Connie Mack III
Encyclopedia
Cornelius Alexander McGillicuddy III (born October 29, 1940, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
), popularly known as Connie Mack, is a former Republican
politician. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives
from Florida from 1983 to 1989 and then as a Senator
from 1989 to 2001. He served as chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, 1997–2001. He was considered by Bob Dole to be the Vice-Presidential nominee on the GOP ticket in 1996 though Jack Kemp
was chosen instead.
with a Bachelor of Arts
in 1966. He is a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon
Fraternity and Florida Blue Key.
He is the grandson of Connie Mack
(1862–1956), former owner and manager
of baseball's Philadelphia Athletics
and member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Mack's maternal grandfather was Morris Sheppard
, U.S. Senator and Representative from Texas
, and later his maternal step-grandfather was Tom Connally, the other U.S. Senator from Texas (Sheppard's widow married Connally the year after Sheppard died http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/briefing/Senate_Spouses.htm). Mack's maternal great-grandfather was John Levi Sheppard
who was also a U.S. Representative from Texas. His son, Connie Mack IV
, a former Florida State Representative, was elected to his father's old U.S. House seat in 2004 and is married to U.S. congresswoman Mary Bono Mack of California
, the widow of Sonny Bono
, another U.S. Congressman from California.
After redistricting, incumbent Democrat U.S. Congressman William Lehman
's district was renumbered from the 13th
to the 17th
. For the open seat in the 13th district, Mack qualified for a run-off election in October against State Representative Ted Ewing 58% to 42%. In the November general election, he won with 65% of the vote. In 1984, he won re-election with unopposed and in 1986 won with 75% of the vote.
1988 U.S. Senate election
Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Lawton Chiles decided to retire. After three terms in the U.S. House, Mack decided to retire and run for the U.S. Senate. He won the primary with 62% of the vote against Robert Merkle. In the general election, he defeated Democrat U.S. Congressman Buddy Mackay with just 50% of the vote.
1994 U.S. Senate election
In the general election, he defeated Democrat attorney Hugh Rodham
(brother of Hilary Clinton) 71% to 29%. He won every county in the state.
Mack helped define the framework of landmark legislation to allow the financial industry to respond appropriately to the increasing demands of an aggressive global marketplace. He has a long history of fighting for debt-deficit reduction. He co-authored and introduced into the House the landmark Gramm-Rudman deficit reduction law. Mack was also instrumental in passage of the landmark Everglades Restoration Act, which was signed into law on December 11, 2000.
He decided to retire in 2000 and not run for re-election to a third term. Democrat U.S. Congressman Bill Nelson won the open seat. Mack's son, U.S. Congressman Connie Mack IV
, is running against Nelson in the United States Senate election in Florida, 2012
.
as Chairman of the President's Advisory Panel for Federal Tax Reform
. That same year, he was featured in Castles In The Sun, a documentary about the development of Cape Coral. Mack's father, Connie Mack, Jr., had worked as a public relations man for Leonard and Jack Rosen, the brothers who built Cape Coral from a wasteland into a waterfront wonderland. Connie Mack III went to work for the company (Gulf American Corporation) as a teenager.
In 2005, the producer interviewed Connie Mack III at his Palm Island home in Florida. Mack talked abut his father and grandfather; and the influence they and the land developers had on his life.
Since early 2007, Connie Mack, III has served as the Senior Policy Advisor to Liberty Partners of Tallahassee - a Florida-based lobbying firm (www.libertypartnersfl.com). In that role, Mack has helped shape the firm's reputation as highly-regarded, client-focused firm representing issues ranging from business development, regulated industries and taxation to health care and cancer-related interests.
