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{{Short description|American politician (born 1956)}}
'''Charles Boustany Jr.''' (born [[February 21]], [[1956]]) represents [[Louisiana]]'s historically [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] 7th Congressional District ([http://nationalatlas.gov/printable/images/preview/congdist/la07_109.gif map]) as a [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] since he won an open race in [[2004]]. [[Chris John]], the incumbent Democrat, did not seek re-election in order to run for the U.S. Senate; therefore, Boustany, two Democrats and another Republican vied for the House seat. Boustany won 39% with the next highest vote-getter being Democratic State Senator [[Willie Landry Mount]], who received 25 percent. Under Louisiana's open primary system, in the event no candidate wins over 50 percent plus one vote, a runoff is conducted between the two top candidates. In the resulting [[December 4]] runoff election, Boustany defeated Mount 55 percent to 45 percent.
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|name = Charles Boustany
|image = Rep. Charles Boustany.jpg
|office = {{avoid wrap| Member of the {{wbr}}[[United States House of Representatives|U.S. House of Representatives]] {{wbr}}from [[Louisiana]] }}
|term_start = January 3, 2005
|term_end = January 3, 2017
|predecessor = [[Chris John (politician)|Chris John]]
|successor = [[Clay Higgins]]
|constituency = {{ubl | {{ushr|LA|7|7th district}} (2005–2013) | {{ushr|LA|3|3rd district}} (2013–2017) }}
|birth_name = Charles William Boustany Jr.
|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1956|2|21}}
|birth_place = [[Lafayette, Louisiana|Lafayette]], [[Louisiana]], U.S.
|death_date =
|death_place =
|party = [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
|spouse = Bridget Edwards
|children = 2
|education = {{ubl | [[University of Louisiana at Lafayette|University of Louisiana, Lafayette]] ([[Bachelor of Science|BS]]) | [[LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans|Louisiana State University, New Orleans]] ([[Doctor of Medicine|MD]]) }}
}}
'''Charles William Boustany Jr.''' ({{IPAc-en|b|ʊ|ˈ|s|t|æ|n|i}}; born February 21, 1956) is an American politician, physician, and former congressman from [[Lafayette, Louisiana|Lafayette]], [[Louisiana]], who served as the [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. representative]] from [[Louisiana's 3rd congressional district]] from 2005 to 2017 (numbered as the [[Louisiana's 7th congressional district|7th district]] from 2005 to 2013). He is a member of the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]].


In 2016 Boustany was linked to 3 of the 8 women killed in Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana between the years of 2005–2009 and to the hotel (owned by his staffer Martin Guillory) where the ladies entertained guests.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bresnahan |first=John |date=September 13, 2016 |title=Boustany's wife denies prostitution allegations against him |url=https://www.politico.com/story/2016/09/charles-boustany-prostitution-allegations-228099 |work=[[Politico]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine | url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/dark-truth-behind-8-sex-workers-murdered-in-the-bayou-113264/ | title=Dark Truth Behind 8 Sex Workers Murdered in the Bayou | magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] | date=September 27, 2016 }}</ref>{{Undue weight inline |date=May 2024 |reason=Does this belong in the lead of a BLP?}}
Boustany is a heart surgeon and is married to the former Bridget Edwards. He is one of ten children.


Boustany stepped down from the U.S. House in January 2017; he was a candidate for the [[United States Senate election in Louisiana, 2016|United States Senate]] in 2016 in a bid to succeed the retiring Republican [[David Vitter]]. Boustany did not advance beyond the primary election, finishing third in the [[jungle primary]] behind Republican [[John Neely Kennedy]] and [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]] [[Foster Campbell]]. He was succeeded in the House of Representatives by [[Clay Higgins]], a Republican who is a [[Lafayette Police Department (Louisiana)|Lafayette law enforcement officer]] residing outside the district in [[St. Landry Parish, Louisiana|St. Landry Parish]].
==External Links==
*[http://www.house.gov/boustany/ Official Congressional Website]
*[http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/b001255/ Voting record maintained by the Washington Post]


