LaHood, Ray H., 1945-

<p>Ray LaHood was born on December 6, 1945, in Peoria, Illinois. He earned his bachelor's degree in 1971 from Bradley University in sociology and education. After graduating from college, LaHood worked as a social studies teacher in a junior high school.</p>

<p>In 1972, he became the director of the Rock Island County Youth Services Bureau, a position he held for two years. In 1977, LaHood entered politics as an administrative assistant to U.S. Representative Tom Railsback. From 1982 to 1983, he briefly served in the Illinois House of Representatives, replacing the retiring Pen Polk.</p>

<p>After losing his seat in the Illinois House, La Hood joined the staff of House Minority Leader Robert H. Michel in 1983. He served on Michel's staff in Peoria, Illinois, until 1990 when he was appointed chief of staff and moved to Washington, D.C. In 1994, LaHood was elected as a Republican to the 104th Congress, replacing Michel as the representative of the 18th Congressional District of Illinois. He gained national attention in the House when he presided over the impeachment trial of President Bill Clinton and was praised for his even-handedness.</p>

<p>In 2008, President-elect Barack Obama asked LaHood to join his cabinet as secretary of the Department of Transportation. LaHood is considered a moderate Republican and played a major role in the Illinois transportation network, helping put aside funds for highway construction and the expansion of Illinois airports. In the House, LaHood served on the Appropriations Committee and the Transportation Committee. He was confirmed as secretary of transportation on January 22, 2009, and served in the Obama administration until July 2013, when he resigned as secretary.</p>

<p>LAHOOD, RAY H., (father of Darin LaHood), a Representative from Illinois; born in Peoria, Peoria County, Ill., December 6, 1945; graduated from Spalding Institute, Peoria, Ill., 1963; attended Spoon River Community College, Canton, Ill.; B.S., Bradley University, Peoria, Ill., 1971; teacher; director, Rock Island County Youth Services Bureau, 1972-1974; chief planner, Bi-States Metropolitan Planning Commission, 1974-1977; staff, United States Representative Thomas F. Railsback of Illinois, 1977-1982; member, Illinois state house of representatives, 1982-1983; staff, United States Representative Robert H. Michel of Illinois, 1983-1994; elected as a Republican to the One Hundred Fourth and to the six succeeding Congresses (January 3, 1995-January 3, 2009); was not a candidate for reelection to the One Hundred Eleventh Congress in 2008; Secretary of Transportation in the Cabinet of President Barack Obama, 2009-2013.</p>

<p>Ray H. LaHood (born December 6, 1945) is an American politician who served as United States Secretary of Transportation from 2009 until 2013. A Republican from Illinois, LaHood represented Illinois's 18th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 2009. In 2015, LaHood's book, <i>Seeking Bipartisanship: My Life in Politics</i>, coauthored with Frank H. Mackaman of The Dirksen Congressional Center, was published by Cambria Press.</p>

<p>LaHood was born in Peoria, Illinois, the son of Edward M. LaHood, a Lebanese American who managed a restaurant, and Mary A. LaHood (née Vogel), who was of German ancestry. In 2006, he was one of four Arab American members of Congress.</p>

<p>He graduated from Spalding Institute (now Peoria Notre Dame High School), worked his way through Canton Junior College and Bradley University in Peoria, earning a Bachelor of Science in education and sociology in 1971.</p>

<p>Following graduation, he taught middle school social studies at public and Catholic schools, and has said that "teaching kids ... about the constitution and government" stirred his interest in politics.</p>

<p>LaHood was director of the Rock Island County Youth Services Bureau and then district administrative assistant for U.S. representative Tom Railsback, a Moline, Illinois Republican, from 1977 to 1982. He was appointed in 1982 to fill a vacant seat in the Illinois House of Representatives, serving for nine months, and running for the seat in November 1982, but losing to Democratic candidate Bob DeJaegher. LaHood then became administrative assistant and ultimately the chief of staff to U.S. House Minority Leader Robert Michel, serving from 1982 until 1994.</p>

<p>When Michel announced his retirement in 1994, LaHood ran for and won his seat in the House, representing Illinois's 18th congressional district. LaHood was one of only three Republicans elected to the House that year who did not sign on to the Contract with America, Newt Gingrich's manifesto for a Republican majority, and was a member of the moderate Republican Main Street Partnership. In 1997, in an effort to promote bipartisan cooperation, LaHood organized bipartisan retreats for members of Congress.</p>

<p>LaHood was a strong advocate for preserving the legacy of Abraham Lincoln; LaHood's district covered much of the territory that Lincoln represented during his single term in the House. LaHood authored a law that established the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, which laid the groundwork for celebrating the 16th President's 200th birthday in 2009, and he was also a lead Capitol Hill supporter for the Lincoln Presidential Library in Springfield, Illinois.</p>

<p>During the 2008 presidential election, LaHood supported John McCain, but criticized the rallies being held by McCain's vice presidential nominee, Sarah Palin, saying she should put a stop to the name calling, and that the tactic could backfire. "This doesn't befit the office that she's running for. And frankly, people don't like it," he said.</p>