Ed Whitfield
Encyclopedia
Wayne Edward "Ed" Whitfield (born May 25, 1943) is the U.S. Representative
of , serving since 1995. He is a member of the Republican Party.
The district covers much of the western part of the state, including Hopkinsville
, Paducah
, Henderson
and Kentucky's share of Fort Campbell
.
and attended the University of Kentucky
for both undergraduate and law school, where he was a member of Delta Tau Delta
Fraternity. He also attended the Wesley Theological Seminary
. He served in the United States Army Reserve
and reached the rank of First Lieutenant. He served as legal counsel to executives at Seaboard System Railroad
of Washington. He served as a vice president for the later CSX Corporation
in two different capacities and was the legal counsel to the chairman of the Interstate Commerce Commission
from 1991 to 1993.
member of the Kentucky House of Representatives
from 1974 to 1979.
Whitfield is a member of the moderate Republican Main Street Partnership
. On his official website, he represents himself as a conservative who has consistently voted pro-life
and "supports allowing students to engage in voluntary school prayer
." He also lists military issues and encouraging the use of coal and nuclear power as substitutes for oil as two of his main priorities. The Sunlight Foundation
pointed out that among the 435 members of the U.S. House of Representatives, Whitfield has the seventh-highest amount of investment in oil stocks.
He was one of three Republicans who voted for the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act
in 2009.
When chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
within the Committee on Energy and Commerce
, Whitfield held hearings on child pornography and flag burning.
He is the co-sponsor, with Fred Upton
, of the “Energy Tax Prevention Act of 2011”.
by only 2,500 votes. He narrowly defeated Dennis Null in 1996 even as Bill Clinton
carried the district, but hasn't faced a close race since.
.
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
of , serving since 1995. He is a member of the Republican Party.
The district covers much of the western part of the state, including Hopkinsville
Hopkinsville, Kentucky
Hopkinsville is a city in Christian County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 31,577 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Christian County.- History :...
, Paducah
Paducah, Kentucky
Paducah is the largest city in Kentucky's Jackson Purchase Region and the county seat of McCracken County, Kentucky, United States. It is located at the confluence of the Tennessee River and the Ohio River, halfway between the metropolitan areas of St. Louis, Missouri, to the west and Nashville,...
, Henderson
Henderson, Kentucky
Henderson is a city in Henderson County, Kentucky, United States, along the Ohio River in the western part of the state. The population was 27,952 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Evansville Metropolitan Area often referred to as "Kentuckiana", although "Tri-State Area" or "Tri-State" are more...
and Kentucky's share of Fort Campbell
Fort Campbell, Kentucky
Fort Campbell is a United States Army installation located astraddle the Kentucky-Tennessee border between Hopkinsville, Kentucky, and Clarksville, Tennessee...
.
Early life, education and career
Whitfield was born in Hopkinsville, KentuckyHopkinsville, Kentucky
Hopkinsville is a city in Christian County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 31,577 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Christian County.- History :...
and attended the University of Kentucky
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...
for both undergraduate and law school, where he was a member of Delta Tau Delta
Delta Tau Delta
Delta Tau Delta is a U.S.-based international secret letter college fraternity. Delta Tau Delta was founded in 1858 at Bethany College, Bethany, Virginia, . It currently has around 125 student chapters nationwide, as well as more than 25 regional alumni groups. Its national community service...
Fraternity. He also attended the Wesley Theological Seminary
Wesley Theological Seminary
Wesley Theological Seminary is a United Methodist–affiliated seminary located in Washington, D.C., United States. The school was founded in 1882...
. He served in the United States Army Reserve
United States Army Reserve
The United States Army Reserve is the federal reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the reserve components of the United States Army....
and reached the rank of First Lieutenant. He served as legal counsel to executives at Seaboard System Railroad
Seaboard System Railroad
The Seaboard System Railroad was a former Class I railroad created by merging the railroads of the Family Lines System. Although sharing common ownership, the railroads of the Family Lines System used different names when conducting business...
of Washington. He served as a vice president for the later CSX Corporation
CSX Corporation
CSX Corporation was formed in 1980 by the merger of Chessie System and Seaboard Coast Line Industries and eventually merged the various railroads owned by those predecessors into a single line that became known as CSX Transportation. Based in Richmond, Virginia, USA after the merger, in 2003...
in two different capacities and was the legal counsel to the chairman of the Interstate Commerce Commission
Interstate Commerce Commission
The Interstate Commerce Commission was a regulatory body in the United States created by the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887. The agency's original purpose was to regulate railroads to ensure fair rates, to eliminate rate discrimination, and to regulate other aspects of common carriers, including...
from 1991 to 1993.
