Sonny Callahan

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Herbert Leon "Sonny" Callahan (b. September 11, 1932) is a politician from Alabama.

Callahan was born in Mobile, Alabama and he attended classes at a branch of the University of Alabama that was located in Mobile. He did not graduate. Callahan served in the United States Navy from 1952 to 1954. Callahan was involved in the real estate and insurance businesses. He was elected to the Alabama House of Representatives as a Democrat in 1970 and he was elected to the Alabama Senate in 1978. Callahan lost his bid to become Lieutenant Governor in 1982.

When retiring representative Jack Edwards requested that Callahan run for his seat as a Republican, Callahan switched and was elected to the House of Representatives in 1984 from a Mobile-based district. When the Republicans won control of Congress in 1994, Callahan became the chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Foreign Operations, Export Financing and Related Programs. Callahan had voted against numerous foreign aid bills before taking his chairman post and he remained skeptical of foreign aid. In 2001, Callahan became the chairman of the Energy and Water subcommittee.

Callahan retired from the House in 2003. His closest congressional aide, Jo Bonner, won an election to replace Callahan, receiving huge support from the outgoing representative.

Preceded by: Jack Edwards

Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Alabama's 1st congressional district 1985 – 2003

Succeeded by: Jo Bonner