Thomas W. "Tom" Ewing 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...

 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...

 and the Illinois State House of Representatives. Ewing was a state representative from 1974 to 1991, and a U.S. Congressman representing the 15th district of Illinois

Illinois' 15th congressional district

The 15th Congressional District of Illinois is located in eastern Illinois. It includes the cities of Charleston, Urbana, Danville, and Champaign, and all or parts of Livingston, Iroquois, Ford, McLean, DeWitt, Champaign, Vermillion, Macon, Piatt, Douglas, Edgar, Moultrie, Coles, Cumberland,...

 from July 2, 1991 until his retirement on January 3, 2001. In January 1995 he was named a Deputy Republican House Whip. While a U.S. Congressman, Thomas Ewing was considered to be a Libertarian

Libertarianism

Libertarianism, in the strictest sense, is the political philosophy that holds individual liberty as the basic moral principle of society. In the broadest sense, it is any political philosophy which approximates this view...

-leaning Conservative, favoring a smaller less intrusive government, but more on economic issues than on social ones.

Ewing has a B.S.

Bachelor of Science

A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...

 from Millikin University

Millikin University

Millikin University is an American co-educational, comprehensive, private, four-year university with traditional undergraduate programs in arts and sciences, business, fine arts, and professional studies, as well as non-traditional, adult degree-completion programs and graduate programs in...

, Decatur, Illinois

Decatur, Illinois

Decatur is the largest city and the county seat of Macon County in the U.S. state of Illinois. The city, sometimes called "the Soybean Capital of the World", was founded in 1823 and is located along the Sangamon River and Lake Decatur in Central Illinois. In 2000 the city population was 81,500,...

, and a J.D.

Juris Doctor

Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...

 from John Marshall Law School

John Marshall Law School (Chicago)

The John Marshall Law School is a law school in Chicago, Illinois, that was founded in 1899 and accredited by the American Bar Association in 1941. The school was named for the influential nineteenth century U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall....

 in Chicago

Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

. Ewing served in the United States Army Reserve

United States Army Reserve

The United States Army Reserve is the federal reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the reserve components of the United States Army....

 from 1957 to 1963. He practiced law privately from 1963 until 1968, and Ewing was the Livingston County, Illinois

Livingston County, Illinois

Livingston County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 38,950, which is a decrease of 1.8% from 39,678 in 2000. Its county seat is Pontiac....

 district attorney from 1968 until 1973. He earned his seat in Congress after a special election was called following the resignation of Edward Madigan. In December 2000 he introduced the Commodity Futures Modernization Act of 2000

Commodity Futures Modernization Act of 2000

The Commodity Futures Modernization Act of 2000 is United States federal legislation that officially ensured the deregulation of financial products known as over-the-counter derivatives. It was signed into law on December 21, 2000 by President Bill Clinton...

 which created the Enron loophole

Enron loophole

The "Enron loophole" exempts most over-the-counter energy trades and trading on electronic energy commodity markets from government regulation....

 and legalized credit default swaps.

From 2001 to 2007, Ewing served as the chairman of the Biomass Research and Development Technical Advisory Committee. This new government body was created in 2000.

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