Tom DeLay
Tom DeLay House Majority Leader In office January 3, 2003 – September 28, 2005 Speaker Dennis Hastert Whip Roy Blunt Preceded by Dick Armey Succeeded by Roy Blunt (Interim) 21st House Majority Whip In office January 3, 1995 – January 3, 2003 Preceded by David Bonior Succeeded by Roy Blunt Secretary of House Republican Conference In office 1993–1995 Preceded by Vin Weber Succeeded by Barbara Vucanovich Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 22nd district In office January 3, 1985 – June 9, 2006 Preceded by Ron Paul Succeeded by Shelley Sekula-Gibbs Member of the Texas House of Representatives, 21st District (Sugar Land) In office 1979–1983 Preceded by Joe A. Hubenak Succeeded by Mark Stiles Member of the Texas House of Representatives, 26th District (Sugar Land) In office 1983–1985 Preceded by Jack R. Hawkins Succeeded by Jim Tallas Personal details Born Thomas Dale DeLay (1947-04-08) April 8, 1947 (age 67) Laredo, Texas, U.S. Political party Republican Spouse(s) Christine Furrh DeLay Residence Sugar Land, Texas, U.S. Alma mater University of Houston Profession Politician Religion Baptist Thomas Dale "Tom" DeLay (/dəˈleɪ/; born April 8, 1947) is a former member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Texas's 22nd congressional district from 1985 until 2006. He was Republican Party (GOP) House Majority Leader from 2003-05. DeLay began his career as a politician in 1978 when he was elected to the Texas House of Representatives. In 1985, he became a born-again Christian. In 1988, after just a few years in the U.S. House, Tom DeLay was appointed Deputy Minority Whip. In 1994 he helped Newt Gingrich effect the Republican Revolution, which gave the Republicans the victory in the 1994 midterm election and swept Democrats from power in both houses of Congress, putting Republicans in control of the House of Representatives for the first time in forty years. In 1995, he was elected House Majority Whip. With the Republicans in control of both chambers in Congress, DeLay, along with Gingrich and conservative activist Grover Norquist, helped start the K Street Project, an effort to advance Republican ideals. DeLay was elected House Majority Leader after the 2002 midterm elections. On policy issues, DeLay was known as a strong conservative during his years in Congress. After leaving Congress, DeLay co-authored, with Stephen Mansfield, a political memoir, No Retreat, No Surrender: One American's Fight. He founded a strategic conservative political consulting firm, First Principles, LLC, and competed on the ninth season of Dancing with the Stars. He has remained involved in foster care, as he and his wife have founded a "Christ-centered" foster community called "Rio Bend", near Richmond, Texas. The DeLays formerly fostered three teenage boys, and have one grown biological daughter, Danielle, a professional dancer. In 2005, DeLay was indicted in Austin on criminal charges of conspiracy to violate election law in 2002 by a Travis County grand jury after having waived his rights under the statutes of limitations. In accordance with Republican Caucus rules, DeLay temporarily resigned from his position as House Majority Leader, and later, after pressure from fellow Republicans, announced that he would not seek to return to the position. He was convicted in January 2011 and sentenced to three years in prison but was free on bail while appealing his conviction. The trial court's judgment was overturned by the Texas Court of Appeals, an intermediate appellate court, on September 19, 2013, with a ruling that "the evidence in the case was 'legally insufficient to sustain DeLay's convictions'", and DeLay was formally acquitted. The State of Texas appealed the acquittal to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, which heard oral arguments on June 18, 2014. On October 1, 2014, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed the appellate court decision overturning DeLay's conviction, concluding in an 8-1 ruling that the state failed to prove that the corporate contributions at issue violated the Texas Election Code.