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Charlie Gonzalez
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 20th district
Incumbent
Assumed office  1999
Preceded by	Henry Gonzalez
Born	May 5, 1945 (1945-05-05) (age 64) San Antonio, Texas
Political party	Democratic
Residence	San Antonio, Texas
Alma mater	University of Texas, St. Mary's University
Occupation	attorney, judge
Religion	Roman Catholic
Military service
Service/branch	United States Air National Guard
Years of service	1969-1975
Rank	Technical Sergeant
Unit	Texas

Charles A. "Charlie" Gonzalez (born May 5, 1945), is a Democratic politician from Texas. He has represented Texas's 20th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1999. The district includes more than half of San Antonio.

Biography and career

Gonzalez was born in San Antonio, Texas. His father, Henry B. Gonzalez, represented the 20th from 1961 until his son took over in 1999. Charlie graduated from Thomas A. Edison High School. He received his bachelor's degree in government from the University of Texas at Austin in 1969, and then later earned his Juris Doctor degree from St. Mary's University in San Antonio in 1972.

Gonzalez served as a technical sergeant in the Texas Air National Guard from 1969 until 1975. He then began practicing law until 1982 when he began rising through the ranks of the court system. He served first as a municipal court judge, then later as a judge in county and then district court, both of which are elected positions.

Henry Gonzalez had long groomed his son as his successor, so Charlie was well-positioned to run when his father didn't seek a full 19th term in 1998. After dispatching former San Antonio city councilwoman Maria Berriozabal in the primary runoff in April 1998, he defeated his only major challenger in the general election, Republican James Walker, carrying 63% of the vote and became only the fourth person to represent the 20th District since its creation in 1935; in fact, Charlie's first race was the first open-seat race in the district's 64-year history. He was reelected with no major-party opposition in 2000 and 2006, unopposed in 2002, and with 63% of the vote in 2004.

Charlie Gonzalez is a member of the New Democrat Coalition and is considered to be a moderate Democrat. However, he is very supportive of liberal policies on the environment and the economy.

He is generally seen as less confrontational than his father, who once punched someone for calling him a communist. Between them, the father and son have served 48 consecutive years in Congress as of November, 2009; the only father and son combination to serve longer in the House has been the Dingells of Michigan, who have represented the state's 15th District for 72 consecutive years.

Congressional committee assignments

• Committee on Energy and Commerce
  • Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection
  • Subcommittee on Energy and Environment
• Committee on House Administration
  • Subcommittee on Elections
• Committee on the Judiciary
  • Subcommittee on Courts and Competition Policy
  • Task Force on Judicial Impeachment

Caucus memberships

• Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

References

• U.S. Representative Charlie Gonzalez — Official Site
• Project Vote Smart — Representative Gonzalez
• Election Information — U.S. House Office of the Clerk

External links

United States Air Force portal

• U.S. Representative Charles A. Gonzalez official U.S. House site
• Charles A. Gonzalez Congressional Committee official campaign site
• Charlie Gonzalez at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Federal Election Commission — Charles A Gonzalez campaign finance reports and data
• On the Issues — Charlie Gonzalez issue positions and quotes
• OpenSecrets.org — Charlie A. Gonzalez campaign contributions
• Project Vote Smart — Representative Charles A. 'Charlie' Gonzalez (TX) profile
• Washington Post — Congress Votes Database: Charlie Gonzalez voting record