Robert E. Bauman (born April 4, 1937) is an American lawyer and politician. He is a former member of 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 Maryland's 1st congressional district (1973–1981). Bauman was a prominent conservative advocate in the House, legal counsel for The Sovereign Society, and author of financial books.

Early life and career

Robert Edmund Bauman was born in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, to an unwed single mother. When a teenager, Bauman moved to

Easton, Maryland Easton is an incorporated town in and the county seat of Talbot County, Maryland, United States. The population was 15,945 at the 2010 census, with an estimated population in 2019 of 16,671. The primary ZIP Code is 21601, and the secondary ...

, where he attended Easton High School until 1953. In 1955, he graduated from the Capitol Page School at the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

He obtained a

B.S. A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

in international affairs from the School of Foreign Service at

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

in 1959, and a J.D. degree from Georgetown University Law Center in 1964. He was admitted to the Maryland

Bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...

in 1964, was later admitted to the District of Columbia bar, and entered into private practice as a lawyer. Representative Bauman, politically known as "Bob Bauman," served as a delegate to the

Republican National Convention The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the United States Republican Party. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal of the Repu ...

s of 1964, 1972, 1976 and 1980. He was also a member of the Federal Hospital Council of the United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare from 1970 to 1973. In 1970, he was elected to the Maryland Senate, where he served as a member from 1971 to 1973. A

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

, he was married to Carol Dawson, a co-founder of

Young Americans for Freedom Young Americans for Freedom (YAF) is a conservative youth activism organization that was founded in 1960 as a coalition between traditional conservatives and libertarians on American college campuses. It is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization ...

, with whom he had four children.

United States Congress

Bauman was elected to the

United States 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 house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

as a Republican in an August 1973 special election. He replaced William O. Mills, who had committed

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...

the previous May.

Political positions

In Congress, Bauman established a reputation as a staunch conservative, often criticizing the state of morality in the United States. He was a founding member of several conservative activist groups, including the

(YAF) and the

American Conservative Union The American Conservative Union (ACU) is an American political organization that advocates for conservative policies, ranks politicians based on their level of conservatism, and organizes the Conservative Political Action Conference. Founded on ...

(ACU), and he served both as national chairman. Bauman was also known for his exceptional knowledge of

parliamentary procedure Parliamentary procedure is the accepted rules, ethics, and customs governing meetings of an assembly or organization. Its object is to allow orderly deliberation upon questions of interest to the organization and thus to arrive at the sense or t ...

and was considered a rising star in the Republican Party in the late 1970s.

Scandal

On October 3, 1980, while he was running for re-election, Bauman was charged for soliciting sex from a 16-year-old male

prostitute Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-penet ...

. After the charges were made public, Bauman said he was suffering from

alcoholism Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol (drug), alcohol that results in significant Mental health, mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognize ...

and entered himself into a court-supervised rehabilitation program, which, upon successful completion, resulted in the charges being dropped. Bauman stated he would continue his re-election campaign, and apologized to voters for his indiscretions. Bauman was defeated by Democrat

Roy Dyson Royden Patrick Dyson (born November 15, 1948), is an American politician. He is a former Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from Maryland. Born in Great Mills, Maryland, Dyson attended private schools and graduate ...

on November 4, 1980. Dyson was not considered a serious contender for the seat before the charges were filed against Bauman. In 1982, Bauman again ran for the nomination for the House seat he had lost, but withdrew from the race before primary election day.

Post-congressional activities

Bauman was co-founder and legal counsel for the Sovereign Society, a group dedicated to promoting

offshore banking An offshore bank is a bank regulated under international banking license (often called offshore license), which usually prohibits the bank from establishing any business activities in the jurisdiction of establishment. Due to less regulation and ...

and investment, that funneled clients to the Panamanian law firm

Mossack Fonseca Mossack Fonseca & Co. () was a Panamanian law firm and Corporate services, corporate service provider.he Sovereign Societyphilosophy is not promoted by tax evasion but tax avoidance," Bauman said in an interview. "We serve as a conduit for people who want certain things offshore." Bauman is the author of numerous books on offshore and tax haven issues. He also wrote an autobiography, ''The Gentleman from Maryland: The Conscience of a Gay Conservative,'' which was published in 1986.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bauman, Robert 1937 births Catholics from Maryland Walsh School of Foreign Service alumni Gay politicians Georgetown University Law Center alumni LGBT members of the United States Congress LGBT people from Pennsylvania LGBT Roman Catholics LGBT state legislators in Maryland Living people Republican Party Maryland state senators People from Easton, Maryland People from Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Maryland LGBT conservatism in the United States