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'''Spencer Thomas Bachus III''' (born [[December 28]], [[1947]] in [[Birmingham]]) represented the [[6th Congressional District of Alabama]] in the United States House of Representatives for eleven terms, from [[1992]] to [[2015]].
'''Spencer Thomas Bachus III''' (born [[December 28]], [[1947]] in [[Birmingham]]) represented the [[6th Congressional District of Alabama]] in the United States House of Representatives for eleven terms, from [[1992]] to [[2015]].


Bachus was born in [[Birmingham]] to Edith Wells and Spencer Thomas Bachus Jr. He graduated from [[Auburn University]] in [[1969]] and, while serving in the [[Alabama National Guard]], completed his Juris Doctor in [[1972]] at the [[University of Alabama School of Law]]. He maintained a private law practice and also owned a sawmill before entering politics.
Bachus was born in [[Birmingham]] to Edith Wells and Spencer Thomas Bachus Jr. He graduated from [[Shades Valley High School]], and then from [[Auburn University]] in [[1969]]. While serving in the [[Alabama National Guard]], completed his Juris Doctor in [[1972]] at the [[University of Alabama School of Law]]. He maintained a private law practice and also owned a sawmill before entering politics.


[[Image:Spencer Bachus at Rainbow Viaduct.jpg|left|thumb|175px|Bachus helped locate funding to restore the memorials on Birmingham's [[Rainbow Viaduct]] in [[2012]].]]
[[Image:Spencer Bachus at Rainbow Viaduct.jpg|left|thumb|175px|Bachus helped locate funding to restore the memorials on Birmingham's [[Rainbow Viaduct]] in [[2012]].]]
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Since that time the District has only grown more solid for the Republican Party, with President Bush winning 78% of the district's votes in the [[2004 general election]], more than in any other district in the United States. No Democratic challenger faced Bachus between 2000 and 2012.
Since that time the District has only grown more solid for the Republican Party, with President Bush winning 78% of the district's votes in the [[2004 general election]], more than in any other district in the United States. No Democratic challenger faced Bachus between 2000 and 2012.


Bachus' voting record was generally in line with the Republican Party's political platform. He chaired the Banking Oversight Committee, where he investigated malfeasance in the Community Development Financial Institute and participated in amending the Fair Credit Reporting Act. During the 1990s, Bachus championed debt relief for developing nations, criticizing the Bush administration for their involvement with the Sudanese government, which had been accused of acts of genocide.
Bachus' voting record was generally in line with the Republican Party's political platform. He chaired the House Financial Services Committee, though he felt that, "In Washington, the view is that the banks are to be regulated, and my view is that Washington and the regulators are there to serve the banks. His committee investigated malfeasance in the Community Development Financial Institute and participated in amending the Fair Credit Reporting Act. During the 1990s, Bachus championed debt relief for developing nations, criticizing the Bush administration for their involvement with the Sudanese government, which had been accused of acts of genocide.


Bachus was visibly involved in assisting local efforts to advance the search for missing [[Mountain Brook]] teenager [[Natalee Holloway]]. In [[2005]] he accused comedian Bill Maher of making "treasonous comments" regarding U.S. Army recruiting quotas.
Bachus was visibly involved in assisting local efforts to advance the search for missing [[Mountain Brook]] teenager [[Natalee Holloway]]. In [[2005]] he accused comedian Bill Maher of making "treasonous comments" regarding U.S. Army recruiting quotas.
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On [[September 18]], [[2008]], while serving as Chair of the House Financial Services Committee, Bachus and other congressional leaders were briefed privately by Ben Bernanke and Hank Paulson on the ongoing financial crisis triggered by the collapse of housing markets the previous year. Bernanke warned the members present that without strong intervention that it would be "a matter of days before there is a meltdown in the global financial system." The following day Bachus personally purchased more than $7,800 worth of shares in Proshares Ultra-Short QQQ, and then cashed out, nearly doubling his investment, when the NASDAQ dropped over the next few days.
On [[September 18]], [[2008]], while serving as Chair of the House Financial Services Committee, Bachus and other congressional leaders were briefed privately by Ben Bernanke and Hank Paulson on the ongoing financial crisis triggered by the collapse of housing markets the previous year. Bernanke warned the members present that without strong intervention that it would be "a matter of days before there is a meltdown in the global financial system." The following day Bachus personally purchased more than $7,800 worth of shares in Proshares Ultra-Short QQQ, and then cashed out, nearly doubling his investment, when the NASDAQ dropped over the next few days.


