DeLay, Tom (1947-…), a Texas Republican, served in the United States House of Representatives from 1985 to 2006. DeLay served as the House majority leader from 2003 to 2005. He served as majority whip (assistant leader) from 1995 to 2003. DeLay became known as one of the most effective House leaders in modern times. He won difficult votes through tough tactics that won him the nickname “the Hammer.”
Thomas Dale DeLay was born in Laredo, Texas, on April 8, 1947. He attended Baylor University and received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Houston in 1970. After graduation, he worked for a company that manufactured pesticides. He started his own exterminating business in 1973. He was elected to the Texas House of Representatives in 1978 and served until 1984. He won election to his first term in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1984 and took office in 1985.
In the U.S. House, DeLay became known for his conservative views and harsh treatment of opponents. He was a key strategist in the 1994 campaign in which the Republicans took over the House from the Democrats. DeLay was one of the strongest supporters of impeachment proceedings against President Bill Clinton for Clinton’s actions involving an affair with a White House intern. The House voted to impeach Clinton in 1998, but the Senate acquitted him in 1999.
In 2005, a Texas grand jury indicted DeLay on one count of money laundering and another count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. The indictments accused DeLay of violating a state law that barred corporate donations from being spent directly on political campaigns. Prosecutors said DeLay used his political action committee to funnel corporate money to Republican candidates in 2002 state legislative races. Republicans’ victories in that election gave them control of the state House and the power to redraw districts for the U.S. House.
DeLay denied that his activities were illegal. However, in September 2005, he stepped down from his House leadership post, as required by Republican Party rules. DeLay won renomination for his House seat in March 2006. Soon afterward, however, he decided not to run for reelection. DeLay retired from the House in June 2006. He then ran a consulting firm in the Houston area. With author Stephen Mansfield, DeLay wrote a memoir, No Retreat, No Surrender: One American’s Fight (2007). In 2010, a Texas jury convicted him of the money laundering charges from the 2005 indictment. In 2011, a judge sentenced DeLay to three years in prison. DeLay remained free on bond while his lawyers appealed the verdict. In 2013, a Texas appeals court overturned DeLay’s conviction.
