Larry Combest
Encyclopedia
Larry Ed Combest is a retired Texas
Republican
U.S.
politician
who was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from 1985 to 2003.
, a small town in West Texas
and the seat of Hall County. In 1969, he earned his bachelor of business administration
degree from West Texas State University in Canyon
. His family operated a farm for four generations. In 1971, he served briefly as director of the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service
of the U.S. Department of Agriculture
. He then became legislative assistant to Republican U.S. Senator
John Tower
(1925–1991) from 1971 to 1978, having left after Tower won his fourth and final term in office. From 1978 until his election to Congress six years later, Combest was in private business
.
Congressman Kent Hance
did not run for a fourth term but instead ran unsuccessfully for his party's nomination for the United States Senate
. Combest won the Republican nomination in a runoff over fellow Lubbock conservative Ron Fleming. Combest was elected in November amid Ronald Reagan
's landslide reelection victory that year. Democratic presidential nominee Walter F. Mondale barely managed 20 percent of the vote in much of the district. Combest received 102,805 votes (58.1 percent) to 74,044 (41.9 percent) for the Democrat Don R. Richards, a former Hance aide. Combest was only the third person to represent the 19th District since its creation in 1934. He was also the first Republican. Combest was thus one of six freshmen Republican congressmen elected from Texas in 1984 known as the Texas Six Pack
. Although the 19th had become increasingly friendly to Republicans over the years (a Democratic presidential candidate has not carried the district since Lyndon B. Johnson
in 1964), conservative Democrats continued to win most races at the state and local level until 1994. He was reelected nine times with no substantive Democratic opposition. He ran unopposed in 1990 and 1994 and with no major-party opposition in 2000 and 2002.
Combest served as chairman of the House Intelligence Committee
in the 104th Congress
(1995–1997) and chairman of the House Agriculture Committee
in the 106th
and 107th Congresses
(1999–2003). His voting record was solidly conservative, but his approach was not nearly as confrontational as other conservative Republicans. For instance, he and Democrat Charles Stenholm
(himself a farmer), the ranking member on the Agriculture Committee, worked together to shepherd the 2002 Farm Bill to passage.
After the deaths of his father and a daughter within a short period of time, Combest announced his pending resignation on November 12, 2002 — only a week after winning a tenth term. He said that he and his wife, Sharon, "realize[d] how fragile life and health are. They certainly caused us to rearrange our priorities and we want to spend as much time together while we have our life and health." He resigned from the House on May 31, 2003. Fellow Republican Randy Neugebauer
won the special election to replace Combest and was sworn into office on June 3, 2003.
In 2006, lawyers for the NAACP discovered that Combest was one of six Republican congressional leaders who secretly requested an IRS investigation into the NAACP's tax-exempt status after NAACP chairman Julian Bond
called Bush's policies racially divisive.
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
who was a member of the U.S. 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...
from 1985 to 2003.
Early life
Combest was born in Memphis, TexasMemphis, Texas
Memphis is a city in Hall County, Texas, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the population was 2,479. It is the county seat of Hall County.Memphis is the birthplace of former U.S...
, a small town in West Texas
West Texas
West Texas is a vernacular term applied to a region in the southwestern quadrant of the United States that primarily encompasses the arid and semi-arid lands in the western portion of the state of Texas....
and the seat of Hall County. In 1969, he earned his bachelor of business administration
Bachelor of Business Administration
The Bachelor of Business Administration is a bachelor's degree in Commerce and business administration. In most universities, the degree is conferred upon a student after four years of full-time study in one or more areas of business concentrations; see below...
degree from West Texas State University in Canyon
Canyon, Texas
Canyon is a city in Randall County, Texas, United States. The population was 12,875 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Randall County. It is the home of West Texas A&M University and Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum. Palo Duro Canyon State Park is some twelve miles east of Canyon...
. His family operated a farm for four generations. In 1971, he served briefly as director of the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service
Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service
Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service was an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture. It administered programs concerning farm products and agricultural conservation...
of the U.S. Department of Agriculture
United States Department of Agriculture
The United States Department of Agriculture is the United States federal executive department responsible for developing and executing U.S. federal government policy on farming, agriculture, and food...
