Raymond H. LaHood (born December 6, 1945) is an American politician who served as the 16th
United States Secretary of Transportation from 2009 to 2013 under President
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the ...
. A member of the
Republican Party, he previously served in the
Illinois House of Representatives (1982–1983) and
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 chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
(1995–2009).
In 2015 ''Seeking Bipartisanship: My Life in Politics'', a book by Ray LaHood, coauthored with Frank H. Mackaman of The Dirksen Congressional Center, was published by
Cambria Press
Cambria Press is an independent academic publisher based in Amherst, New York. The publishing company was established by 2006, with its first titles released in September of that year.Blackwell Book Services (2007) Cambria publishes academic mono ...
.
In 2017, LaHood admitted to the FBI that while holding federal office he had accepted a $50,000 payment from a foreign national for personal home repairs, and that he violated federal government ethics by not reporting the payment on his Office of Government Ethics Form 278. In 2019, government prosecutors and LaHood agreed to a Non-Prosecution Agreement that required LaHood to admit responsibility, repay the $50,000 loan and pay a $40,000 fine to the U.S. government.
Early life and education
LaHood was born in
Peoria, Illinois, the son of Edward M. LaHood, a
Lebanese American
Lebanese Americans ( ar, أمريكيون لبنانيون) are Americans of Lebanese descent. This includes both those who are native to the United States of America, as well as immigrants from Lebanon.
Lebanese Americans comprise 0.79% of the ...
who managed a restaurant, and Mary A. LaHood (née Vogel), who was of German ancestry.
In 2006, he was one of four
Arab American members of Congress.
He graduated from
Spalding Institute
Academy of Our Lady and Spalding Institute were Catholic high schools across the street from each other in downtown Peoria, Illinois.
The Academy (AOL), a girls' school, traced its lineage back to 1863. The Spalding Institute (SI), the boys' schoo ...
(now
Peoria Notre Dame High School
Peoria Notre Dame High School is a Catholic parochial high school in Peoria, Illinois. It is the largest school in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Peoria with approximately 815 students. It has a college preparatory curriculum, and according to the ...
), worked his way through
Canton Junior College and
Bradley University
Bradley University is a private university in Peoria, Illinois. Founded in 1897, Bradley University enrolls 5,400 students who are pursuing degrees in more than 100 undergraduate programs and more than 30 graduate programs in five colleges. Th ...
in Peoria, earning a
Bachelor of Science
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 o ...
in education and
sociology
Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of empirical investigation an ...
in 1971.
Career
Following graduation, he taught
middle school
A middle school (also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school) is an educational stage which exists in some countries, providing education between primary school and secondary school. ...
social studies at
public
In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichk ...
and
Catholic schools,
and has said that "teaching kids ... about the constitution and government" stirred his interest in politics.
LaHood was director of the
Rock Island County
Rock Island County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois, bounded on the west by the Mississippi River. According to the 2010 census, it had a population of 147,546. Its county seat is Rock Island; its largest city is neighboring ...
Youth Services Bureau and then district
administrative assistant for U.S. representative
Tom Railsback, a
Moline, Illinois
Moline ( ) is a city located in Rock Island County, Illinois, United States. With a population of 42,985 in 2020, it is the largest city in Rock Island County. Moline is one of the Quad Cities, along with neighboring East Moline and Rock Island ...
Republican, from 1977 to 1982.
He was appointed in 1982 to fill a vacant seat in the Illinois House of Representatives, serving for nine months, and running for the seat in November 1982, but losing to
Democratic candidate
Bob DeJaegher.
LaHood then became
administrative assistant and ultimately the
chief of staff to U.S. House Minority Leader
Robert Michel, serving from 1982 until 1994.
Congress
When Michel announced his retirement in 1994, LaHood ran for and won his seat in the House, representing Illinois's 18th congressional district.
LaHood was one of only three Republicans elected to the House that year who did not sign on to the
Contract with America
The Contract with America was a legislative agenda advocated for by the Republican Party during the 1994 congressional election campaign. Written by Newt Gingrich and Dick Armey, and in part using text from former President Ronald Reagan's 19 ...
,
Newt Gingrich's manifesto for a Republican majority,
and was a member of the moderate
Republican Main Street Partnership
The Republican Main Street Partnership is a 501(c)(4) organization that was allied with the congressional Republican Main Street Caucus. The Partnership continues to exist, while the Caucus was dissolved by its members in February 2019.
Hist ...
. In 1997, in an effort to promote bipartisan cooperation, LaHood organized bipartisan retreats for members of Congress.
