Ron Paul

Ronald Ernest Paul
U.S House of Representatives Texas' 14th District
January 3, 1997—January 3, 2013
Predecessor:	Greg Laughlin
Successor:	Randy Weber
U.S. House of Representatives Texas' 22nd District
January 3, 1979—January 3, 1985
Predecessor:	Bob Gammage
Successor:	Tom DeLay
U.S. House of Representatives Texas' 22nd District
1976—1977
Predecessor:	Bob Casey
Successor:	Bob Gammage
Personal Details
Birth:	August 20, 1935 (82) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Education:	Gettysburg College Duke University
Military:	United States Air Force
Occupation:	Author, Physician
Residence:	Lake Jackson, Texas.
Party:	Libertarian (1987—96; 2015—present) Republican (prior to 1987; 1996—2015)
Media
Website:	http://ronpaulinstitute.org/
Facebook:	Facebook
Twitter:	Twitter
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Dr. Ronald Ernest Paul, a retired politician, author, and physician living in Lake Jackson, Texas. He was previously a member of the United States House of Representatives, first elected to Texas' from Texas' 22nd congressional district from 1979-1985 and again later from Texas' 14th congressional district from 1996 until his retirement in 2013.

Dr. Paul has run for president several times, launching his first campaign in 1988 as a Libertarian. He would run for president two more times in 2008 and 2012, seeking the Republican nomination both times.

Biography

Early Life

Ron Paul was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Dormont High School, Dormont, Pennsylvania 1953. He received his B.A. from Gettysburg College (1957) and M.D. from Duke University School of Medicine (1961). He did his internship and residency training at Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, Michigan from 1961 to 1962. He was a flight surgeon in the United States Air Force from 1963 to 1965. He went on to do obstetrics and gynecology training at the University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from 1965-1968. In 1968 he and his wife Carol moved to Surfside Beach, Texas.

Political Beginnings, 1st Term in Office (1974-1984)

He became a delegate to the Texas state Republican convention in 1974. He was an unsuccessful Republican candidate for election to Congress in 1974 against entrenched liberal Democrat Robert R. Casey. When Casey was appointed head of the Federal Maritime Commission by President Gerald Ford, a special election was held in April 1976 to replace him. Paul won that but lost six months later in the general election to Democrat Robert A. Gammage.

He went on to defeat Gammage in 1978, and would be re-elected in 1980 and 1982. He was the first Congressman to propose term limit legislation for the House of Representatives. In 1984, citing his term limits proposal, he did not seek reelection to the House, although he unsuccessfully contested the Republican primary for Senate. He was succeeded by Tom DeLay, a now disgraced Republican congressman. From 1985-1988 he returned to medical practice as an obstetrics and gynaecology.

1988 Presidential Campaign

In 1988, Dr. Paul won the nomination of the Libertarian Party for the U.S. Presidency. He eventually placed third (with 0.3% of the popular vote) behind George H. W. Bush and Michael Dukakis.

Presidential Election Year Fundraising

1988	Total Receipts
January	35,896
February	29,431
March	120,116
April	43,228
May	143,298
June	124,470
July	50,434
August	68,035
September	177,803
Oct 1 - Oct 20	98,394
Oct 21 - Nov 28	207,122
Nov 29 - Dec 31	11,156
1988 Total	1,109,383

Election Results

Election results as a Libertarian candidate

Year	Office	Vote total	%
1988	President of the United States	432,207	0.47%

Return to the Republican Party, 2nd Term in Office (1996-2013)

In 1996, Paul was again elected to the House as a Republican. Mainstream Republican Party figures backed the incumbent, Greg Laughlin, a Democratic representative who had switched parties in the wake of the Republican takeover of Congress. Laughlin attempted to portray Paul's views as extreme and eccentric. However, Paul won the primary and went on to win the general election.

Leaders of the Texan Republican Party made similar efforts to defeat him in 1998, but he again won the primary and the election. The Republican congressional leadership then agreed to a compromise: Paul votes with the Republicans on procedural matters and remains nominally Republican in exchange for the committee assignments normally due according to his seniority. This is arguably similar to the deal that Senator Jim Jeffords of Vermont has with the Democratic Party (though Jeffords was elected as a Republican and is now officially independent). He was convincingly re-elected in 2000 and 2002. He was elected unopposed in 2004 to his ninth term in the Congress. He was a member of the Republican Liberty Caucus.

External Links

• Official web site of Congressman Ron Paul
• National Taxpayers Union Honors Ron Paul as one of 29 Congressman who are "Taxpayer's Friends"
• Commentary by Rep. Paul on U.S. policy in the Middle East
• Our Candidates Listing
• His Politics 1 2008 Listing
• Libertarian Lady, Exotic Dancer for Ron Paul
• Patrick J Buchanan's endorces of Ron Paul
• Vancouver, BC Magazine Endorces Ron Paul
• 1996, 2002, 2005, 2008: Mayoral Candidate, Buday endorces Ron E. Paul for President or at least FD Thompson/Ron Paul (tie break no vote)

References

• Gwynne, Sam (Oct. 1, 2001). Texas Monthly.
• Bernstein, Alan (May 23, 1996). Newsletter excerpts offer ammunition to Paul's opponent; GOP hopeful quoted on race, crime. The Houston Chronicle, p. A33.

References

Preceded by: David Bergland

Libertarian Party Presidential candidate 1988

Succeeded by: Andre Marrou