| Michael McCaul | |
|---|---|
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 10th district |
|
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2005 |
|
| Preceded by | Lloyd Doggett |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 14, 1962 Dallas, Texas |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Linda McCaul |
| Children | Caroline McCaul Jewell McCaul Avery McCaul Lauren McCaul Michael McCaul |
| Residence | Austin, Texas |
| Alma mater | Trinity University, St. Mary's University |
| Occupation | Attorney |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Michael Thomas McCaul, Sr. (born January 14, 1962) is the U.S. Representative for Texas's 10th congressional district, serving since 2005. He is a member of the Republican Party. The district stretches from Austin to Houston.
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McCaul grew up in suburban Dallas to a fourth generation Texan family. He graduated from Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in history from San Antonio's Trinity University in 1984 and his Juris Doctor from St. Mary's University in 1987. McCaul also attended Harvard University, taking courses in the Kennedy School of Government.[1]
McCaul worked as an attorney and a federal prosecutor before entering politics. He was the Chief of Counterterrorism and National Security for Texas's branch of the US Attorney's office also worked under the Department of Justice's Public Integrity Section. McCaul was appointed Deputy Attorney General in 1998 and served in this capacity until 2002.
He ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in 2004. He won a crowded Republican primary in the newly created 10th District. The district was thought to be so heavily Republican that no Democrat even filed, effectively handing the seat to McCaul.
In 2006 he defeated Democrat Ted Ankrum and former Libertarian presidential candidate Michael Badnarik with 55% of the vote. McCaul won re-election once again in 2008 against Democrat Larry Joe Doherty and Libertarian Matt Finkel[2] by a 54% to 43% margin.
In 2010, he was re-elected to a fourth term by a wide margin (76.26%) against Democrat Ted Ankrum (22.26%) and Libertarian Jeremiah “JP” Perkins (1.47%).
McCaul's wife Linda is the daughter of Clear Channel Communications Chairman Lowry Mays and sister of Clear Channel CEO Mark Mays. In 2011, Roll Call named McCaul the wealthiest member of the United States Congress, surpassing U.S. Senator John Kerry (D-MA). His current net worth is estimated at $294 million, which is nearly 300% higher than it was last year ($74 million).[3] In 2004, Roll Call estimated his net worth at just $12 million. His wealth increase was due to large monetary transfers from his wife's family.[4] Michael and Linda live in the West Lake Hills neighborhood of Austin, Texas with their children daughters Caroline, Jewell, Avery, and Lauren, and a son, Michael. They recently purchased a large house on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.
In August 2011 McCaul, along with John Culberson and Ted Poe caused controversy for attempting to make Christian prayers at all American military funerals mandatory, regardless of whether or not the deceased was Christian and with or without the consent of the deceased's family.[5][6][7] The three politicians state their demands are a response to Veteran Affairs banning Christian prayers at military funerals, a claim Veterans Affairs state is completely false.
The idea that invoking the name of God or Jesus is banned at VA national cemeteries is blatantly false. The truth is VA’s policy protects veterans’ families’ rights to pray however they choose at our national cemeteries.—Veteran Affairs
Currently it is up to the deceased's family as to which religions prayers, if any, are to be read at a funeral.[5][6][7]
| United States House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Lloyd Doggett |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 10th congressional district 2005–present |
Incumbent |
| United States order of precedence | ||
| Preceded by Dan Lipinski D-Illinois |
United States Representatives by seniority 245th |
Succeeded by Patrick McHenry R-North Carolina |