On April 15, 2010, Mack resigned as campaign chairman for Charlie Crist
's race for the US Senate.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
), popularly known as Connie Mack, is a former 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...
politician. He served as a member of the United States 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 Florida from 1983 to 1989 and then as a 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...
from 1989 to 2001. He served as chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, 1997–2001. He was considered by Bob Dole to be the Vice-Presidential nominee on the GOP ticket in 1996 though Jack Kemp
Jack Kemp
Jack French Kemp was an American politician and a collegiate and professional football player. A Republican, he served as Housing Secretary in the administration of President George H. W. Bush from 1989 to 1993, having previously served nine terms as a congressman for Western New York's 31st...
was chosen instead.
Early life, education, and family
Mack was born in Philadelphia in 1940 to Connie Mack II. He graduated from the University of FloridaUniversity of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
with a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in 1966. He is a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon
Sigma Alpha Epsilon
Sigma Alpha Epsilon is a North American Greek-letter social college fraternity founded at the University of Alabama on March 9, 1856. Of all existing national social fraternities today, Sigma Alpha Epsilon is the only one founded in the Antebellum South...
Fraternity and Florida Blue Key.
He is the grandson of Connie Mack
Connie Mack (baseball)
Cornelius McGillicuddy, Sr. , better known as Connie Mack, was an American professional baseball player, manager, and team owner. The longest-serving manager in Major League Baseball history, he holds records for wins , losses , and games managed , with his victory total being almost 1,000 more...
(1862–1956), former owner and manager
Manager (baseball)
In baseball, the field manager is an individual who is responsible for matters of team strategy on the field and team leadership. Managers are typically assisted by between one and six assistant coaches, whose responsibilities are specialized...
of baseball's Philadelphia Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
and member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Mack's maternal grandfather was Morris Sheppard
Morris Sheppard
John Morris Sheppard was a Democratic United States Congressman and United States Senator from Texas. He authored the Eighteenth Amendment and introduced it in the Senate, so that he is referred to as "the father of national Prohibition."-Biography:John Morris Sheppard was born in Morris County...
, U.S. Senator and Representative from Texas
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...
, and later his maternal step-grandfather was Tom Connally, the other U.S. Senator from Texas (Sheppard's widow married Connally the year after Sheppard died http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/briefing/Senate_Spouses.htm). Mack's maternal great-grandfather was John Levi Sheppard
John Levi Sheppard
John Levi Sheppard was an American lawyer, judge, and legislator. Sheppard was elected to two terms as a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives for the Fourth Congressional District of Texas...
who was also a U.S. Representative from Texas. His son, Connie Mack IV
Connie Mack IV
Cornelius Harvey McGillicuddy IV popularly known as Connie Mack IV is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2005. He is a member of the Republican Party. The district includes Fort Myers and Naples....
, a former Florida State Representative, was elected to his father's old U.S. House seat in 2004 and is married to U.S. congresswoman Mary Bono Mack of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, the widow of Sonny Bono
Sonny Bono
Salvatore Phillip "Sonny" Bono was an American recording artist, record producer, actor, and politician whose career spanned over three decades.-Early life:...
, another U.S. Congressman from California.
Elections
U.S. House electionsAfter redistricting, incumbent Democrat U.S. Congressman William Lehman
William Lehman (Florida politician)
William H. Lehman was a United States Representative from Florida.Born in Selma, Alabama, he graduated from Dallas Academy and Selma High School, 1930. He received a B.S...
's district was renumbered from the 13th
Florida's 13th congressional district
Florida's 13th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Florida that encompasses all of Sarasota, DeSoto, and Hardee counties and most of Manatee County except for a small northern coastal portion that is located in the neighboring 11th Congressional District...
to the 17th
Florida's 17th congressional district
Florida's 17th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Florida. Located in South Florida, the majority African American district includes the southern parts of Broward County and the eastern parts of Miami-Dade County...
. For the open seat in the 13th district, Mack qualified for a run-off election in October against State Representative Ted Ewing 58% to 42%. In the November general election, he won with 65% of the vote. In 1984, he won re-election with unopposed and in 1986 won with 75% of the vote.
