Ken Bentsen
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Texas's 25th district
In office
January 3, 1995 – January 3, 2003
Preceded byMichael A. Andrews
Succeeded byChris Bell
Personal details
Born (1959-06-03) June 3, 1959
Houston, Texas, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
RelationsLloyd Bentsen (uncle)
Children2
EducationUniversity of St. Thomas (BA)
American University (MPA)

Kenneth Edward Bentsen Jr.[1] (born June 3, 1959) is an American lobbyist and former politician from Texas, serving four terms in the United States House of Representatives from 1995 to 2003. He is the nephew of former senator and secretary of the treasury, Lloyd Bentsen.

Early life and education

Born in Houston, Texas to Kenneth Sr. and Mary Bentsen, he graduated from Deerfield Academy in 1977. Bentsen earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of St. Thomas in 1982 and an Master of Public Administration from American University in 1985.[2]

Career

From 1983 to 1987, he served on the staff of Congressman Ronald D. Coleman and from 1985 to 1987 was an associate staff member on the United States House Committee on Appropriations. Afterwards, he worked as an investment banker.

Congress

Bentsen was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1994 and served from 1995 to 2003. As a congressman, he was one of 81 House Democrats who voted in favor of authorizing the invasion of Iraq on October 10, 2002. In 2002, Bentsen opted to run for the U.S. Senate to replace Phil Gramm; he then lost the Democratic primary to Dallas Mayor Ron Kirk who lost the general election to Texas Attorney General John Cornyn. In May, 2006, he became president of the Equipment Leasing Association in Washington, D.C.

Later career

Bentsen is the president and CEO of the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association.[3] He was named a "Top Lobbyist" by The Hill and one of "Washington's Most Influential People" by Washingtonian.[4][5]

Personal life

He has two daughters with wife Tamra Bentsen. The four reside in Washington, D.C.

  • United States Congress. "Ken Bentsen (id: B000400)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
  • Appearances on C-SPAN

References

  1. ↑ Financial Disclosure Reports of Members of the U.S. House of Representatives. 1999. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  2. ↑ "BENTSEN, Kenneth E., Jr. | US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives". history.house.gov. Retrieved 2021-09-26.
  3. ↑ "Kenneth E. Bentsen, Jr. | SIFMA". www.sifma.org. Retrieved 2021-09-26.
  4. ↑ Perks, Ashley (2020-12-10). "The Hill's Top Lobbyists 2020". The Hill. Retrieved 2021-09-26.
  5. ↑ "Washington's Most Influential People". Washingtonian. 2021-02-25. Retrieved 2021-09-26.
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