Henry Bonilla

Republican Representative of Texas's 23rd district

http://house.gov/bonilla

Congresses Served

House Terms

January 1, 1954 (71 years old)

Birthday

Former congressman who represented Texas’s 23rd congressional district
Defeated in a special election runoff in 2006
Born and raised in San Antonio
Graduated with a Bachelor of Journalism degree from the University of Texas at Austin
Worked as a television news executive before entering politics
Married twice, with his first wife being a news anchor and his second wife named Sheryl White Shelby
Initially won his congressional seat by challenging the incumbent on issues like neglect and involvement in the House banking scandal
Served from 1993 to 2007
Named to George W. Bush’s presidential exploratory committee in 1999
Developed a conservative voting record while in office
Managed the American Dream PAC, aimed at supporting minority GOP candidates, though faced criticism for the allocation of funds
Involved in a controversial redistricting effort in 2003 that was later partly struck down by the Supreme Court for violating the Civil Rights Act
Lost re-election in 2006 after the district was redrawn to include more Democratic areas
Was nominated for Permanent Representative of the United States to the Organization of American States but withdrew after the Senate took no action
Considered for the position of United States Secretary of Agriculture in the Trump Administration in 2016