1988 U.S. Senate election
Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Lawton Chiles decided to retire. After three terms in the U.S. House, Mack decided to retire and run for the U.S. Senate. He won the primary with 62% of the vote against Robert Merkle. In the general election, he defeated Democrat U.S. Congressman Buddy Mackay with just 50% of the vote.
1994 U.S. Senate election
In the general election, he defeated Democrat attorney Hugh Rodham
Hugh Rodham
Hugh Edwin Rodham ) is an American lawyer, businessman and Democratic Party politician who is the brother of former New York Senator and First Lady and current Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.- Early life and education :...
(brother of Hilary Clinton) 71% to 29%. He won every county in the state.
Tenure
During his congressional career, U.S. Senator Mack played a key role in the passage of laws dealing with health care, financial modernization, modification of the tax code and public housing reform. A cancer survivor, Senator Mack has also been a strong advocate for cancer research, early detection and treatment. Senator Mack led a historic bipartisan congressional effort to double funding for biomedical research through the National Institutes of Health and worked tirelessly to secure the necessary appropriations. He also secured Medicare coverage for clinical trials, and was a leading Republican advocate of the Women's Health Initiative and efforts to strengthen and reform the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. He has been the recipient of numerous honors and awards over the years, including the 1999 National Coalition for Cancer Research Lifetime Achievement Award, American Cancer Society’s 1992 Courage Award and the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation’s Betty Ford Award.Mack helped define the framework of landmark legislation to allow the financial industry to respond appropriately to the increasing demands of an aggressive global marketplace. He has a long history of fighting for debt-deficit reduction. He co-authored and introduced into the House the landmark Gramm-Rudman deficit reduction law. Mack was also instrumental in passage of the landmark Everglades Restoration Act, which was signed into law on December 11, 2000.
He decided to retire in 2000 and not run for re-election to a third term. Democrat U.S. Congressman Bill Nelson won the open seat. Mack's son, U.S. Congressman Connie Mack IV
Connie Mack IV
Cornelius Harvey McGillicuddy IV popularly known as Connie Mack IV is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2005. He is a member of the Republican Party. The district includes Fort Myers and Naples....
, is running against Nelson in the United States Senate election in Florida, 2012
United States Senate election in Florida, 2012
The 2012 United States Senate election in Florida will be held on November 6, 2012 alongside a presidential election, other elections to the United States Congress, as well as various state and local elections. Incumbent Democratic U.S...
.
Post-congressional career
In 2005, Connie Mack III was appointed by President George W. BushGeorge W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
as Chairman of the President's Advisory Panel for Federal Tax Reform
President's Advisory Panel for Federal Tax Reform
On January 7, 2005, President George W. Bush announced the establishment of the President's Advisory Panel for Tax Reform, a bipartisan panel to advise on options to reform the United States income tax code to make it simpler, fairer, and more pro-growth to benefit all Americans.On November 1,...
. That same year, he was featured in Castles In The Sun, a documentary about the development of Cape Coral. Mack's father, Connie Mack, Jr., had worked as a public relations man for Leonard and Jack Rosen, the brothers who built Cape Coral from a wasteland into a waterfront wonderland. Connie Mack III went to work for the company (Gulf American Corporation) as a teenager.
In 2005, the producer interviewed Connie Mack III at his Palm Island home in Florida. Mack talked abut his father and grandfather; and the influence they and the land developers had on his life.
Since early 2007, Connie Mack, III has served as the Senior Policy Advisor to Liberty Partners of Tallahassee - a Florida-based lobbying firm (www.libertypartnersfl.com). In that role, Mack has helped shape the firm's reputation as highly-regarded, client-focused firm representing issues ranging from business development, regulated industries and taxation to health care and cancer-related interests.
On April 15, 2010, Mack resigned as campaign chairman for Charlie Crist
Charlie Crist
Charles Joseph "Charlie" Crist, Jr. is an American politician who was the 44th Governor of Florida. Prior to his election as governor, Crist previously served as Florida State Senator, Education Commissioner, and Attorney General...
's race for the US Senate.