==Early life, education, and medical career==
{{LA-FedRep}}
Boustany was born in [[Lafayette, Louisiana]], the son of Madlyn M. (née Ackal) and Charles W. Boustany Sr. (1930–2009); his paternal grandparents, Alfred Frem [[Boustani|Boustany]] and Florida (née Saloom), were [[immigrant]]s from [[Lebanon]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Charles W. Boustany, Jr |url=http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~battle/reps/boustany.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120630211533/http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~battle/reps/boustany.htm |archive-date=June 30, 2012 |access-date=November 9, 2016}}</ref>{{Better source needed |date=May 2024}} His maternal grandparents were also Lebanese.<ref>{{Cite web |title=NewsLibrary Search Results |url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=AD&p_theme=ad&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=11563C1F1D7EFAC8&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM |access-date=November 9, 2016}}</ref>
{{Louisiana-politician-stub}}


In 2006, he was one of four [[Middle Eastern American]] members of Congress.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Congress |first=U.S. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dBOF8Q685mAC&q=Charles+Boustany+lebanon&pg=PA775 |title=Congressional Record, V. 152, Pt. 14, September 2006 |date=October 28, 2010 |publisher=Government Printing Office |isbn=9780160867804 |access-date=November 9, 2016 |via=Google Books}}</ref>
[[Category:1956 births|Boustany, Charles]]

[[Category:Cajuns|Boustany]]
The senior Boustany, a Democrat, served for sixteen years as [[coroner]] of [[Lafayette Parish]]. Congressman Boustany has nine siblings: James, Jon, Ron, Stella (Dr. Stella B. Noel), Therese (Mrs. Reggie), Kathryn (Mrs. Scurlock), Madlyn (Mrs. Juneau), Adele (Mrs. Weber), and Cheryn (Mrs. Eppley).<ref>{{Cite news |title=Obituary of Charles Boustany Sr., M.D. |url=http://www.legacy.com/theadvocate/DeathNotices.asp?Page=Lifestory&PersonId=125203346 |access-date=March 17, 2009 |work=[[The Advocate (Baton Rouge)|Baton Rouge Morning Advocate]]}}</ref> He is a cousin of [[Victoria Reggie Kennedy]], widow of [[United States Senate|U.S. Senator]] [[Edward M. Kennedy]] of [[Massachusetts]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Crowley native, wife of Kennedy at center of national spotlight |url=http://www.kplctv.com/Global/story.asp?S=11008145 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120306015150/http://www.kplctv.com/global/story.asp?s=11008145 |archive-date=March 6, 2012 |access-date=November 21, 2012 |publisher=kplctv.com}}</ref>
[[Category:Living people|Boustany, Charles]]

[[Category:University of Louisiana at Lafayette alumni|Boustany, Charles]]
Boustany attended the [[University of Louisiana at Lafayette]], at which he was a member of [[Kappa Alpha Order]] fraternity. He earned his medical degree from [[LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans|Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center New Orleans]] in 1978. He is a retired [[cardiovascular surgery|cardiovascular surgeon]] who completed his residency in [[Rochester, New York|Rochester]], [[New York (state)|New York]] before returning to Louisiana to take a job at [[Charity Hospital (New Orleans)|Charity Hospital, New Orleans]].{{citation needed|date=November 2016}}
[[Category:Louisiana politicians|Boustany, Charles]]

[[Category:Members of the United States House of Representatives from Louisiana|Boustany, Charles]]
During Boustany's medical career, he was the defendant in at least three malpractice suits. In a 2000 case, Geraldine Arceneaux, was awarded $1.2 Million in damages from a state compensation fund. Prior to filing the lawsuit, filed a complaint with the state's Medical Review Panel, which found his conduct to be "below the acceptable standard of care." In 1992, Melanie Malagarie filed a malpractice suit which resulted in an award of $600,000 in damages. In 1995, Delila Hays filed a medical malpractice suit which resulted in an unspecified settlement.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Thrush |first=Glenn |date=September 9, 2009 |title=Boustany had three malpractice suits |url=https://www.politico.com/blogs/on-congress/2009/09/boustany-had-three-malpractice-suits-021229 |access-date=June 12, 2022 |website=POLITICO |language=en}}</ref>
[[Category:Current members of the United States House of Representatives|Boustany, Charles]]

