Bob Eckhardt
Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromTexas's8th district
In office January 3, 1967 – January 3, 1981
Preceded by	Lera Millard Thomas
Succeeded by	Jack Fields
Personal details
Born	Robert Christian Eckhardt (1913-07-16)July 16, 1913 Austin, Texas, U.S.
Died	November 13, 2001(2001-11-13) (aged 88) Austin, Texas, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Orissa Stevenson Nadine Cannon Celia Morris
Children	3, includingSarah
Relatives	Richard M. Kleberg (second cousin) Rudolph Kleberg (great-uncle)
Education	University of Texas, Austin (BA,LLB)
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Army
Years of service	1943-1944

Robert Christian Eckhardt (July 16, 1913 – November 13, 2001) was aDemocratic United States Representative representing the8th District of Texas from 1967 to 1981, and lawyer that practicedlabor law.

Eckhardt was born inAustin on July 16, 1913. He was the grand-nephew of Democratic CongressmanRudolph Kleberg, nephew of Republican CongressmanHarry Wurzbach, and a cousin ofRichard Mifflin Kleberg, Sr., heir to the famousKing Ranch in South Texas. Eckhardt graduated from theUniversity of Texas at Austin in 1935 and received his law degree from the University of Texas Law School in 1939. He served in the United States Army from 1942 to 1944. Eckhardt was appointed Southwestern Director of theOffice of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs, 1944–1945.^[1]

He moved toHouston and was elected a member of theTexas House of Representatives, serving from 1958 to 1966, where he compiled a fairly liberal voting record. One of Eckhardt's most enduring accomplishments in the Texas House was writing theTexas Open Beaches Act, passed in 1959.^[2][3]

In 1966, he was elected as a Democrat in Congress representingTexas's 8th congressional district, which included most of northern Houston. Eckhardt was the sponsor of theWar Powers Act and theToxic Substances Act.^[4] He was reelected six times without serious difficulty. In 1980, however, he was narrowly defeated byJack Fields, losing by only 4,900 votes. He was also a co-founder of theTexas Observer magazine.^[5]

Eckhardt died on November 13, 2001, in Austin. He was interred in Austin Memorial Park Cemetery.

• Eckhardt, Bob.The Tides of Power: Conversations on the American Constitution between Bob Eckhardt, Member of Congress from Texas, and Charles L. Black Jr., Sterling Professor of Law, Yale University (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1976)

• United States Congress."Bob Eckhardt (id: E000035)".Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• Keith, Gary A.Eckhardt:There Once was a Congressman from Texas (Austin: University of Texas Press, 2007)ISBN 978-0-292-71691-9
• Robert C. Eckhardt Papers, 1931–1992, Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin
• Bob Eckhardt atFind a Grave

• 1913 births
• 2001 deaths
• 20th-century members of the Texas Legislature
• 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives
• Politicians from Austin, Texas
• Democratic Party members of the Texas House of Representatives
• Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Texas
• Kleberg family
• Military personnel from Texas
• University of Texas School of Law alumni

• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• Use mdy dates from March 2021