James Wallace "Jay" Dean (born March 5, 1953) is an American politician. A

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 ...

, he has been the member of the

Texas House of Representatives The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Texas Legislature. It consists of 150 members who are elected from single-member districts for two-year terms. As of the 2010 United States census, each member represents abo ...

for

District 7 District 7 could refer to: * District 7, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam * District 7 (Zürich), Switzerland *District 7, Düsseldorf, Germany *VII District, Turku, Finland *District 7 School (Groton, Massachusetts), United States *District 7 School (Han ...

, which encompasses Gregg and Upshur counties in

East Texas East Texas is a broadly defined cultural, geographic, and ecological region in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Texas that comprises most of 41 counties. It is primarily divided into Northeast and Southeast Texas. Most of the region cons ...

, since 2017.

Early life and education

Dean was born in

Opelousas :''Opelousas is also a common name of the flathead catfish.'' Opelousas (french: Les Opélousas; Spanish: ''Los Opeluzás'') is a small city and the parish seat of St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, United States. Interstate 49 and U.S. Route 190 were ...

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

, and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 nea ...

Career

Prior to his election to the legislature, Dean served seven years as a city councilman and then ten years as the mayor of Longview,

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 ...

, ending his term on May 15, 2016. As mayor, Dean refused to sign a proclamation for LGBT pride. In 2014, the city of Longview broke a contract with musician

Ted Nugent Theodore Anthony Nugent (; born December 13, 1948) is an American rock musician and activist. He initially gained fame as the lead guitarist and occasional lead vocalist of The Amboy Dukes, a band formed in 1963 that played psychedelic rock ...

to perform at Longview's Fourth of July concert, with Dean stating that Nugent "didn't really fit what we're trying to put together, a family-oriented program." Following his service as mayor, Dean won the Republican nomination for

on a platform of border security, job creation, and protecting East Texas water and other resources. He won the 2016 Republican primary election and was sworn into the State Legislature on January 10, 2017, succeeding Republican David Simpson, who did not seek re-election. Dean did not face a Democratic opponent in the general election held on November 8, 2016.

85th Legislature

In his inaugural legislative session, Dean filed ten pieces of legislation. All but three were signed into law by Governor

Greg Abbott Gregory Wayne Abbott (born November 13, 1957) is an American politician, attorney, and former jurist serving as the 48th governor of Texas since 2015. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 50th attorney general of Texas from 2002 ...

. Dean was selected to serve on the Local and Consent Calendar Committee, the Committee on Investments and Financial Services, and the House Appropriations Committee. Dean was also appointed to serve on the House Select Committee on Opioids and Substance Abuse.

Political views

According to his website, Dean shares "East Texas conservative values"; promises to "protect our gun rights" and "make sure we secure the border"; and is "deeply opposed to the practice of abortion." He has a perfect rating from the NRA, and was endorsed in his legislative campaign by Governor Greg Abbott, Texas State Rifle Association, Texas Alliance for Life,

National Federation of Independent Business The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) is an association of small businesses in the United States. It is headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, with offices in Washington, D.C., and all 50 state capitals. The goal of NFIB is to a ...

es, and the Texas Association of Realtors. He was praised by the Conservative Roundtable of Texas. Dean ran without opposition for his second House term in the general election held on November 6, 2018.

Personal

He and his wife, Jane Willis Dean, moved to Longview in 1981, where they raised their three daughters. A former altar boy, Dean is active in the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

and helped to found St. Matthews in Longview.

References

External links

Campaign website

State legislative page

Jay Dean at the Texas Tribune
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dean, Jay 1953 births Living people Texas city council members Mayors of places in Texas Republican Party members of the Texas House of Representatives Businesspeople from Texas People from Opelousas, Louisiana 21st-century American politicians Catholics from Texas Catholic politicians from Texas