative Texas Democrats, Stenholm opposed abortion and gun control. In 1990 he was one of the only three House Democrats to vote against the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. However, his main interests were in agriculture and budget matters. For six years, he was ranking Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee. He worked very closely with the committee's chairman, Republican Larry Combest of the neighboring 19th District (and himself a farmer), to shepherd the 2002 Farm Bill through Congress. He was a longtime supporter of a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution.
...
Wikipedia