Bachus' alleged insider trading, revealed years after the fact, was not prosecuted and did not affect his re-election. In [[2013]] he announced his intention not to run for a 12th term. [[Gary Palmer]] was elected to fill his vacant seat in the [[2014 general election|2014 election]]. In [[2017]] President Donald Trump appointed Bachus to a vacancy on the Export–Import Bank of the United States.
Bachus' alleged insider trading, revealed years after the fact, was not prosecuted and did not affect his re-election, easily defeating Republican challenger [[Scott Beason]] in the [[2012 primary elections|2012 primary]] and coasting past Democrat [[Penny Bailey]] in the general election.
 
In [[2013]] Bachus announced his intention not to run for a 12th term. [[Gary Palmer]] was elected to fill his vacant seat in the [[2014 general election|2014 election]]. In [[2017]] President Donald Trump appointed Bachus to a vacancy on the Export–Import Bank of the United States.


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===Electoral history===
===Electoral history===
* [[1992 primary elections|1992 Republican primary]]:
* 1992
* [[1992 general election]]: Bachus 146,599 votes (52%); [[Ben Erdreich]] 126,062 votes (45%); [[Carla Cloum]] (Independent) 4,521 votes (3%); [[Mark Bodenhausen]] (Libertarian) 2,836 votes (1%)
** [[1992 primary elections|1992 Republican primary]]: Bachus (39%), defeated [[Marty Connors]] in runoff
* [[1994 primary elections|1994 Republican primary]]:  
** [[1992 general election]]: Bachus 146,599 votes (52%); [[Ben Erdreich]] 126,062 votes (45%); [[Carla Cloum]] (Independent) 4,521 votes (3%); [[Mark Bodenhausen]] (Libertarian) 2,836 votes (1%)
* [[1994 general election]]: Bachus 155,047 votes (79%); [[Larry Fortenberry]] (Democratic) 41,030 votes (21%)
* 1994
* [[1996 primary elections|1996 Republican primary]]:  
** [[1994 primary elections|1994 Republican primary]]:  
* [[1996 general election]]: Bachus 180,781 votes (71%); [[Mary Lynn Bates]] (Democratic) 69,592 votes (27%); [[T. Franklin Harris]] (Libertarian) 2,293 (1%); [[Diane Vogel]] (Natural Law) 2,113 votes (1%)
** [[1994 general election]]: Bachus 155,047 votes (79%); [[Larry Fortenberry]] (Democratic) 41,030 votes (21%)
* [[1998 primary elections|1998 Republican primary]]:  
* 1996
* [[1998 general election]]: Bachus 154,761 votes (72%); [[Donna Smalley]] (Democratic) 60,657 votes (28%)
** [[1996 primary elections|1996 Republican primary]]:  
* [[2000 primary elections|2000 Republican primary]]:  
** [[1996 general election]]: Bachus 180,781 votes (71%); [[Mary Lynn Bates]] (Democratic) 69,592 votes (27%); [[T. Franklin Harris]] (Libertarian) 2,293 (1%); [[Diane Vogel]] (Natural Law) 2,113 votes (1%)
* [[2000 general election]]: Bachus 212,751 votes (88%); [[Terry Reagin]] (Libertarian) 28,189 votes (12%)
* 1998
* [[2002 primary elections|2002 Republican primary]]:  
** [[1998 primary elections|1998 Republican primary]]:  
* [[2002 general election]]: Bachus 178,171 votes (90%); [[J. Holden McAllister]] (Libertarian) 19,639 votes (10%)
** [[1998 general election]]: Bachus 154,761 votes (72%); [[Donna Smalley]] (Democratic) 60,657 votes (28%)
* [[2004 primary elections|2004 Republican primary]]: Bachus defeated [[Phillip Jauregui]]
* 2000
