Charles Augustine González (born May 5, 1945) is an American
Democratic politician from
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
. He represented
Texas's 20th congressional district
Texas's 20th congressional district of the United States House of Representatives includes the western half of San Antonio and Bexar County in Texas. The district is heavily Latino/Hispanic (predominantly of Mexican descent), as is the surroun ...
in the
U.S. House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
from 1999 to 2013. He served as Chairman of Latinos for Obama and National Co-Chair of President Obama's
2012 re-election campaign.
Early life, education, and legal career
González was born in
San Antonio, Texas
("Cradle of Freedom")
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, the son of Bertha Marie (née Cuellar) and
Henry B. González, who represented the 20th from 1961 until his son took over in 1999. His parents, of Mexican descent, were both Texas-born. Charlie graduated from
Thomas A. Edison High School. He received his
bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...
in
government
A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state.
In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is ...
from the
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,07 ...
in 1969, and then later earned his
Juris Doctor degree from
St. Mary's University in San Antonio in 1972. As a youth, he was a
Boy Scout in Troop 90 of San Antonio. His father was the Scoutmaster.
González served as a
technical sergeant
Technical sergeant is the name of two current and two former enlisted ranks in the United States Armed Forces, as well as in the U.S. Civil Air Patrol. Outside the United States, it is used only by the Philippine Army, Philippine Air Force and the ...
in the Texas
Air National Guard from 1969 until 1975. He then began practicing law until 1982 when he began rising through the ranks of the
court
A court is any person or institution, often as a government institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in acco ...
system. He served first as a municipal court judge, then later as a judge in county and then district court, both of which are elected positions.
U.S. House of Representatives
Elections
Henry González, of
Texas's 20th congressional district
Texas's 20th congressional district of the United States House of Representatives includes the western half of San Antonio and Bexar County in Texas. The district is heavily Latino/Hispanic (predominantly of Mexican descent), as is the surroun ...
, had long groomed his son to be his successor. When his father didn't seek a full 19th term in 1998, Charlie ran for the seat. In a crowded seven-way Democratic primary, Gonzalez led the field with 44%, missing the 50% threshold to avoid a run-off. In that election, he defeated San Antonio City Councilwoman Maria Antonietta Berriozabal 62%-38%. In the general election, he defeated
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
James Walker 63%-36%. He became only the fourth person to represent the 20th District since its creation in 1935. In fact, Charlie's first race was the first open-seat race in the district's 64-year history. However, he had effectively assured himself of succeeding his father with his primary win. The 20th is a heavily Democratic, majority-Hispanic district; the Republicans have only put up nominal candidates in this district since Henry won it in a 1961 special election.
Charlie kept this tradition going. He was re-elected six more times, and never won re-election with less than 63% of the vote. He only faced a Republican challenger three times, in 2004, 2008 and 2010. He had no major-party opposition in 2000 and 2006 and was completely unopposed in 2002.
He decided to retire and not seek another term in 2012.
Tenure
Charlie González is a member of the
New Democrat Coalition
The New Democrat Coalition is a caucus in the House of Representatives of the United States Congress made up of Democrats, primarily centrists, who take a pro-business stance and a moderate-to-conservative approach to fiscal matters.
As of ...
. He is generally seen as less confrontational than his father, who once punched someone for calling him a
communist. Between them, the father and son represented the 20th for 52 consecutive years; the only family combination to serve longer in the House has been the
Dingells of
Michigan
Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...
, who have represented various districts centered around
Detroit and its suburbs for almost 90 consecutive years.
Rep. González was one of the first congressmen to actively support Barack Obama in the 2008 Democratic presidential primary. "Senator Obama brings all these new fresh faces,’’ Gonzalez told the San Antonio Express-News. "He has a wider audience. He has the greater potential to engage a greater number of people.’’
González announced on November 25, 2011, that he would not seek reelection in the
2012 congressional elections. He said he wanted a job that would allow him "to be productive and have the resources to make a better life" for himself and his family.
Committee assignments
*
Committee on Energy and Commerce
A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly. A committee is not itself considered to be a form of assembly. Usually, the assembly sends matters into a committee as a way to explore them more ...
**
Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade
**
Subcommittee on Energy and Power
A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly. A committee is not itself considered to be a form of assembly. Usually, the assembly sends matters into a committee as a way to explore them more ...
**
Subcommittee on Health The U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health is a subcommittee within the Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Jurisdiction
The House Subcommittee on Health has general jurisdiction over bills and resolutions relating to pub ...
*
Committee on House Administration
The United States House Committee on House Administration deals with the general administration matters of the United States House of Representatives.
History
The Committee on House Administration was created by the Legislative Reorganization A ...
**
Subcommittee on Elections (Ranking Member)
**
Subcommittee on Oversight
Caucus memberships
*
Congressional Hispanic Caucus
The Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) is an organization of 38 Democratic members of the United States Congress of Hispanic and Latino descent. The Caucus focuses on issues affecting Hispanics and Latinos in the United States. The CHC was fou ...
(Chair)
*Congressional
LGBT Equality Caucus
The Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus was formed by openly gay representatives Tammy Baldwin and Barney Frank June 4, 2008, to advance LGBT+ rights. The caucus had 165 members (164 Democrats and one Republican, Jeff Van Drew) in the 1 ...
*Congressional Arts Caucus
See also
*
References
External links
U.S. Representative Charles A. Gonzalez''official U.S. House website''
Charles A. Gonzalez Congressional Committee''official campaign website''
*
*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Gonzalez, Charlie
1945 births
21st-century American politicians
American judges of Mexican descent
American politicians of Mexican descent
Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Texas
Hispanic and Latino American members of the United States Congress
Living people
Politicians from San Antonio
St. Mary's University School of Law alumni
Texas National Guard personnel
Texas state court judges
United States Air Force airmen