Congressman Louie Gohmert (R-TX) currently scores a 92% on our Legislative Scorecard and is ranked the most conservative member of the Texas delegation. He was first elected in 2004, and is currently serving his fourth term in the House of Representatives.
Rep. Gohmert was born in Pittsburg, TX in 1953. He received his Bachelor's degree from Texas A&M University in 1975, where he was a Brigade Commander of the Corps of Cadets and class president. He went on to receive his Juris Doctor from Baylor University in 1977, where he also served as class president.
After graduation, Rep. Gohmert served in the United States Army Judge Advocate General's Corps, where he was a Captain. Between 1978 and 1982, he served the U.S. Army as a defense attorney.
In 1992, Rep. Gohmert was elected to represent Texas's 7th Judicial District as a state district judge. He was reelected twice before Governor Rick Perry appointed him to Chief Justice on Texas's 12th Court of Appeals, where he served from 2002 to 2003.
In 2004, Rep. Gohmert defeated Democratic incumbent Max Sandlin for his Congressional seat, becoming the first Republican since Reconstruction to represent Texas's 1st District.
In 2005, America suffered one of the greatest natural disasters in history: Hurricane Katrina. Hundreds of thousands of people fled to the Gulf Coast and many were put up in east Texas after the storm hit. However, Hurricane Rita caused more to flee than ever before. Rep. Gohmert got a call from city leaders in Lufkin, TX that they were out of bottled water and food to give to refugees from the storms. Rep. Gohmert called the East Texas Food Bank in Tyler, TX and was told they had water and food, but no trucks to get it the 80 miles to Lufkin. Rep. Gohmert and a staff member went to U-HAUL and rented two large trucks, took them to the loading docks, had thousands of pounds of water and food loaded up, and then headed south into the coming storm to Lufkin.
After city workers unloaded the supplies, Rep. Gohmert then headed 30 miles north to Nacogdoches, TX as night moved in to see if they needed anything. The overflow of transients had caused a new school gym to be opened. He was told that 120 people were sleeping on a bare gym floor with no blankets or pillows. He then, headed for Wal-Mart, bought 125 blankets and pillows, loaded the U-HAUL and headed for the school. An extremely grateful group was told there were all kinds of blankets and pillows which they hurried out to thankfully grab without ever knowing who their benefactor was.
In 2008, during the historic wave which elected President Obama and large majorities of Democrats into Congress, Rep. Gohmert easily won reelection without opposition.
In 2011, Gladewater, Texas lost one of its military patriots when Army CW2 Brad Gaudet was killed in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan. He and his widow had just given birth to a new baby girl at his home station in Ft. Drum, New York, a month or so before his death. The Army had his body transported to Ft. Drum for a brief memorial, but they said regulations prevented them from moving his body any further. The family had been hit with one piece of bad news after another. Even Rep. Gohmert became frustrated dealing with the Army.
Southwest Airlines agreed to transport Brad's body without charge, so Rep. Gohmert flew to Ft. Drum to accompany Brad's remains and gave instructions that the family was to receive no more bad news without him hearing it first and trying to fix the problem first. There were two stops, including a layover in Missouri, but eventually Rep. Gohmert, the escort officer and Brad's body made it back to Dallas and took the two hour ride to Gladewater accompanied by Patriot Guard riders and a massive escort of local and state law enforcement from east Texas. Because of his service in the Army and supreme admiration for those who serve their country, this story has become near and dear to the Congressman's heart, and one that he always remembers.
Rep. Gohmert has a 100% Pro-Life voting record rating from the National Right to Life Council, doesn't believe in man-made global warming, supports school choice and was one of a small minority who voted against the Budget Control Act of 2011, which increased the debt ceiling while gutting our military. He currently sits on the Judiciary Committee and the Committee on Natural Resources. He is also a member of the Republican Study Committee, the Tea Party Caucus, the Israel Allies Caucus and the International Conservation Caucus.
Rep. Gohmert and his wife, Kathy, currently reside in Tyler, TX with their three daughters. They attend Green Acres Baptist Church where Rep. Gohmert serves as a deacon and teaches Sunday school.
One night, Rep. Gohmert was driving back to Tyler, TX. For the long trip home, he had changed into jeans and looked a bit disheveled. However, as a public official, he was well-known in the area. As he pulled into a gas station, Rep. Gohmert noticed a little girl whispering to an elderly man sweeping as she pointed to him. After placing his Dr. Pepper and chocolate on the counter, she walked up to him and said, "May I ask you something?" "Sure," Rep. Gohmert replied. She asked timidly, "Are you James Taylor?"