* [[2004 general election]]: Bachus 264,819 votes  (99%); other 3,224 votes (1%)
** [[2000 primary elections|2000 Republican primary]]:  
* [[2006 primary elections|2006 Republican primary]]: Bachus 163,514 votes (98.3%)
** [[2000 general election]]: Bachus 212,751 votes (88%); [[Terry Reagin]] (Libertarian) 28,189 votes (12%)
* [[2006 general election]]: unopposed
* 2002
* [[2008 primary elections|2008 Republican primary]]: unopposed
** [[2002 primary elections|2002 Republican primary]]:  
* [[2008 general election]]: unopposed
** [[2002 general election]]: Bachus 178,171 votes (90%); [[J. Holden McAllister]] (Libertarian) 19,639 votes (10%)
* [[2010 primary elections|2010 Republican primary]]: Bachus 80,687 votes (75.6%); [[Stan Cooke]] 25,895 votes (24.4%)
* 2004
* [[2010 general election]]: 205,288 votes (100%) (unopposed)
** [[2004 primary elections|2004 Republican primary]]: Bachus defeated [[Phillip Jauregui]]
* [[2012 primary elections|2012 Republican primary]]: Bachus 63,359 votes (61.5%); [[Scott Beason]] 28,671 votes (27.9%); [[David Standridge]] 8,120 votes (7.9%); [[Al Mickle]] 2,929 votes (2.9%)  
** [[2004 general election]]: Bachus 264,819 votes  (99%); other 3,224 votes (1%)
* [[2012 general election]]: Bachus 219,262 votes (71.2%); [[Penny Bailey]] (Democrat) 88,267 votes (28.6%)
* 2006
** [[2006 primary elections|2006 Republican primary]]: Bachus 163,514 votes (98.3%)
** [[2006 general election]]: unopposed
* 2008
** [[2008 primary elections|2008 Republican primary]]: unopposed
** [[2008 general election]]: unopposed
* 2010
** [[2010 primary elections|2010 Republican primary]]: Bachus 80,687 votes (75.6%); [[Stan Cooke]] 25,895 votes (24.4%)
** [[2010 general election]]: 205,288 votes (100%) (unopposed)
* 2012
** [[2012 primary elections|2012 Republican primary]]: Bachus 63,359 votes (61.5%); [[Scott Beason]] 28,671 votes (27.9%); [[David Standridge]] 8,120 votes (7.9%); [[Al Mickle]] 2,929 votes (2.9%)  
** [[2012 general election]]: Bachus 219,262 votes (71.2%); [[Penny Bailey]] (Democrat) 88,267 votes (28.6%)


==References==
==References==
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[[Category:1947 births]]
[[Category:1947 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Shades Valley graduates]]
[[Category:Auburn alumni]]
[[Category:Auburn alumni]]
[[Category:Alabama School of Law alumni]]
[[Category:Alabama School of Law alumni]]
[[Category:Attorneys]]
[[Category:Attorneys]]
[[Category:Political party officials]]
[[Category:Alabama Board of Education]]
[[Category:Alabama Board of Education]]
[[Category:U.S. Representatives]]
[[Category:U.S. Representatives]]

Latest revision as of 21:06, 4 January 2024

Spencer Bachus

Spencer Thomas Bachus III (born December 28, 1947 in Birmingham) represented the 6th Congressional District of Alabama in the United States House of Representatives for eleven terms, from 1992 to 2015.

Bachus was born in Birmingham to Edith Wells and Spencer Thomas Bachus Jr. He graduated from Shades Valley High School, and then from Auburn University in 1969. While serving in the Alabama National Guard, completed his Juris Doctor in 1972 at the University of Alabama School of Law. He maintained a private law practice and also owned a sawmill before entering politics.