. He then became legislative assistant to Republican U.S. Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
John Tower
John Tower
John Goodwin Tower was the first Republican United States senator from Texas since Reconstruction. He served from 1961 until his retirement in January 1985, after which time he was the chairman of the Reagan-appointed Tower Commission that investigated the Iran-Contra Affair. He was George H. W...
(1925–1991) from 1971 to 1978, having left after Tower won his fourth and final term in office. From 1978 until his election to Congress six years later, Combest was in private business
Business
A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
.
Congressional career
In 1984, DemocraticDemocratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Congressman Kent Hance
Kent Hance
Kent "The Hancellor" Ronald Hance is a lobbyist and lawyer who was a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from West Texas, having served from 1979 to 1985...
did not run for a fourth term but instead ran unsuccessfully for his party's nomination for the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
. Combest won the Republican nomination in a runoff over fellow Lubbock conservative Ron Fleming. Combest was elected in November amid Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
's landslide reelection victory that year. Democratic presidential nominee Walter F. Mondale barely managed 20 percent of the vote in much of the district. Combest received 102,805 votes (58.1 percent) to 74,044 (41.9 percent) for the Democrat Don R. Richards, a former Hance aide. Combest was only the third person to represent the 19th District since its creation in 1934. He was also the first Republican. Combest was thus one of six freshmen Republican congressmen elected from Texas in 1984 known as the Texas Six Pack
Texas Six Pack
The Texas Six Pack was a group of six freshmen Republican congressmen from Texas who were elected during the 1984 Ronald Reagan landslide victory over Walter Mondale. With their victories the Texas congressional delegation shifted from a 22-5 Democratic advantage to only 17-10. Several of the six...
. Although the 19th had become increasingly friendly to Republicans over the years (a Democratic presidential candidate has not carried the district since Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...
in 1964), conservative Democrats continued to win most races at the state and local level until 1994. He was reelected nine times with no substantive Democratic opposition. He ran unopposed in 1990 and 1994 and with no major-party opposition in 2000 and 2002.
Combest served as chairman of the House Intelligence Committee
United States House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence
The United States House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence is a committee of the United States House of Representatives, currently chaired by Mike Rogers. It is the primary committee in the U.S...
in the 104th Congress
104th United States Congress
The One Hundred Fourth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1995 to January 3, 1997, during the third and...
(1995–1997) and chairman of the House Agriculture Committee
United States House Committee on Agriculture
The U.S. House Committee on Agriculture, or Agriculture Committee is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. The House Committee on Agriculture has general jurisdiction over federal agriculture policy and oversight of some federal agencies, and it can recommend funding...
in the 106th
106th United States Congress
The One Hundred Sixth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1999 to January 3, 2001, during the last two...
and 107th Congresses
107th United States Congress
The One Hundred Seventh United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from January 3, 2001 to January 3, 2003, during the final...
(1999–2003). His voting record was solidly conservative, but his approach was not nearly as confrontational as other conservative Republicans. For instance, he and Democrat Charles Stenholm
Charles Stenholm
Charles Walter "Charlie" Stenholm, is a politician from the state of Texas. He was a member of the United States House of Representatives for 13 terms, from 1979 to 2005....
(himself a farmer), the ranking member on the Agriculture Committee, worked together to shepherd the 2002 Farm Bill to passage.
After the deaths of his father and a daughter within a short period of time, Combest announced his pending resignation on November 12, 2002 — only a week after winning a tenth term. He said that he and his wife, Sharon, "realize[d] how fragile life and health are. They certainly caused us to rearrange our priorities and we want to spend as much time together while we have our life and health." He resigned from the House on May 31, 2003. Fellow Republican Randy Neugebauer
Randy Neugebauer
Robert Randolph "Randy" Neugebauer is the U.S. Representative for , serving since a special election in 2003. He is a member of the Republican Party. The district includes a large swath of West Texas, including Lubbock and Abilene...
won the special election to replace Combest and was sworn into office on June 3, 2003.
In 2006, lawyers for the NAACP discovered that Combest was one of six Republican congressional leaders who secretly requested an IRS investigation into the NAACP's tax-exempt status after NAACP chairman Julian Bond
Julian Bond
Horace Julian Bond , known as Julian Bond, is an American social activist and leader in the American civil rights movement, politician, professor, and writer. While a student at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, during the early 1960s, he helped found the Student Nonviolent Coordinating...
called Bush's policies racially divisive.