Joseph Dwain Deshotel (born December 3, 1951) is an American attorney, politician, and businessman who served as a 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 abou ...

from the 22nd district between 1999 and 2023.

Background

Deshotel was born and raised in Beaumont, Texas and attended

Monsignor Kelly Catholic High School Monsignor Kelly Catholic High School is a private, parochial High School located in Beaumont, Texas. It is a member of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Beaumont. A majority of students at Kelly come from various grade schools within the Diocese of ...

. Deshotel 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 political science from

Lamar University Lamar University (Lamar or LU) is a public university in Beaumont, Texas. Lamar has been a member of the Texas State University System since 1995. It was the flagship institution of the former Lamar University System. As of the fall of 2021, th ...

in 1974 and a

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

from

Thurgood Marshall School of Law The Thurgood Marshall School of Law (TMSL) is an ABA-accredited law school in Houston, Texas, that awards Juris Doctor and Master of Law degrees. It is part of Texas Southern University. Thurgood Marshall School of Law is a member-school of the Th ...

Texas Southern University Texas Southern University (Texas Southern or TSU) is a public historically black university in Houston, Texas. The university is one of the largest and most comprehensive historically black college or universities in the USA with nearly 10,000 ...

in 1978.

Career

Deshotel has been an attorney, businessman, and

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 th ...

in the

United States Air Force Reserves The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a major command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, with its headquarters at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is the federal Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the U.S. Air Force, consisting of commis ...

. Deshotel was elected to the Texas House of Representatives after he ran unopposed in 1998. He has run unopposed in each election since, except in 2004, 2006, and 2008, when he faced

Libertarian Libertarianism (from french: libertaire, "libertarian"; from la, libertas, "freedom") is a political philosophy that upholds liberty as a core value. Libertarians seek to maximize autonomy and political freedom, and minimize the state's e ...

opponents. However, he faced no significant threat, as he received the vast majority of the votes each year. He was one of only three members in his 25-member freshman class to receive the Rising Star Award. In 2015, he served as the chair of the Land and Resource Management committee. He has also served on the Special Committee on Redistricting. As of 2017, he is Chair of the Select Committee on Texas Ports, Innovation & Infrastructure and a member of the Public Education Committee and the Economic & Small Business Development Committee. He has previously served on several committees, including the House Appropriations, House Economic Development, Transportation, and Redistricting committees. He was also the chairman of Budget Oversight for the House Elections Committee and the vice chair of the Local & Consent Calendars.

Personal life

Deshotel has one son.Joseph Deshotel
Texas House of Representatives bio.

References

External links

*
Texas House of Representatives Official Page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Deshotel, Joe 1951 births People from Beaumont, Texas Democratic Party members of the Texas House of Representatives Living people Lamar University alumni Thurgood Marshall School of Law alumni United States Air Force airmen African-American state legislators in Texas 21st-century American politicians United States Air Force reservists 21st-century African-American politicians 20th-century African-American people