Chris John

Christopher Charles John
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Louisiana's 7th district
In office January 3, 1997 – January 3, 2005
Preceded by	Jimmy Hayes
Succeeded by	Charles Boustany
Member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from the 42nd district
In office 1988–1996
Preceded by	Donald Thibodeaux
Succeeded by	Gil Pinac
Personal details
Born	(1960-01-05) January 5, 1960 Crowley, Louisiana in Acadia Parish
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Payton Smith John
Religion	Roman Catholic

Christopher Charles "Chris" John (born January 5, 1960) is American politician who was a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1997 to 2005, representing Louisiana's 7th congressional district.

Early life

John was born in Crowley, the seat of Acadia Parish, one of six children, and reared as a Roman Catholic. He is of Lebanese, French, and German extraction. He attended Notre Dame Catholic High School in Crowley and Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. He was a house page while his father, John N. John, Jr., was a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives. He later was elected to and served on the Crowley City Council in the early 1980s.

State politics

Chris John first became a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives before he entered the U.S. House. In what was considered a major upset at the time, John defeated the state House incumbent, the former director of the Louisiana State Police, Donald Thibodeaux, in October 1987, by 54-46 percent.^[1]

Thibodeaux had won a full term in 1983 after having won a special election the year before to fill the unexpired term of John's father, who died in an automobile accident.

Chris John served in the state house until 1996, when he finished third with 15 percent of the statewide vote in the 1995 race for lieutenant governor behind the eventual winner (and, who, eight years later, in 2003, became Louisiana's first female chief executive) Kathleen Babineaux Blanco. John narrowly lost the general election berth against Blanco to a fellow state representative, Republican Suzanne Mayfield Krieger of Slidell in St. Tammany Parish.

Terms in Congress: Representative, and run for Senate

In 1996, John was elected to Congress. He defeated fellow Democrat Hunter Lundy in a runoff.

In 2004, John surrendered his "safe" House seat to run for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by popular Democrat and fellow Crowley native John Breaux, who endorsed him.

Despite the endorsement of Breaux, the most prolific vote-getter in the history of Louisiana, Chris John was defeated by Republican David Vitter of the New Orleans suburbs in the primary, Vitter garnering 51 percent of the vote, compared to only 29 percent for John. The remainder of the ballots was split between State Treasurer John Neely Kennedy and then-state senator Arthur Morrell, both Democrats. Additionally, John's seat in the House fell into Republican hands, as Charles Boustany won the 7th district with 55% of the vote against Democrat Willie Mount.^[2]

Post-political career

John is married to Payton Smith of Leesville, whose father, John Smith, was a member of the Louisiana legislature. They have two sons, twin boys. John has worked as a lobbyist in Washington, D.C since his defeat, making his home in Lafayette, Louisiana, while commuting to Washington. In August 2007, Chris John made public his acceptance of the top lobbying job with The Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association, allowing him to move permanently back to Louisiana (Morning Advocate).^[3]

In 2009, John was inducted into the Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame in Winnfield.^[4]

Electoral history

References

External links

• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress

Members of the U.S. House of Representatives from Louisiana 1st district E. Livingston White Johnson White Slidell Sére St. Martin Dunbar Eustis Bouligny Sypher Lawrence Gibson Hunt St. Martin Wilkinson Meyer Estopinal O'Connor Fernández Hébert Tonry R. Livingston Vitter Jindal Scalise 2nd district Gurley Thomas Ripley Chinn Dawson la Branche Thibodeaux Conrad Bullard J.A. Landry Hunt Taylor Mann Sheldon Ellis Hahn Wallace Lagan Coleman Lagan Davey Buck Davey Gilmore Dupré Spearing Maloney T.H. Boggs Maloney T.H. Boggs L. Boggs Jefferson Cao Richmond 3rd district Brent Overton Bullard Garland Moore Dawson Harmanson Penn Perkins Davidson Newsham Darrall Acklen Darrall Kellogg Gay Price Broussard Martin Montet Mouton Domengeaux Willis Caffery Treen Tauzin Melancon J.M. Landry Boustany 4th district Bossier Morse Moore Jones Sandidge Landrum Vidal Newsham McCleery Boarman Smith Levy Elam Blanchard Ogden Breazeale Watkins Sandlin Brooks Waggonner Leach Roemer McCrery Fields McCrery Fleming 5th district Blackburn Morey Spencer Leonard Young King Newton Boatner Baird Ransdell Elder Wilson Mills McKenzie Passman Huckaby McCrery Cooksey Alexander McAllister Abraham 6th district Nash E. Robertson Lewis Irion E. Robertson S. Robertson Favrot Wickliffe Morgan Sanders, Sr. Favrot Kemp Sanders, Jr. Griffith Sanders, Jr. Morrison Rarick Moore Baker Cazayoux Cassidy Graves 7th district Pujo Lazaro De Rouen Plauche Larcade Thompson Edwards Breaux Hayes John Boustany 8th district Aswell Overton Dear Allen Doc McSween G. Long S. Long G. Long C. Long Holloway At-large Robertson Butler Johnston Sheridan Territory Clark Poydras