John Breaux
John Breaux | |
---|---|
United States Senator from Louisiana | |
In office January 3, 1987 – January 3, 2005 | |
Preceded by | Russell B. Long |
Succeeded by | David Vitter |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Louisiana's 7th district | |
In office September 30, 1972 – January 3, 1987 | |
Preceded by | Edwin Edwards |
Succeeded by | Jimmy Hayes |
Personal details | |
Born | John Berlinger Breaux March 1, 1944 Crowley, Louisiana, U.S. |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse | Lois Daigle |
Children | 4 |
Education | University of Louisiana, Lafayette (BA) Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge (JD) |
John Berlinger Breaux (/ˈbroʊ/; born March 1, 1944) is an American lobbyist, attorney, and retired politician from Louisiana. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1972 to 1987 and as a United States Senator from 1987 to 2005.[1] He was considered one of the more conservative national legislators from the Democratic Party. Breaux was a member of the New Democrat Coalition.
After his congressional tenure, he became a lobbyist, co-founding the Breaux-Lott Leadership Group.[2] The firm was later acquired by law and lobbying firm Patton Boggs,[3] now Squire Patton Boggs.
Early life and career
Breaux was born in
Congressional career
Breaux was elected as a Democrat to the
He was not a candidate for re-election to the House of Representatives in 1986, but was instead elected as a Democrat to the United States Senate.
Breaux opposed
On October 15, 1991, Breaux was one of seven Southern Democrats who voted to confirm the nomination of Clarence Thomas to the U.S. Supreme Court in a 52 to 48 vote, the narrowest margin of approval in more than a century.
Breaux was seen as a centrist in a Senate divided along partisan lines, and was frequently sought out by Republican leaders to corral a few Democratic votes when they needed them; conversely he also often served as the Democratic emissary in attempts to gather a few moderate Republicans to win votes on their proposals. He was pro-life and a supporter of Second Amendment rights, though he gradually moderated his position on gun control. He was more conservative on taxes than most in his party and challenged many environmental protections. He voted in favor of the
On June 22, 2004, Breaux cast the lone vote against amendment, S.A. 3464, which would increase the maximum fine from $27,500 to $275,000 when the FCC determines a broadcaster is guilty of "obscene, indecent or profane language." Breaux also opposed the loosening of FCC rules that would allow cross-media platforms in the same community to fall under a single owner.
In 1993, Breaux was elected by Senate Democrats as Deputy Majority Whip, a position he held until his retirement. He also held a number of key Senate committee positions. A senior member of the Finance Committee, Senator Breaux served as the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Social Security and Family Policy. From his position on the Finance Committee, he helped build the coalition that passed welfare reform and health insurance reform bills in 1996. He also pushed for a reduction in the capital gains tax and for tax relief for college education expenses. In 1998, Breaux was selected by the White House and House and Senate leaders to chair the
Breaux was the principal architect of the $400 billion Medicare Prescription Drug Modernization Act.[5]
Breaux was a founder of the bipartisan Senate Centrist Coalition and served as chairman of the Democratic Leadership Council.
Breaux's state director and press secretary was the journalist Robert "Bob" Mann, who holds the Douglas Manship Chair of Journalism at Louisiana State University.[6]
In the 2003 Louisiana gubernatorial campaign, after flirting briefly with the possibility of running himself, Breaux campaigned hard for the successful Democratic candidate,
He announced that he would not run for re-election in 2004; by most accounts he was so popular that it was believed he would have easily won a fourth term had he chosen to run again. He was succeeded in the Senate by Republican
Post-congressional career
In February 2005, Breaux took a position as Distinguished Professor in the Douglas Manship School of Mass Communication at
Since leaving office, Breaux has spearheaded his own national campaign, "Ceasefire on Health Care: Finding Common Ground for the Uninsured." Breaux coined the campaign name as a play on the
Beginning in February 2007, there was much speculation among Louisiana political commentators as to whether Breaux would announce his candidacy in the 2007 Louisiana governors' race. Breaux, arguably the most popular Democratic politician in Louisiana, was considering entering the race, if Blanco would be willing to step aside for Breaux.[8][9][10][11] On March 20, 2007, Blanco announced that she would not run for re-election as governor. On March 29, 2007, John Breaux made his first Louisiana public appearance since speculation began concerning his potential candidacy. Breaux said that he intended to run, and would announce his candidacy as soon as Louisiana Attorney General Charles Foti, a Democrat, gave a formal legal opinion on whether Breaux was eligible to run. It was alleged that he would not meet the residency requirements to run for governor as he is registered to vote, and has listed his primary address in Maryland since 2005. At issue was the clause in the Louisiana constitution that states that a candidate for governor must be a 'citizen' of the State of Louisiana; what constitutes a citizen is not defined.[12]
On April 13, 2007, Breaux released a statement that he would not be running for governor. Attorney-General Foti had declined to issue an opinion on Breaux's eligibility, stating it was an issue for the courts to decide. Breaux stated that he did not want the issue of eligibility to overshadow his campaign, as a court challenge would not occur until September.[13]
Breaux also serves on the board of directors for CSX Transportation.
In 2021, Breaux was involved in efforts to lobby against taxation of large inheritances.[14]
In Acadiana, and in honor of the legacy Breaux has left behind, a local Japanese restaurant chain named a sushi roll after him, the John Breaux, with crawfish and avocado.[15]
References
- ^ "John B. Breaux Papers". LSU Libraries. 2009. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
- ^ Perks, Ashley (December 8, 2009). "Trent Lott keeps his Southern ties through lobbying".
- ^ Eggen, Dan (July 2, 2010). "Patton Boggs lobbying firm buys group run by Lott, Breaux". The Washington Post.
- ^ "Political Publications: The Debate Book". politicalpublications.net. Retrieved August 13, 2015.
- ^ Pear, Robert (November 26, 2003). "Sweeping Medicare Change Wins Approval in Congress". New York Times. Retrieved October 11, 2014.
- ^ "About Bob Mann". bobmannblog.com. Retrieved October 18, 2013.
- ^ "Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame". cityofwinnfield.com. Archived from the original on July 3, 2009. Retrieved August 22, 2009.
- ^ Dubos, Clancy (December 17, 2006). "Breaux ex Machina". Gambit Weekly.
- ^ Cillizza, Chris (February 23, 2007). "Breaux to the Rescue?". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 26, 2006.
- ^ Maginnis, John (February 21, 2007). "Desperate Dems look to Breaux again". The New Orleans Times-Picayune. Retrieved January 26, 2006.[dead link]
- ^ Breaux may be ineligible to run for governor race Archived March 2, 2007, at the Wayback Machine Louisiana State University The Daily Reveille February 27, 2007 Retrieved March 22, 2007
- ^ Anderson, Ed (March 30, 2007). "Breaux moves forward with campaign". New Orleans Times-Picayune. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved March 30, 2007.
- ^ Anderson, Ed (April 13, 2007). "Breaux says he won't run for governor". New Orleans Times-Picayune. Archived from the original on April 16, 2007. Retrieved April 13, 2007.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
- ^ "Tsunami Lafayette - Food Menu".