Rahall, Nick J. (Nick Joe), II, 1949-
Variant namesBiographical notes:
Nicholas Joseph Rahall II (born May 20, 1949) is an American politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a U.S. Representative from West Virginia's 4th and 3rd congressional districts from 1977 to 2015. He is the longest-serving member of the United States House of Representatives from the state of West Virginia.
Born in Beckley, West Virginia, he graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School there before earning an A.B. from Duke University and undertaking graduate coursework at George Washington University. After ending his education, Rahall worked as a sales representative for his family's radio station, WWNR, served as president of the Mountaineer Tour and Travel Agency in 1974, and was president of West Virginia Broadcasting. From 1971 to 1974, he served on the staff of Senate Majority Whip Robert Byrd.
In 1976, Rahall was elected to the first of nineteen terms in the U.S. House of Representatives from West Virginia's 4th congressional district. In Congress, Rahall positioned himself as a supporter of the coal industry, introducing legislation to improve mine safety but opposed legislation designed to end mountaintop removal mining, a process often used in West Virginia. Rahall called the Environmental Protection Agency "callous", attacked greenhouse gas rule as "disastrous", and filed legislation to block President Barack Obama's climate agenda. Rahall opposed the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Along with other Lebanese-American lawmakers, he expressed concern with a bipartisan resolution supporting Israel in the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict without adding language urging restraint against civilian targets. In 2014, Rahall was defeated by Republican challenger Evan Jenkins.
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Information
Subjects:
- Advertising, political
- Television advertising
Occupations:
- Businessmen
- Legislative assistants
- Representatives, U.S. Congress
Places:
- WV, US
- Durham, NC, US
- District of Columbia, DC, US
