Bart Gordon
Bart Gordon | |
---|---|
Chair of the House Science Committee | |
In office January 4, 2007 – January 3, 2011 | |
Preceded by | Sherwood Boehlert |
Succeeded by | Ralph Hall |
Ranking Member of the House Science Committee | |
In office January 3, 2003 – January 4, 2007 | |
Preceded by | Ralph Hall |
Succeeded by | Ralph Hall |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Tennessee's 6th district | |
In office January 3, 1985 – January 3, 2011 | |
Preceded by | Al Gore |
Succeeded by | Diane Black |
Personal details | |
Born | Barton Jennings Gordon January 24, 1949 Murfreesboro, Tennessee, U.S. |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse | Leslie |
Education | Middle Tennessee State University (BS) University of Tennessee, Knoxville (JD) |
Military service | |
Allegiance | United States |
Branch/service | United States Army |
Years of service | 1971–1972 |
Barton Jennings Gordon (born January 24, 1949) is an American politician and former
Early life, education, and early political career
Gordon was born in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, where he has lived all of his life. His father and grandfathers were farmers, and his mother was a teacher in the Rutherford County schools. He served in the United States Army Reserve in 1971 and 1972.[3] He graduated cum laude from Middle Tennessee State University in 1971, where he was student body president, and earned a J.D. degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 1973. He is a member of the Kappa Alpha Order. He then entered private practice in Murfreesboro.
Active in Democratic politics early on, he was briefly executive director of the Tennessee Democratic Party in 1979 and state party chairman from 1981 to 1983.
U.S. House of Representatives
Elections
When 6th District Congressman
Gordon was re-elected by huge margins until 1994, when his
Even as Gordon continued to win reelection, the 6th began trending heavily Republican at the local level in the 1990s and 2000s. For instance, even with Gore atop the ticket as Bill Clinton's running mate in 1996 and as presidential candidate in 2000, the Republican nominee for president carried the district in both elections. In addition to Nashville's suburbs bleeding into the district, the more rural areas began shedding their "Yellow Dog Democratic" roots. The Republican trend in the district really manifested itself after Gordon's retirement; his replacement as Democratic candidate, Brett Carter, only tallied 29.3 percent of the vote, barely half that of Republican State Senator Diane Black. No Democrat has crossed the 30 percent mark in the district since Gordon's retirement.
Tenure
During his tenure in Congress, Gordon "helped pass the COMPETES Act and the 2007 Energy Bill."[4]
In December 2008, Gordon came under fire from Tennessee conservatives for failing to vote on the auto bailout, stating that his failure to vote was due to a "technical glitch" in the voting system.[5] In March 2010, Gordon announced that he would vote in favor of the Senate Health Care bill.[6]
Gordon has been the fastest runner of foot races in Congress for 20 years. Most recently, he defeated Congressman Aaron Schock, 33 years his younger at the Capital Challenge Charity Race.[7]
Gordon voted against the
In April 2009, Gordon voted against the
Committee assignments
- Committee on Energy and Commerce (1995–2011)
- Committee on Science and Technology (1985–1987; 1997–2011) (Ranking Member, 2003–2007; Chairman, 2007–2011)[12]
- Committee on the Budget (1993–1995)
- Committee on Rules (1987–1995)
- Committee on Banking, Finance, and Urban Affairs(1985–1987)
- Permanent Select Committee on Aging (1985–1987)
Post-congressional career
Gordon is currently a partner in the global law firm K&L Gates and is a distinguished fellow at the Council on Competitiveness. He was appointed by President Obama to the U.S. Antarctic Program Blue Ribbon Panel,[13] the panel traveled to the Antarctic in December 2011 and put out the report “More and Better Science in Antarctica Through Increased Logistical Effectiveness” in July 2012. He is a member of the Brookings Leadership Advisory Board[14] and is a project member for the American Academy of Arts and Sciences' New Models for U.S. Science and Technology Policy.[15] He is a board member of the U.S Association of Former Members of Congress,[16] and the Middle Tennessee State University Foundation[17] and he is on the Board of Counselors for the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress.[18] He also is a member of the ReFormers Caucus of Issue One.[19]
In 2012 Gordon was bestowed the insignia of Officer in the
References
- ^ Broden, Scott (December 23, 2009). "Bart Gordon: I...don't have any regrets". The Daily News Journal.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Theobald, Bill (December 14, 2009). "Bart Gordon announces he will retire from U.S. House". The Tennessean.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Carney, Timothy (2011-03-29) Rep. Gordon gives your money to hi-tech and energy industries, then gets hired by them[permanent dead link], Washington Examiner
- ^ "'Tenn. Delegation Splits on Auto Bailout': Rep. Gordon". WBIR. December 11, 2008.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Updating The Health Care Whip Count – Hotline On Call". National Journal. March 19, 2010. Archived from the original on February 24, 2012. Retrieved August 29, 2010.
- ^ "Gordon does it again " In Session: Tennessee Politics". The Tennessean Blogs. April 29, 2009. Archived from the original on July 7, 2012. Retrieved August 29, 2010.
- ^ "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 887". Clerk.house.gov. Retrieved 2014-02-22.
- ^ "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 165". Clerk.house.gov. Retrieved 2014-02-22.
- ^ "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 167". Clerk.house.gov. Retrieved 2014-02-22.
- ^ "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 223". Clerk.house.gov. Retrieved 2014-02-22.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-12-31. Retrieved 2015-11-24.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "National Science Foundation (NSF) News – Blue Ribbon Panel Unveils Findings on Logistical Improvements to Support Antarctic Science – US National Science Foundation (NSF)". nsf.gov. Retrieved 2014-02-22.
- ^ "About the Management and Leadership Initiative". Brookings.edu. Retrieved 2014-02-22.
- ^ "New Models for U.S. Science and Technology Policy – American Academy of Arts & Sciences". Amacad.org. Retrieved 2014-02-22.
- ^ "Leadership | U.S. Association of Former Members of Congress". Usafmc.org. Archived from the original on 2014-02-02. Retrieved 2014-02-22.
- ^ "Development and University Relations | Middle Tennessee State University". Mtsu.edu. 2013-10-15. Retrieved 2014-02-22.
- ^ "Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress". Thepresidency.org. Retrieved 2014-02-22.
- ^ "Issue One – ReFormers Caucus". 2023.
- ^ "Barton Gordon Made Officer of the Legion of Honor – France in the United States/ Embassy of France in Washington". Ambafrance-us.org. Retrieved 2014-02-22.
- ^ "Bart J. Gordon :: Rensselaer Commencement 2012". Rpi.edu. Retrieved 2014-02-22.
- ^ "MTSU Spring Commencement on Murfreesboro News and Radio". Wgnsradio.com. Retrieved 2014-02-22.
External links
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Diary at Daily Kos, about report on off-shoring jobs
- Appearances on C-SPAN