During his service in Congress, he became well known among
C-SPAN viewers for frequently serving as Speaker Pro Tempore of the House, presiding over more debates than any other member.
Most notably, in 1998 he presided over the contentious debate over the
impeachment of
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
* President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...
.
LaHood was a strong advocate for preserving the legacy of
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...
; LaHood's district covered much of the territory that Lincoln represented during his single term in the House. LaHood authored a law that established the
Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, which laid the groundwork for celebrating the 16th President's 200th birthday in 2009, and he was also a lead
Capitol Hill supporter for the
Lincoln Presidential Library in
Springfield, Illinois.
LaHood served on the
House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee from 1995 until 2000,
the
House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence beginning in 1998, and the
House Appropriations Committee
The United States House Committee on Appropriations is a committee of the United States House of Representatives that is responsible for passing appropriation bills along with its Senate counterpart. The bills passed by the Appropriations Commi ...
beginning in 2000.
In 2005 he voted against renewing the
PATRIOT Act
The USA PATRIOT Act (commonly known as the Patriot Act) was a landmark Act of the United States Congress, signed into law by President George W. Bush. The formal name of the statute is the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appro ...
, saying he opposed extending its intrusive
police powers.
LaHood was said to be considering a challenge to Democratic
Governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
Rod Blagojevich's
re-election bid in 2006, but chose to run for another term in Congress instead.
He won the 2006 race against Steve Waterworth by a margin of 147,108 (67%) to 71,106 (33%). On July 26, 2007, LaHood stated he would not seek re-election in 2008.
In August 2007, LaHood received a 0% rating from the fiscally conservative
501(c)4
A 501(c) organization is a nonprofit organization in the federal law of the United States according to Internal Revenue Code (26 U.S.C. § 501(c)) and is one of over 29 types of nonprofit organizations exempt from some federal income taxes. ...
organization
Club for Growth
The Club for Growth is a 501(c)(4) conservative organization active in the United States, with an agenda focused on cutting taxes and other economic policy issues. Club for Growth's largest funders are the billionaires Jeff Yass and Richard U ...
2007 RePORK Card. He received an 11% rating from the conservative lobbying group
Citizens Against Government Waste in August 2007, and holds a lifetime 49% rating from the group.
In 2007 LaHood considered, but later decided against, applying for the post of
president
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
* President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
of
Bradley University
Bradley University is a private university in Peoria, Illinois. Founded in 1897, Bradley University enrolls 5,400 students who are pursuing degrees in more than 100 undergraduate programs and more than 30 graduate programs in five colleges. Th ...
.
During the
2008 presidential election, LaHood supported
John McCain, but criticized the rallies being held by McCain's vice presidential nominee,
Sarah Palin, saying she should put a stop to the name calling, and that the tactic could backfire. "This doesn't befit the office that she's running for. And frankly, people don't like it," he said.
Secretary of Transportation
On December 19, 2008, President-elect
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the ...
announced that he would nominate LaHood to be the next Transportation Secretary. LaHood served on the
House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee from 1995 to 2000.
As a member of the
House Appropriations Committee
The United States House Committee on Appropriations is a committee of the United States House of Representatives that is responsible for passing appropriation bills along with its Senate counterpart. The bills passed by the Appropriations Commi ...
he won praise for his "skills as an arbiter" in being able to bridge sometimes bitter partisan divides in the Congress, something the position would require.
Some critics alleged a reputation for
pork barrel spending, including in support of
campaign contributors. ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'' reported that of the $60 million in
earmarks LaHood secured for his district in 2008, $9 million went to campaign donors.
His nomination was confirmed by the
Senate by
voice vote
In parliamentary procedure, a voice vote (from the Latin ''viva voce'', meaning "live voice") or acclamation is a voting method in deliberative assemblies (such as legislatures) in which a group vote is taken on a topic or motion by responding vo ...
on January 21, 2009. He was, with
Robert Gates
Robert Michael Gates (born September 25, 1943) is an American intelligence analyst and university president who served as the 22nd United States secretary of defense from 2006 to 2011. He was originally appointed by president George W. Bush a ...
, one of two Republican members of the original Obama Cabinet.
On February 3, 2010, LaHood was criticized for advice he was asked to give while testifying before a congressional committee regarding
Toyota
is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on . Toyota is one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world, producing about 10 ...
's recall of 2.3 million vehicles due to
sudden acceleration, wherein he suggested Toyota owners stop driving their cars. LaHood qualified his statement within an hour and a half of his testimony, spelling out that he meant "owners of any recalled Toyota models (should) contact their local dealer and get their vehicles fixed as soon as possible."
