González, Charles A. (Charles Augustine), 1945-

GONZALEZ, Charles A., a Representative from Texas; born in San Antonio, Bexar County, Tex., May 5, 1945; graduated from Thomas A. Edison High School, San Antonio, Tex., 1965; B.A., University of Texas, Austin, Tex., 1969; J.D., St. Mary's School of Law, San Antonio, Tex., 1972; Texas Air National Guard, 1969-1975; teacher; lawyer, private practice; judge, Bexar County, Tex., Court at Law, No. 2, 1983-1987; Texas state district court judge, Bexar County, Tex., 1989-1997; elected as a Democrat to the One Hundred Sixth and to the six succeeding Congresses (January 3, 1999-January 3, 2013); was not a candidate for reelection to the One Hundred Thirteenth Congress in 2012.

<p>As a former judge, Charles Gonzalez had a unique, straight-forward way of finding common ground in the U.S. House of Representatives. “I’m not for pomp and circumstance,” he said in 2001. “Let’s get into the nitty-gritty and discuss our differences.”</p>

<p>Charles A. Gonzalez was born the third of eight children on May 5, 1945, in San Antonio, Texas, to Henry B. and Bertha González. As a child, he attended Catholic parochial schools while his father served in the San Antonio City Council and then in the state senate. When Charlie Gonzalez was in high school, his father became the first Mexican American from Texas elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. (He is the longest-serving Hispanic American in congressional history, 1961–1999.) With his father in Washington, the younger Gonzalez remained in San Antonio, and after graduating from Thomas A. Edison High School, he attended the University of Texas, Austin, receiving a bachelor of arts degree in government in 1969. Three years later he earned a law degree from St. Mary’s School of Law in San Antonio. From 1969 to 1975, Gonzalez was also a reservist in the Texas Air National Guard. He is divorced, with a son, Leo, from his previous marriage.</p>

<p>Gonzalez spent one year teaching school before practicing law in the private sector for roughly a decade. In 1983, he became a municipal court judge before being elected to the Bexar County Court at Law. After five years as a county judge, Gonzalez was elected to the bench of Texas’ 57th District Court and served from 1988 until 1997. When Henry B. González announced his retirement from national politics in 1997, Charlie Gonzalez resigned his judgeship to campaign for his father’s seat. Texas’ traditionally Democratic and predominantly Hispanic 20th District cuts a diagonal through the city of San Antonio, encompassing much of the downtown area, including the Alamo, before stretching south and westward into the suburbs. The 1998 election featured a crowded Democratic primary, and after Gonzalez captured the party nod in the runoff election, he defeated his Republican challenger in the general election by nearly 30 percent. Since his first victory more than a decade ago, Gonzalez faced little competition in either primary or general elections.</p>

<p>Charles Augustine González (born May 5, 1945) is an American Democratic politician from Texas. He represented Texas's 20th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1999 to 2013. He served as Chairman of Latinos for Obama and National Co-Chair of President Obama's 2012 re-election campaign.</p>

<p>González was born in San Antonio, Texas, the son of Bertha Marie (née Cuellar) and Henry B. González, who represented the 20th from 1961 until his son took over in 1999. His parents, of Mexican descent, were both Texas-born. Charlie graduated from Thomas A. Edison High School. He received his bachelor's degree in government from the University of Texas at Austin in 1969, and then later earned his Juris Doctor degree from St. Mary's University in San Antonio in 1972. As a youth, he was a Boy Scout in Troop 90 of San Antonio. His father was the Scoutmaster.</p>

<p>González served as a technical sergeant in the Texas Air National Guard from 1969 until 1975. He then began practicing law until 1982 when he began rising through the ranks of the court system. He served first as a municipal court judge, then later as a judge in county and then district court, both of which are elected positions.</p>