34 Facts About Bob Livingston

Bob Livingston served as a US Representative from Louisiana from 1977 to 1999 and as the Chairman of the Appropriations Committee from 1995 to 1999.

Bob Livingston is a descendant of the Livingston family of New York, whose members include Philip, a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence; Chancellor Robert R Livingston, a co-author of the Declaration and author of the Louisiana Purchase; his younger brother, Edward, Aide de Camp and later Secretary of State to President Andrew Jackson, and who had earlier in his career held the same Congressional seat as Bob Livingston.

Bob Livingston is a direct descendant of Henry Bob Livingston, who was probably the author of the poem, The Night Before Christmas, and French Admiral Francois Joseph Paul de Grasse, who together with General George Washington cornered and defeated British General Cornwallis in the Siege of Yorktown, Virginia, thereby concluding the American Revolutionary War.

Bob Livingston was married in 1965 to the former Bonnie Robichaux, a native of Raceland in Lafourche Parish.

Treen had been an active Republican in the days when the party barely existed in Louisiana, and this connection allowed Bob Livingston to make valuable contacts in GOP circles.

Bob Livingston was a delegate to all Republican conventions between 1976 and 2000.

Between 1970 and 1976, Livingston worked for US Attorney for the Louisiana's Eastern District Gerald J Gallinghouse, Orleans Parish District Attorney Harry Connick Sr.

Bob Livingston resigned his position as head of the state attorney general's organized crime unit in 1976 when he won the Republican nomination for Louisiana's 1st Congressional District, encompassing roughly half of New Orleans and many of its surrounding suburbs.

Bob Livingston narrowly lost to one-term state legislator Richard Tonry of Chalmette in St Bernard Parish.

Bob Livingston was denied victory when a third-party candidate, former Sixth District Congressman John Rarick, formerly of St Francisville in West Feliciana Parish, filed as an independent in the last days of the race.

Bob Livingston was aided by a cadre of dedicated Republican volunteers, including the newly installed National Committeewoman Virginia Martinez of Kenner.

In 1978, Bob Livingston won a full term with 86 percent of the vote.

Bob Livingston was reelected eleven times, dropping below 80 percent of the vote only once, in 1992.

Bob Livingston was completely unopposed in 1986,1996 and 1998.

Bob Livingston's district became even more Republican after the 1980 census, when most of the district's share of New Orleans was shifted to the 2nd District.

Bob Livingston first came to national attention in 1995, when he was named chairman of the Appropriations Committee after the Republican takeover of the House.

Bob Livingston subsequently announced that he was not only running for Speaker, but had lined up enough support to win.

Bob Livingston was nominated as the Republican candidate for Speaker without opposition, and as the GOP had retained a narrow majority in the House, this effectively made him Speaker-elect.

Two days later, on December 19,1998, during the final impeachment debates in the House of Representatives, Bob Livingston reiterated his call for Clinton to resign.

Gephardt had previously urged Bob Livingston to reconsider his resignation, having pledged not to make an issue of the extramarital affair if he became Speaker.

Bob Livingston resigned from the House on March 1,1999, two months into his 13th full term.

In 1985, Bob Livingston had called for the resignation of Governor Edwin Edwards, who faced indictment and trial on charges of racketeering and fraud.

Bob Livingston even noted that Louisiana had a high number of cancer patients, a factor that was often attributed to environmental hazards.

Since resigning from Congress, Bob Livingston has worked as a lobbyist.

The Bob Livingston Group has represented the government of Egypt until March 2012.

Bob Livingston's stated role is to enhance relations between the United States and the Republic of Egypt, which he perceives as critical to a resolution of tension in the Middle East.

Bob Livingston emerged as a "behind-the-scenes player" in the impeachment inquiry against President Trump, apparently having urged a Trump administration official to oust the US ambassador to Ukraine.

Bob Livingston characterized Ambassador Yovanovitch as an "Obama holdover" and associated with George Soros.

Bob Livingston declared his support for Donald Trump in March 2016, comparing him to Ronald Reagan.

In 2003, Bob Livingston was inducted into the Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame in Winnfield.

Bob Livingston testified in the 2009 trial of Mose Jefferson, who was convicted on four counts related to bribery.

From 2011 to 2014, Bob Livingston became Treasurer of the Louisiana Republican Party.

Bob Livingston said taking the fundraising assignment for the Louisiana GOP would not in any way undermine the work of The Bob Livingston Group.

Bob Livingston is a member of the board of the International Foundation for Electoral Systems, a non-profit involved in international elections, and he is a Knight of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.