Lynn Westmoreland facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lynn Westmoreland
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia |
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| In office January 3, 2005 – January 3, 2017 |
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| Preceded by | Mac Collins |
| Succeeded by | Drew Ferguson |
| Constituency | 8th district (2005–2007) 3rd district (2007–2017) |
| Member of the Georgia House of Representatives |
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| In office 1993–2005 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
Leon Acton Westmoreland
April 2, 1950 Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Joan Westmoreland |
| Education | Georgia State University |
Leon Acton "Lynn" Westmoreland was born on April 2, 1950. He is an American politician. He served as a U.S. Representative for Georgia. He represented Georgia's 8th district from 2005 to 2007. Then he represented Georgia's 3rd district from 2007 to 2017. He is a member of the Republican Party.
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Early Life and Career
Lynn Westmoreland was born in Atlanta, Georgia. His parents were Margaret Ferrell and Leon Acton Westmoreland. He grew up in the Atlanta area.
He went to Georgia State University. However, he left college to work in his family's construction business. He later became an executive there.
Before joining the U.S. Congress, Westmoreland was a member of the Georgia House of Representatives. He served there from 1993 to 2005. From 2001 to 2003, he was the House Republican Leader. This means he was the main leader for the Republican members in the Georgia House.
U.S. House of Representatives
Time in Office
During his first term in the 109th United States Congress, Westmoreland joined important committees. These included the Small Business Committee and the Transportation Committee.
In 2015, he became the first chairman of a new subcommittee. This subcommittee focused on Cybersecurity and the National Security Agency.
As a U.S. Congressman, Westmoreland supported some interesting ideas. He helped create a bill to display the Ten Commandments in the House and Senate. He also supported a bill to show the Ten Commandments in courthouses.
In 2006, comedian Stephen Colbert interviewed Westmoreland. During the interview, Colbert asked him to name the Ten Commandments. Westmoreland could only name three of them.
Westmoreland was known for his conservative views. He was ranked as one of the most conservative members of Congress.
He led a group of lawmakers who disagreed with renewing parts of the Voting Rights Act in 2006. This act required some Southern states to get federal approval for election changes. Westmoreland felt these rules were no longer fair. However, Congress voted to renew the act for another 25 years.
In 2008, Westmoreland won his re-election without much trouble. He later thought about running for Governor of Georgia in 2010. But he decided not to run.
In 2010, he signed a promise. He agreed to vote against any global warming laws that would raise taxes.
Bills He Sponsored
Westmoreland introduced several bills during his time in Congress. Here are a few examples:
110th Congress (2007–2008)
- H.R. 3229: This bill allowed the creation of special $1 coins. These coins honored infantry soldiers. The money from selling these coins went to the National Infantry Museum. This bill became law in 2008.
112th Congress (2011–2012)
- H.R. 5710: This bill set new energy use rules for commercial refrigerators.
113th Congress (2013–2014)
- H.R. 3985: This bill aimed to change parts of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. It wanted to stop certain payments and rules for insurance companies.
- H.R. 4604: This bill gave people more control over their personal information. It would allow people to stop the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau from collecting their private data. It also set a time limit for how long this data could be stored.
Committees He Served On
Westmoreland was a member of several important committees:
- Committee on Financial Services
- Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence
- House Select Committee on the Events Surrounding the 2012 Terrorist Attack in Benghazi
- Republican Study Committee
- Tea Party Caucus
Political Campaigns
In 2004, Westmoreland won the Republican primary election. He then easily won the main election. The district he represented was very Republican. This meant winning the primary almost guaranteed his election. He was re-elected five more times without strong opposition.
Later Career
After leaving Congress, Westmoreland was appointed to a special committee. This committee is called the Office of Congressional Ethics. It helps oversee complaints about how members of Congress act.
Personal Life
Lynn Westmoreland lives in Grantville, Georgia, with his wife, Joan. They have three children and nine grandchildren. His daughter, Marcy Sakrison, ran for a seat in the Georgia House of Representatives in 2019, but she did not win.
