Chris Lee | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromNew York's26th district | |
| In office January 3, 2009 – February 9, 2011 | |
| Preceded by | Thomas M. Reynolds |
| Succeeded by | Kathy Hochul |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Christopher John Lee (1964-04-01)April 1, 1964 (age 61) Kenmore, New York, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Michele Lee |
| Children | 1 |
| Education | University of Rochester (BA) Chapman University (MBA) |
Christopher John Lee (born April 1, 1964) is a former American politician and formerRepublican member of theUnited States House of Representatives forNew York's 26th congressional district. He served from January 2009 until his resignation on February 9, 2011,[1] following revelations that he had sent a shirtless photo of himself to a woman onCraigslist.[2] Subsequent reporting revealed that Lee had also used Craigslist to solicittranssexual andcross-dressing sexual encounters.[3]
Lee was raised inTonawanda, New York[4] in a politically-active family. His sister ran regional affairs in western New York for formerGovernorGeorge Pataki, and his father was the finance chairman on several campaigns for former U.S. Rep.Jack Quinn.[5]
Lee earned a Bachelor of Arts degree ineconomics andfinance from theUniversity of Rochester and aMaster of Business Administration fromChapman University inCalifornia.[6] At Rochester, he was a member of thePsi Upsilon fraternity.
During his campaign for Congress, it emerged that Lee was fired from a sales job in Buffalo atIngram Micro (now inAmherst) when he was 25 years old. He had obtained his supervisor's password and accessed customer accounts to change their credit limits with the company; as a result, Lee and another employee were fired.[7]
Lee moved to California, where he worked forMicrotek as director of sales before returning to New York in 1995 to work for Enidine, Inc.,[8] a company founded by his father and based inOrchard Park, New York. He worked at Enidine in various roles including Pacific Rim sales manager, director of international sales and marketing, and then general manager.[9] Under Lee's direction, the business was transformed "from a small machine shop in western New York to a global enterprise," according toThe New York Times.[10]
In 2003, Lee became automation group president ofInternational Motion Control (IMC) ofErie County, another company founded by his father.[11] He oversaw the group's acquisition of thesolenoid valve firm Evolutionary Concepts Inc., and worked at IMC until it was sold to theITT Corporation for nearly $400 million in 2007.[12][13][14]
Lee's father established the Patrick P. Lee Foundation, where Chris Lee served as director.[15] The foundation promotes cancer and mental illness awareness, education, prevention, and research inWestern New York.[16]
Lee announced his candidacy for theRepublican nomination for theUnited States House of Representatives inNew York's 26th congressional district in April 2008.[17] He was endorsed by the incumbent Rep.Thomas M. Reynolds, who was retiring;[18][19][20] ultimately, Lee was supported by all seven of the district's Republican county chairmen, who met in May 2008 to announce that he would obtain the party's official endorsement.[21] His candidacy garnered the support ofstate GOP ChairmanStephen Minarik in an election year in which the Republican party was looking for self-financed candidates.[22][23] Lee won reelection in 2010 with 76 percent of the vote in a district that consistently votes Republican, according toThe Weekly Standard.[24]
| Committee assignments |
In Congress, Lee was a conservative who voted with the Republican party 93% of the time during his first term.[25][26] He voted "no" on the repeal ofdon't ask, don't tell,[10] and "no" on theLilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and the health care reform bills. He voted with the Democrats to expand the State Children's Health Insurance Program, provide compensation to the 9/11 responders, overhaul the nation's food safety system, and reauthorize the America Competes Act. In 2009, Lee supported the proposed Student Internet Safety Act, which was aimed at protecting children from internet predators.[27]
Although Lee was a fiscally conservative budget hawk, he obtained $29.7 million in federal funds (known asearmarks) for his district—more than any of the Democratic members of Congress in neighboring districts. Lee explained that earmarks can be helpful in promoting job growth and said it is better to have earmarks than to have spending decisions made by unelected bureaucrats. He obtained earmarks for a small arms practice range for an Air Reserve station, high-speed rail, and local defense contractors.[28] Lee was a member of the House Republican Economic Group, as well as the House Ways and Means Committee. This group sought to reduce individual tax rates, allow small businesses to reduce their tax liabilities, and provide assistance for the unemployed.[29] As stated in his 2008 campaign, he believed that "taxes were too high, too burdensome and too complex".[30]
He was criticized for liberal use of thefranking privilege to send constituents glossy newsletters, some of which were described as promotional whereas others only gave constituents information on new legislation and proposals.[31] In August 2010, Lee proposed a plan to bring manufacturing jobs back to the United States. The plan involved lowering the corporate tax rate, student loan forgiveness for students who enter fields related to manufacturing, and trade reform to open up new markets.[32]
In December 2010, he met with representatives of online travel agencies to pressure them into complying with a law that requires websites to show when regional airlines are operating any part of a flight.[33]
In the wake of theJanuary 2011 shooting of U.S. Representative Giffords and others in Tucson, Arizona, Lee said "I think what we need to look at is ensuring there are sufficient background checks to make sure that those who are unstable don't have access to weapons of that nature."[34] He also spent the beginning of his first term working with the House Ways and Means Committee.[35]
On February 9, 2011, Lee was found to have been soliciting sexual encounters onCraigslist. He used aGmail account to send a woman a shirtless photo taken with hisBlackBerry phone.[36] The woman searched his name, discovered he was a married congressman, and turned over her email correspondence to news blogGawker, which published an exposé on February 9, 2011.[37] Lee resigned from office the same day.[1] He issued a statement of apology, saying, "I regret the harm that my actions have caused my family, my staff and my constituents.... I have made profound mistakes and I promise to work as hard as I can to seek their forgiveness."[10] Lee did not return to Western New York after his resignation.[38] Weeks later, reporting fromForbes revealed that Lee had also used Craigslist to solicit sexual encounters withtranssexual andcross-dressing individuals.[3]
Democratic Erie County clerkKathy Hochul filled his seat after winning thespecial election on May 24 set by GovernorAndrew Cuomo.[39]
After his resignation, Lee dedicated more of his time to philanthropic work. He is currently on the board of the Patrick P. Lee Foundation[40] and serves as the Treasurer of the Osprey Cove Master Association.[41]
Lee and his wife, Michele, have one child.[42][43]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Chris J. Lee | 148,607 | 55.0 | +3.0 | |
| Democratic | Alice Kryzan | 109,615 | 40.5 | −7.5 | |
| Working Families Party | Jon Powers | 12,104 | 4.5 | +4.5 | |
| Majority | 38,992 | 14.5 | +10.5 | ||
| Total votes | 270,326 | 100 | +28.6 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Chris J. Lee (incumbent) | 151,449 | 73.6 | +18.6 | |
| Democratic | Philip A. Fedele | 54,307 | 26.4 | −14.1 | |
| Majority | 97,142 | 47.2 | +32.7 | ||
| Total votes | 205,756 | 100 | −23.9 | ||
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromNew York's 26th congressional district 2009–2011 | 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 |
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| National | |
| People | |
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