[[Category:Louisiana Republicans|Boustany, Charles]]
==U.S. House of Representatives==

===Elections===

==== 2004 ====
{{See also|2004 United States House of Representatives elections in Louisiana#District 7}}
In 2004, incumbent Democratic U.S. Congressman [[Chris John (politician)|Chris John]] of [[Louisiana's 7th congressional district]] decided to retire in order to run for the U.S. Senate. John had held the district for eight years without serious difficulty, even though it had been trending increasingly Republican at the national level. Boustany jumped into the race with another Republican, the late [[David Thibodaux]] of Lafayette, Democratic state senator [[Willie Mount]] of Lake Charles and Democratic state representative [[Don Cravins Jr.]] of [[Opelousas, Louisiana|Opelousas]]. In the open primary election, Boustany ranked first with 39 percent, with Mount garnering 25 percent for second place.<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 2, 2004 |title=Our Campaigns – LA District 07 – Initial Election Race |url=http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=4774 |access-date=November 9, 2016}}</ref> Under Louisiana's [[nonpartisan blanket primary]] system, in the event no candidate wins a "50 percent plus one vote" total, a [[runoff election|runoff]] is conducted between the two top candidates, regardless of party.

[[Vice President of the United States|Vice President]] [[Dick Cheney]] campaigned on behalf of Boustany. In the December 4 run-off election, Boustany defeated Mount 55–45 percent.<ref>{{Cite web |date=December 4, 2004 |title=Our Campaigns – LA District 07 – Runoff Race |url=http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=139350 |access-date=November 9, 2016}}</ref> He was only the second Republican to represent the district, the first having been [[Jimmy Hayes]], who switched from Democratic affiliation in 1995.{{citation needed|date=November 2016}}

==== 2006 ====
{{See also|2006 United States House of Representatives elections in Louisiana#District 7}}
Boustany won re-election to a second term with 71 percent of the vote, defeating Democrat Mike Stagg.<ref>[http://www.theadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061108/NEWS01/611080354/1081/ "Boustany secured a second term with 71 percent of vote"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061111140807/http://www.theadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20061108%2FNEWS01%2F611080354%2F1081%2F |date=November 11, 2006 }}, ''The Daily Advertiser''; accessed November 15, 2016.</ref>

==== 2008 ====
{{See also|2008 United States House of Representatives elections in Louisiana#District 7}}
Boustany won re-election to a third term defeating [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]] [[Don Cravins Jr.|Don Cravins, Jr]]. and [[Constitution Party (United States)|Constitution Party]] candidate Peter Vidrine.<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 4, 2008 |title=Our Campaigns – LA – District 07 Race |url=http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=387977 |access-date=November 9, 2016}}</ref>

==== 2010 ====
{{See also|2010 United States House of Representatives elections in Louisiana#District 7}}
Boustany won re-election to a fourth term unopposed.<ref>[http://www.katc.com/news/unopposed-candidates-in-acadiana/ Unopposed Candidates in Acadiana] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100713173209/http://www.katc.com/news/unopposed-candidates-in-acadiana/ |date=July 13, 2010 }}, KATC.com; accessed November 15, 2016.</ref>