LaHood is a supporter of airline passenger rights to facilities, food and water during lengthy on-aircraft delays. He is also a strong proponent of
high-speed rail, saying "This is what the American people want.
If you build it, they will come."
On December 6, 2011, LaHood accepted the resignation of FAA Administrator
Randy Babbitt
Jerome Randolph “Randy” Babbitt, (born June 9, 1946) is an American businessman and former government official. He served as Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) from 2009 to 2011.
Early life and education
Babbitt was bo ...
, who was charged with drunk driving near his Washington home. In February 2013 LaHood lamented the amount of infrastructure spending that was approved by Congress during his tenure at the Department of Transportation. "America is one big pothole right now," LaHood said in an interview on "The Diane Rehm Show" on National Public Radio. He went on to mention that Congress passed a $105 billion surface transportation bill last year, but he lamented the fact that the measure only provided appropriations for road and transit projects until 2014. "Congress passed a two-year bill. Ordinarily they would pass a five year bill," he said. "It was only a two-year bill because they couldn't find enough money to fund a five-year bill."
LaHood announced his plans to step down as Transportation Secretary at the end of
Obama's first term in 2013. He did not seek any public office after that and instead entered the private sector. On January 29, 2013, LaHood announced he would resign as the Secretary of the Department of Transportation upon the confirmation of his successor by the
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and pow ...
. President Obama nominated
Anthony Foxx
Anthony Renard Foxx (born April 30, 1971) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the United States Secretary of Transportation from 2013 to 2017.
President Barack Obama nominated him in April 2013, and he was confirmed by a 100–0 v ...
, the incumbent Mayor of
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...
, to succeed LaHood. Foxx was subsequently confirmed by the U.S. Senate and was sworn into the position on July 2, 2013.
Post-federal career
On November 21, 2019, Governor
J.B. Pritzker
Jay Robert "J. B." Pritzker (born January 19, 1965) is an American billionaire businessman, philanthropist, and politician serving as the 43rd governor of Illinois since 2019. A member of the wealthy Pritzker family, which owns the worldwide ...
nominated LaHood to serve as a member of the
Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum Board of Trustees. As of May 12, 2020, the appointment is awaiting confirmation by the
Illinois Senate.
LaHood did not support
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...
in the
2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...
and
2020
2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...
presidential elections, and endorsed the Democratic nominee
Joe Biden in 2020.
Honors
In May 2013, Illinois State Representative
Jehan Gordon-Booth
Jehan A. Gordon-Booth (born 1981) is a Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives, representing the 92nd district since 2009.
Gordon-Booth was born and raised in Peoria County, Illinois, where she attended Limestone High School ...
, who, like LaHood did in the U.S. Congress, represents a central Illinois district, introduced legislation in the
Illinois House of Representatives Rules Committee (House Joint Resolution 35) that, if passed by the state House and Senate and signed by Governor
Pat Quinn, would rename a 6-mile stretch of
Interstate 74 from the
Murray Baker Bridge (over the Illinois River between Tazewell and Peoria Counties) to Sterling Avenue exit as the Ray LaHood Highway. That section corresponds to much of what was contained in the major multi-year revision that was the Upgrade 74 project in the last decade (the 2000s) that LaHood had backed in the later years of his tenure in the U.S. House.
Also that month, in recognition of his Congressional and Cabinet service as he neared his last days in office, a portrait of him (with a bust of
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...
's head in the background—LaHood had represented his 18th Illinois congressional district and named the headquarters of his agency after him) by
Simmie Knox. The portrait was unveiled and dedicated at the Abraham Lincoln U.S. Department of Transportation Building in the presence of LaHood's family, U.S. Merchant Marines,
Shaun Donovan (Secretary of the
United States Department of Housing and Urban Development
The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It administers federal housing and urban development laws. It is headed by the Secretary of Housing and Ur ...
), and
Janet Napolitano
Janet Ann Napolitano (; born November 29, 1957) is an American politician, lawyer, and university administrator who served as the 21st governor of Arizona from 2003 to 2009 and third United States secretary of homeland security from 2009 to 20 ...
(Secretary of the
United States Department of Homeland Security
The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the U.S. federal executive department responsible for public security, roughly comparable to the interior or home ministries of other countries. Its stated missions involve anti-terr ...
), as well as his predecessor in Congress for Illinois's 18th congressional district, former U.S. House Minority Leader
Robert Michel.
He was Inducted as a Laureate of
The Lincoln Academy of Illinois and awarded the
Order of Lincoln
The Lincoln Academy of Illinois is a not-for-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to recognizing contributions made by living Illinoisans. Named for Abraham Lincoln, the Academy administers the ''Order of Lincoln'', the highest award given ...