Kentucky House of Representatives
Whitfield gained his first political experience as a DemocraticDemocratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
member of the Kentucky House of Representatives
Kentucky House of Representatives
The Kentucky House of Representatives is the lower house of the Kentucky General Assembly. It is composed of 100 Representatives elected from single-member districts throughout the Commonwealth. Not more than two counties can be joined to form a House district, except when necessary to preserve...
from 1974 to 1979.
Committee assignments
- Committee on Energy and CommerceUnited States House Committee on Energy and CommerceThe Committee on Energy and Commerce is one of the oldest standing committees of the United States House of Representatives. Established in 1795, it has operated continuously—with various name changes and jurisdictional changes—for more than 200 years...
- Subcommittee on Energy and Power (Chairman)
- Subcommittee on Environment and EconomyUnited States House Energy Subcommittee on Environment and EconomyThe Energy Subcommittee on Environment and Economy is a subcommittee within the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. Prior to 2009, it was known as the Subcommittee on Environment and Hazardous Materials, and was part of the Subcommittee on Energy and Environment from 2009 to 2011...
- Subcommittee on Health
Whitfield is a member of the moderate Republican Main Street Partnership
Republican Main Street Partnership
The Republican Main Street Partnership is a group of moderate members of the United States Republican Party. They tend away from the dominant social conservatism of many Republicans and towards a moderate fiscal conservatism and limited government to a degree. The group is the rough equivalent of...
. On his official website, he represents himself as a conservative who has consistently voted pro-life
Pro-life
Opposition to the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-life, or anti-abortion, movement, a social and political movement opposing elective abortion on moral grounds and supporting its legal prohibition or restriction...
and "supports allowing students to engage in voluntary school prayer
School prayer
School prayer in its common usage refers to state-approved prayer by students in state schools. Depending on the country and the type of school, organized prayer may be required, permitted, or prohibited...
." He also lists military issues and encouraging the use of coal and nuclear power as substitutes for oil as two of his main priorities. The Sunlight Foundation
Sunlight Foundation
The Sunlight Foundation is a 501 educational organization founded in April 2006 with the goal of increasing transparency and accountability in the United States government....
pointed out that among the 435 members of the U.S. House of Representatives, Whitfield has the seventh-highest amount of investment in oil stocks.
He was one of three Republicans who voted for the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act
Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act
The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 is an Act of Congress enacted by the 111th United States Congress and signed into law by President Barack Obama on January 29, 2009....
in 2009.
When chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
United States House Energy Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
The U.S. House Energy Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations is a subcommittee within the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.-Jurisdiction:...
within the Committee on Energy and Commerce
United States House Committee on Energy and Commerce
The Committee on Energy and Commerce is one of the oldest standing committees of the United States House of Representatives. Established in 1795, it has operated continuously—with various name changes and jurisdictional changes—for more than 200 years...
, Whitfield held hearings on child pornography and flag burning.
He is the co-sponsor, with Fred Upton
Fred Upton
Frederick Stephen Upton is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1987. He is a member of the Republican Party and Chairman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce. The district, based in Kalamazoo, stretches along the Michigan-Indiana border in the southwestern part of the state.-Early life,...
, of the “Energy Tax Prevention Act of 2011”.
Political campaigns
Whitfield had been a Democrat for most of his life, but in 1994 filed to run in the 1st District as a Republican. He defeated the 1992 Republican nominee, Steve Hamrick, in the primary, and then narrowly defeated freshman Democratic Congressman Tom BarlowThomas Barlow (politician)
Thomas Jefferson "Tom" Barlow III , a Democrat, represented Kentucky in the United States House of Representatives for one term.Barlow was born in Washington, DC, but grew up in Louisville, Kentucky...
by only 2,500 votes. He narrowly defeated Dennis Null in 1996 even as Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
carried the district, but hasn't faced a close race since.
Personal life
Whitfield's wife, Constance Whitfield, is a former Assistant Secretary of the InteriorUnited States Secretary of the Interior
The United States Secretary of the Interior is the head of the United States Department of the Interior.The US Department of the Interior should not be confused with the concept of Ministries of the Interior as used in other countries...
.
External links
- U.S. Congressman Ed Whitfield official U.S. House site
- Whitfield for U.S. Congress official campaign site
- Profile at SourceWatchSourceWatchSourceWatch is an internet wiki site that is a collaborative project of the liberal Center for Media and Democracy...