Rob Simmons

Rob Simmons

Robert Ruhl "Rob" Simmons (born February 11, 1943 in New York City ) is an American politician . Between 2001 and 2007 he represented the second electoral district of the state of Connecticut in the US House of Representatives .

Career

Rob Simmons attended Haverford College in Haverford ( Pennsylvania ) until 1965 . Between 1965 and 1968 he was a soldier in the US Army , of which he was a member of the reserve until 2000. During his active service as a soldier, he was also deployed in Vietnam . At the end of his time as a reserve officer in the intelligence service, he had made it to the rank of colonel. Between 1969 and 1979 Simmons worked abroad for the CIA . In 1979 he studied public administration at Harvard University .

Politically, Simmons joined the Republican Party . From 1979 to 1981 he was an employee of the US Senator John Chafee from Rhode Island . From 1981 to 1985 he was on the staff of the Intelligence Committee of Congress. He was then a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives from 1990 to 2000 .

In 2000, Simmons was elected to the US House of Representatives in Washington, DC in the Second District of Connecticut . There he succeeded the Democrat Sam Gejdenson on January 3, 2001 , whom he had beaten in the election. After two re-elections, Simmons was able to complete three terms in Congress until January 3, 2007 . There he was a member of the Armed Forces Committee and the Homeland Security Committee . In the 2006 elections he was defeated by the Democrat Joe Courtney .

In February 2007, Simmons was named Connecticut's first business advocate . At that time, this office was newly created with the aim of promoting and advancing the economy in a targeted manner. On March 15, 2009, Rob Simmons announced his candidacy for the upcoming 2010 US Senate election . When trying to succeed Chris Dodd , he was initially long ahead in the polls, but ultimately lost in the Republican primary to Linda McMahon . The politician who is married to Heidi Simmons lives privately in Stonington .

Web links

Commons : Rob Simmons  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Rob Simmons in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)