Dave Weldon
Encyclopedia
David Joseph Weldon, (born August 31, 1953, Amityville, New York
Amityville, New York
Amityville is a village in the town of Babylon in Suffolk County, New York, in the United States. The population was 9,441 at the 2000 census.-History:...

) is an American politician and physician. He was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

, representing .

Early life

Weldon served in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

 from 1981 to 1987 and the United States Army Reserve
United States Army Reserve
The United States Army Reserve is the federal reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the reserve components of the United States Army....

 from 1987 until 1992. In 1978, he received a bachelor's degree in biochemistry
Biochemistry
Biochemistry, sometimes called biological chemistry, is the study of chemical processes in living organisms, including, but not limited to, living matter. Biochemistry governs all living organisms and living processes...

 from the State University of New York
State University of New York
The State University of New York, abbreviated SUNY , is a system of public institutions of higher education in New York, United States. It is the largest comprehensive system of universities, colleges, and community colleges in the United States, with a total enrollment of 465,000 students, plus...

, and in 1981 a medical degree from the State University of New York, Buffalo School of Medicine
University at Buffalo, The State University of New York
University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, also commonly known as the University at Buffalo or UB, is a public research university and a "University Center" in the State University of New York system. The university was founded by Millard Fillmore in 1846. UB has multiple campuses...

. He practiced as a physician in Florida after becoming an MD.

Committees

  • Committee on Appropriations
    • Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies
    • Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs
  • Chair and Co Founder, Congressional Aerospace Caucus
  • Chair and Co Founder, Congressional Israel Allies Caucus

Terri Schiavo controversy

In response to the legal battle over the removal of the feeding tube of Terri Schiavo
Terri Schiavo
The Terri Schiavo case was a legal battle in the United States between the legal guardians and the parents of Teresa Marie "Terri" Schiavo that lasted from 1998 to 2005...

, Weldon introduced legislation to force review of the case by the federal government. Weldon, who has a medical degree, believed that Schiavo was not in a vegetative state. He supported his belief saying, "She responds to verbal stimuli, she attempts to vocalize, she tracks with her eyes, she emotes, she attempts to kiss her father."

2006

Weldon faced Democrat Bob Bowman in the general 2006 election. Weldon raised significantly more campaign funds than Bowman: By the end of September, Weldon's total was $673,321 versus $21,944 for Bowman. Weldon also refused to debate Bowman during the campaign. In the November election, Weldon received 125,596 votes to Bowman's 97,947.

2008

On January 25, 2008, Dave Weldon claiming "He never wanted to be a career politician" announced he would not seek another term and would be returning to his medical practice. He endorsed state Senator Bill Posey
Bill Posey
William "Bill" Posey is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2009. He is a member of the Republican Party. He formerly served in the Florida Senate and the Florida House of Representatives....

 to succeed him.

Memberships

Weldon is a member of the following:
  • Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society
    Alpha Omega Alpha
    The Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society, commonly called Alpha Omega Alpha and abbreviated ΑΩΑ or AOA, is a national honor society for medical students, residents, scientists and physicians in the United States and Canada.-History:...

  • American College of Physicians
    American College of Physicians
    The American College of Physicians is a national organization of doctors of internal medicine —physicians who specialize in the prevention, detection, and treatment of illnesses in adults. With 130,000 members, ACP is the largest medical-specialty organization and second-largest physician group in...

    , Fellow
  • American Legion
    American Legion
    The American Legion is a mutual-aid organization of veterans of the United States armed forces chartered by the United States Congress. It was founded to benefit those veterans who served during a wartime period as defined by Congress...

     Post 163
  • Brevard County
    Brevard County, Florida
    Brevard County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida, along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2007 U.S. Census Bureau estimates, the population is 536,521, making it the 10th most populous county in the state. Influenced by the presence of the John F. Kennedy Space Center, Brevard...

     Medical Society
  • Florida Medical Association
  • Phi Beta Kappa Society
    Phi Beta Kappa Society
    The Phi Beta Kappa Society is an academic honor society. Its mission is to "celebrate and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences"; and induct "the most outstanding students of arts and sciences at America’s leading colleges and universities." Founded at The College of William and...

  • Veterans of Foreign Wars
    Veterans of Foreign Wars
    The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States is a congressionally chartered war veterans organization in the United States. Headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, VFW currently has 1.5 million members belonging to 7,644 posts, and is the largest American organization of combat...

     Post 453A
  • Washington Legal Foundation
    Washington Legal Foundation
    The Washington Legal Foundation is a non-profit legal organization based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1977, the Foundation's stated goal is "to defend and promote the principles of freedom and justice." The organization promotes pro-business and free-market positions and is widely perceived as...

     national board of advisors

Personal life

Weldon resides in Indialantic, Florida
Indialantic, Florida
Indialantic is a town in Brevard County, Florida, United States. The name is a portmanteau derived from the town's location between the Indian River Lagoon and the Atlantic Ocean....

, with his wife, Nancy, and their two children, Katie and David.

In December, 2005, Weldon joined with several other Congressmen to form the Second Amendments
Second Amendments
The Second Amendments is a bipartisan rock and country band, all of the members of which were also members of the United States House of Representatives...

, a bipartisan rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...

 and country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...

 band set to play for United States troops stationed overseas over the Holiday season. Weldon plays the bass guitar.http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051222/ap_en_mu/rockin__congressmen

See also

  • United States House of Representatives elections in Florida, 2008
    United States House of Representatives elections in Florida, 2008
    The 2008 congressional elections in Florida were held on November 4, 2008 to determine who will represent the state of Florida in the United States House of Representatives. Representatives are elected for two-year terms; those elected will serve in the 111th Congress from January 4, 2009 until...

  • Florida's 15th congressional district
    Florida's 15th congressional district
    Florida's 15th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Florida. The district contains most of Brevard County south of the city of Cocoa, all of Indian River County, most of Osceola County, and a very small portion of Polk County...

  • Congressional Israel Allies Caucus

External links

  • Congressman Dave Weldon official U.S. House website
    • Weldon.house.gov — Special Order by U.S. Rep. Dave Weldon, M.D.' (autism epidemic address), Congressional Record
      Congressional Record
      The Congressional Record is the official record of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress. It is published by the United States Government Printing Office, and is issued daily when the United States Congress is in session. Indexes are issued approximately every two weeks...

      (June 18, 2004)
  • Dave Weldon for Congress official campaign website

  • Online Focus: U.S. Rep. Dave Weldon (interview re: stem cell research), Public Broadcasting Service
    Public Broadcasting Service
    The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....

     (August 9, 2004)
  • Rep. Dave Weldon, M.D. testimony before the Institute of Medicine Immunization Safety Review Committee, SafeMinds
    SafeMinds
    The Coalition for SafeMinds is a non-profit organization dedicated to investigating the risks of exposure to mercury from medical products...

     (January 11, 2001)
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK