John, Christopher, 1960-

<p>Christopher Charles John (born January 5, 1960) is an American politician and lobbyist who from 1997 to 2005 served as a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives for Louisiana's 7th congressional district, since disbanded and merged into the 3rd district.</p>

<p>Chris John was born in Crowley in Acadia Parish, one of six children, and reared as a Roman Catholic. He is of Lebanese, French, and German extraction. He attended Notre Dame Catholic High School in Crowley and Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. He was a page while his father, John N. John, III, was a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives. In the early 1980s, he was elected to the Crowley City Council.</p>

<p>Chris John first became a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives before he entered the U.S. House. In what was considered a major upset at the time, John defeated the state House incumbent, the former director of the Louisiana State Police, Donald Thibodeaux, in October 1987, by 54 to 46 percent.</p>

<p>Chris John, the face of big oil in Louisiana for the past decade, announced Tuesday he would leave the Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil & Gas Association at the end of the year.</p>

<p>John had been president of the Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil & Gas Association since August 2007. LMOGA’s board of directors reads like a who’s who of the seven sisters oil companies with executives representing the largest energy producers and refiners. He was a constant presence around the State Capitol pushing for laws and tax rules that favored the energy industry, one of the state’s largest employers.</p>

<p>“The oil and gas industry is very exciting, challenging and critical to America’s energy security. For the past 11 years, I’ve had the privilege to work alongside some wonderful people through both good and bad times. I’m incredibly proud of all we have accomplished,” John said in a press statement.</p>

JOHN, Christopher, a Representative from Louisiana; born in Crowley, Acadia Parish, La., January 5, 1960; graduated from Notre Dame High School, Acadia Parish, La., 1978; B.A., Louisiana State University, Shreveport, La., 1982; aide to father, Louisiana state representative, John N. John, Jr., 1974-1982; member of the Louisiana state house of representatives, 1988-1996; charter member of the Crowley, La., chamber of commerce; Crowley, La., board of alderman, 1984-1988; elected as a Democrat to the One Hundred Fifth Congress and to the three succeeding Congresses (January 3, 1997- January 3, 2005); not a candidate for reelection, but was an unsuccessful candidate for the United States Senate in 2004.