Solomon Ortiz | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromTexas's27th district | |
| In office January 3, 1983 – January 3, 2011 | |
| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| Succeeded by | Blake Farenthold |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Solomon Porfirio Ortiz (1937-06-03)June 3, 1937 (age 88) Robstown, Texas, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Education | Del Mar College |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1960–1962 |
Solomon Porfirio Ortiz (born June 3, 1937) is an American former politician who served as theU.S. representative forTexas's 27th congressional district, based inCorpus Christi, serving from 1983 until 2011. He is a member of theDemocratic Party. In 2010, Ortiz was narrowly defeated by Republican challengerBlake Farenthold.[1][2] Ortiz's son,Solomon Ortiz, Jr., is a former state representative.
Solomon Ortiz was born inRobstown,Nueces County,Texas; his family had immigrated fromMexico.[3] As a boy, he held several odd jobs, including working as ashoeshiner and an ink fogger forThe Robstown Record's letter press. Ortiz befriended, and became fascinated with, law enforcement officers.[4] He attendedRobstown High School until the age of 19, when he dropped out after his father's death to help support his family.
Ortiz joined theUnited States Army in 1960, serving two years and earning hisGED. He received basic training atFort Hood, Texas, and served a tour of duty inVerdun andVitry-le-François,France. Expressing his interest in law enforcement, Ortiz was reassigned to the 61st Military Police Company Criminal Investigation Office and received advanced military police training atFort Gordon,Georgia.[4]
After returning to South Texas, Ortiz worked for three years as aninsurance agent.
In 1964, he was urged by friends to run for Nueces Countyconstable, and was elected in 1965, defeating the incumbent in arunoff election.[5] He was elected to the county commissioners court of Nueces County in 1969, the first Hispanic to serve in that capacity. He remained in that position until 1976, when he was elected county sheriff, another first for a Hispanic in Nueces County.
When the 27th District was created in 1982, Ortiz ran for the seat on a platform of jobs incentives and attention to education.[5] He won the Democratic primary run-off election with 52% of the vote,[6] defeating Republican State Representative Joe Salem.[7] In the general election, he won with 64% of the vote.[8]
He won re-election 13 times, dipping below 60% of the vote only four times before 2010. His lowest winning percentage was in 1992, when he defeated Republican Jay Kimbrough[9] 55%-43%.[10]
On November 2, election night, Ortiz appeared to have lost to the Republican challenger,Blake Farenthold, but Ortiz requested a recount.[2] Ortiz conceded after the November 22 recount. Farenthold narrowly defeated him 47.8%-47.1%, by a margin of just 770 votes. While Ortiz had won four of the district's six counties, he lost the two northernmost counties,San Patricio and his home county of Nueces.[11] The district was significantly redrawn after the 2010 census, and no Democrat has managed even 40 percent of the vote since Ortiz' defeat.
Ortiz is a Democratic moderate. He is socially conservative, but economically liberal. For example, he isanti-abortion, but usually voted with his party on economic issues.[citation needed]
In 1983, as a freshman congressman, he was assigned to the U.S. Select Committee on Narcotics Abuse and Control.[12] In 1993, Ortiz was named chairman of a House subcommittee that oversees theGulf of Mexico.[13]
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| New constituency | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromTexas's 27th congressional district 1983–2011 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chair of theCongressional Hispanic Caucus 1991–1993 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded byas Former U.S. Representative | Order of precedence of the United States as Former U.S. Representative | Succeeded byas Former U.S. Representative |
Chairs of theCongressional Hispanic Caucus | ||
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| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