Bachus helped locate funding to restore the memorials on Birmingham's Rainbow Viaduct in 2012.

Bachus was elected to the Alabama State Senate in 1983 and served one term, after which he won a seat in the Alabama House of Representatives, representing District __ from 1984 to 1987. At the end of his second term in the House he was appointed to the Alabama Board of Education. In 1990 he ran unsuccessfully for Attorney General. From there went on to chair the Alabama Republican Party Executive Committee until 1992, when he was first elected to the United States Congress.

After the 1990 U.S. Census the 7th Congressional District of Alabama was reconfigured to create a majority African-American congressional district, as required by the Department of Justice. Much of the new district was carved out of the 6th Congressional District, leaving a strong majority of suburban whites who tended to favor Republican nominees. The realignment helped Bachus to defeat Democratic five-term incumbent Ben Erdreich by 7% of the vote in 1992. He took office on January 3, 1993.

Since that time the District has only grown more solid for the Republican Party, with President Bush winning 78% of the district's votes in the 2004 general election, more than in any other district in the United States. No Democratic challenger faced Bachus between 2000 and 2012.

Bachus' voting record was generally in line with the Republican Party's political platform. He chaired the House Financial Services Committee, though he felt that, "In Washington, the view is that the banks are to be regulated, and my view is that Washington and the regulators are there to serve the banks. His committee investigated malfeasance in the Community Development Financial Institute and participated in amending the Fair Credit Reporting Act. During the 1990s, Bachus championed debt relief for developing nations, criticizing the Bush administration for their involvement with the Sudanese government, which had been accused of acts of genocide.

Bachus was visibly involved in assisting local efforts to advance the search for missing Mountain Brook teenager Natalee Holloway. In 2005 he accused comedian Bill Maher of making "treasonous comments" regarding U.S. Army recruiting quotas.

Leading up to the 2004 election, Bachus was rated at 80% for economic conservatism, 77% for social conservatism, and 68% for foreign policy conservatism by the National Journal. The American Civil Liberties Union and the League of Conservation Voters both rated him at 0, while the U.S. Chamber of Commerce gave him a score of 100. The Christian Coalition gave him a 92 rating and the National Taxpayers Union gave him a 62.

On September 18, 2008, while serving as Chair of the House Financial Services Committee, Bachus and other congressional leaders were briefed privately by Ben Bernanke and Hank Paulson on the ongoing financial crisis triggered by the collapse of housing markets the previous year. Bernanke warned the members present that without strong intervention that it would be "a matter of days before there is a meltdown in the global financial system." The following day Bachus personally purchased more than $7,800 worth of shares in Proshares Ultra-Short QQQ, and then cashed out, nearly doubling his investment, when the NASDAQ dropped over the next few days.

Bachus' alleged insider trading, revealed years after the fact, was not prosecuted and did not affect his re-election, easily defeating Republican challenger Scott Beason in the 2012 primary and coasting past Democrat Penny Bailey in the general election.

In 2013 Bachus announced his intention not to run for a 12th term. Gary Palmer was elected to fill his vacant seat in the 2014 election. In 2017 President Donald Trump appointed Bachus to a vacancy on the Export–Import Bank of the United States.


Preceded by:
Ben Erdreich 		Representative, 6th Congressional District of Alabama
1993-2014 		Succeeded by:
Gary Palmer

Electoral history

References

  • Bachus, Spencer T., III (n. d.) Biographical Dictionary of the United States Congress
  • Schweizer, Peter (2011) Throw Them All Out: How Politicians and Their Friends Get Rich Off Insider Stock Tips, Land Deals, and Cronyism That Would Send the Rest of us to Prison. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt ISBN 0547573146
  • Haden, Courtney (March 8, 2012) "Spencer's Mountain: The Sixth District Incumbent Takes a Roundabout Road to Re-election." Weld for Birmingham, p. 4
  • "Spencer Bachus" (April 15, 2017) Wikipedia - accessed April 17, 2017

External links

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