Lloyd Doggett

Lloyd Alton Doggett II (born October 6, 1946) is a U.S. Representative from Texas. A member of the Democratic Party, he has represented a district based in the state capital, Austin, since 1995, currently numbered as the 35th district.

Early life, education and career

Born in Austin, Doggett received both a Bachelor's degree in business and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Texas at Austin, where he served as student body president his senior year. While attending the University of Texas at Austin, he also joined Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity.

Texas government

His electoral career began in 1973, when he was elected to the Texas State Senate, serving until 1985. He authored the bill creating the Texas Commission on Human Rights, as well as a law outlawing "cop killer" bullets and a "sunset law" requiring periodic review of government agencies. He first gained notoriety in 1979, as a member of the "Killer Bees" — a group of 12 Democratic state senators who opposed a plan to move the state's presidential primary to March 11. The intent was to give former governor John Connally a leg up on the 1980 Republican nomination. The Killer Bees wanted a closed primary. When this proposal was rejected, they walked out of the chamber and left the Senate two members short of a quorum. The bill was withdrawn five days later.