Pete Laney
| James Earl "Pete" Laney, Sr. | |
|---|---|
| Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives | |
|
In office 1993–2003 |
|
| Preceded by | Gib Lewis |
| Succeeded by | Tom Craddick |
| Member of the Texas House of Representatives from Hale County (districts vary) | |
|
In office 1973–2007 |
|
| Preceded by | Delwin Jones (District 76) |
| Succeeded by | Joseph P. Heflin (District 85) |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
March 20, 1943 Plainview, Hale County Texas, USA |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Nelda McQuien Laney |
| Children |
KaLyn Laney |
| Parents | Wilber G. and Frances L. Wilson Laney |
| Residence | Hale Center, Hale County |
| Alma mater | Texas Tech University |
| Occupation | Farmer, businessman |
| Religion | Church of Christ |
KaLyn Laney
James Kay (Jamey) Laney Phillips
James Earl Laney, Sr., known as Pete Laney (born March 20, 1943), is a U. S. Democratic Party politician from West Texas. He was a member of the Texas House of Representatives from 1973 to 2007. A resident of Hale Center, near Plainview in Hale County, Laney served as House Speaker from 1993 to 2003, a record matching that set by his predecessor, fellow Democrat Gib Lewis of Fort Worth, whose tenure as Speaker extended from 1983 to 1993.
During his tenure, Laney was widely praised for demonstrating principle, integrity, and character in his leadership of the House. He was cited by Republican Governor George W. Bush, during the 2000 presidential campaign, as a model of legislative bipartisan co-operation. As Speaker, Laney "foster[ed] a bipartisan atmosphere for legislators to work together with mutual respect and place public needs ahead of personal interests and partisan politics."
Lewis triggered a speaker's race in 1991 when he announced, amidst allegations of accepting an illegal gift from a law firm, that he would not seek re-election as speaker in 1993. Laney announced in November 1992 that he had secured the pledges of more than eighty of his colleagues to elect him Speaker. In his first term as Speaker, Laney "ran the fairest, cleanest, most open, most democratic House in memory." He was named by Texas Monthly magazine as one of the "Top Ten" legislators of the Seventy-third Texas Legislature.
Laney's tenure as Speaker ended after the 2002 elections, when the GOP gained a majority in the Texas House for the first time since Reconstruction, and Tom Craddick of Midland, was elected the first Republican Speaker since 1871. Craddick served in the presiding post from 2003-2009. When Craddick undertook an unprecedented mid-decade congressional redistricting, Laney joined fellow Democrats who traveled to Ardmore, Oklahoma, to block consideration of the Republican's bill by denying the House a quorum.
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Wikipedia