(the State's highest honor) by the Governor of Illinois in 2016 in the area of Government and Law. The new international terminal, with full U.S. Customs, TSA and Port of Entry services, at the
General Wayne A. Downing Peoria International Airport
General Wayne A. Downing Peoria International Airport is a civil/military public airport five miles west of Peoria, in Peoria County, Illinois, United States. It is on the northwest edge of Bartonville, near Bellevue. It is owned by the Metr ...
, was named for him in April 2016. It opened in late May 2016.
Electoral history
LaHood's congressional seat,
Illinois's 18th congressional district
The 18th congressional district of Illinois covered central and western Illinois, including all of Jacksonville and Quincy and parts of Bloomington, Peoria, and Springfield. It was last represented by Republican Darin LaHood, who took of ...
, has been Republican since 1939.
* Write-in and minor candidate notes: In 1994, write-ins received 955 votes. In 1998, write-ins received 2 votes.
LaHood did not to seek re-election in 2008, and
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the ...
nominated him to be
U.S. Secretary of Transportation. Illinois State Representative
Aaron Schock
Aaron Jon Schock (born May 28, 1981) is an American former politician who was Republican U.S. Representative for from 2009 until 2015. The district is based in Peoria and includes part of Springfield. He was the first member of the U.S. Co ...
of Peoria won the seat for the Republicans in the
2008 election.
Personal life
LaHood and his wife Kathy have a residence in
Peoria, Illinois. Ray and Kathy have four children—Darin, Amy, Sam, and Sara. Their son
Darin LaHood
Darin McKay LaHood (; born July 5, 1968) is an American attorney and politician serving as the U.S. representative for Illinois's 18th congressional district since 2015. A member of the Republican Party, he was the member of the Illinois Senate ...
is a current member of the U.S. House of Representatives, having represented Illinois's 18th congressional district since a
2015 special election, and previously served in the
Illinois Senate.
On January 21, 2012, LaHood's son, Sam LaHood, was detained by the Egyptian government and not allowed to leave the country as part of a politically charged criminal investigation by the Egyptian government into the activities of
non-governmental organizations (NGOs) monitoring local elections in
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...
. LaHood's son is the Egypt director of the
International Republican Institute. The Egyptian government detained twelve NGO representatives from leaving Egypt.
On February 5, 2012, Egyptian authorities charged LaHood's son and 42 other individuals with "spending money from organizations that were operating in Egypt without a license." Nineteen Americans were part of the 42 charged. The U.S. government said that $1.5 billion in U.S. aid to Egypt could be withheld if the investigation was not finished quickly. Faiza Abu Naga,
Egypt's Minister of International Cooperation, was seen as the person pushing the investigation forward.
Sam LaHood left Egypt along with several foreign NGO workers on March 1, 2012. Sam LaHood was tried ''in absentia'' by an Egyptian criminal court, and convicted of operating without a license and receiving foreign funding.
LaHood was given a five-year jail term and fined 1,000 Egyptian pounds ($143).
Federal investigation
In 2012, while serving as U.S. Secretary of Transportation, LaHood accepted a $50,000 check that he knew had originated from
Gilbert Chagoury, a foreign national. LaHood failed to disclose this on two government ethics forms, and he also made misleading statements to the FBI when asked about the source of the check.
The
Department of Justice
A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...
considered the investigation resolved in March 2021 after LaHood agreed to pay a $40,000 fine.
Publications
* Ray LaHood with Frank H. Mackaman (2015).
Seeking Bipartisanship: My Life in Politics'. Cambria Press. .
See also
*
*
List of U.S. political appointments that crossed party lines
References
External links
Secretary Ray LaHoodat the
United States Department of Transportation
The United States Department of Transportation (USDOT or DOT) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It is headed by the secretary of transportation, who reports directly to the President of the United States a ...
Ray LaHood on the Daily Show, December 15, 2009*
*
; Articles
LaHood tapped for Obama Cabinet" Karen McDonald, ''Peoria Journal Star'', December 17, 2008
David S. Broder, ''The Washington Post'', December 28, 2008, on Ray LaHood's selection for the Obama cabinet and what that means for the Republican Party
, -
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lahood, Ray
1945 births
20th-century American politicians
21st-century American politicians
American people of German descent
American politicians of Lebanese descent
Living people
Republican Party members of the Illinois House of Representatives
Obama administration cabinet members
Political chiefs of staff
Politicians from Peoria, Illinois
Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois
United States congressional aides
United States Secretaries of Transportation
Writers from Illinois