==== 2012 ====
{{See also|2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Louisiana#District 3}}
After Louisiana lost a district in redistricting, most of Boustany's territory became the 3rd District. He faced freshman fellow Republican and 3rd District incumbent [[Jeff Landry]] of [[New Iberia, Louisiana|New Iberia]]. Although the district retained Landry's district number, it was geographically and demographically more Boustany's district. Indeed, the new 3rd contained almost two-thirds of Boustany's former territory, while Landry retained only the western third of his former district. Landry led Boustany in third-quarter 2011 fundraising, $251,000 to $218,000. According to [[Federal Election Commission]], Boustany led in cash-on-hand lead, $1.1 million – $402,000.<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 29, 2011 |title=Citizens United goes all in for Landry |url=http://www.politico.com/blogs/davidcatanese/1111/Citizens_United_goes_all_in_for_Landry_.html?showall |access-date=November 9, 2016 |website=[[Politico]]}}</ref> In addition to Boustany and Landry, a third Republican, state Representative [[Chris Leopold]] of [[Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana|Plaquemines Parish]], announced via [[Facebook]] his candidacy for the seat,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Chris Leopold for Congress |url=https://www.facebook.com/LeopoldforCongress?v=info |access-date=May 18, 2012 |publisher=facebook.com}}</ref> but he never filed the paperwork.

The Boustany-Landry race attracted most of the political attention in Louisiana in 2012, as it was seen as pitting an establishment Republican against a candidate identifying with the [[Tea Party movement|Tea Party]]. Though most politicians shunned involvement in the heated race, [[Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry|Louisiana Commissioner of Agriculture and Forestry]] [[Michael G. Strain]] endorsed Boustany, whom he described as particularly helpful to the agricultural sector while serving as a U.S. representative. Landry, meanwhile, carried the backing of most of the Republican parish executive committees in the district.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Jordan Blum, "Boustany gets Strain's support" |url=http://theadvocate.com/news/4281456-123/boustany-gets-strains-support |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140301210848/http://theadvocate.com/news/4281456-123/boustany-gets-strains-support |archive-date=March 1, 2014 |access-date=October 31, 2012 |publisher=Baton Rouge Morning Advocate}}</ref> Landry also was endorsed by [[Phyllis Schlafly]]'s [[Eagle Forum]] political action committee.<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 31, 2012 |title=Candidates endorsed by Eagle Forum PAC |url=http://www.eagleforum.org/election/endorse.html |access-date=November 3, 2012 |publisher=eagleforum.org}}</ref>

In the November 6 election, technically a nonpartisan blanket primary for Congress, Boustany led Landry by 45,596 votes. In a five-candidate field, Boustany received 139,123 votes (45 percent); Landry received 93,527 votes (30 percent). Democrat Ron Richard procured the critical 67,070 votes (22 percent). The remaining 7,908 votes (2 percent) and 3,765 ballots (1 percent) were cast, respectively, for Republican Bryan Barrilleaux and the Libertarian Jim Stark. Because no candidate received a majority, Boustany and Landry met in a runoff contest held on December 8.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Louisiana election returns, November 6, 2012 |url=http://staticresults.sos.la.gov/11062012/11062012_Congressional.html |access-date=November 10, 2012 |publisher=staticresults.sos.la.gov}}</ref>

Boustany won the runoff election against Landry with 58,820 votes (61 percent). He had large margins in seven of the ten parishes in the district, particularly in [[Acadia Parish, Louisiana|Acadia]], [[Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana|Calcasieu]], and [[Lafayette Parish, Louisiana|Lafayette]] but lost the three parishes that Landry represents, [[St. Martin Parish, Louisiana|St. Martin]], [[Iberia Parish, Louisiana|Iberia]], and [[St. Mary Parish, Louisiana|St. Mary]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=December 8, 2012 |title=Louisiana election returns |url=http://staticresults.sos.la.gov/12082012/12082012_Congressional.html |access-date=November 10, 2012 |publisher=staticresults.sos.la.gov}}</ref>

===Tenure===
Boustany presented the Republican response to [[Barack Obama speech to joint session of Congress, September 2009|President Barack H. Obama's joint address to Congress on Wednesday September 9, 2009]]. He was the sponsor of H.R. 1173, the Fiscal Responsibility and Retirement Security Act of 2011. The bill would repeal title VIII of the [[Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act]] which established a voluntary long-term care insurance program. It passed the house 267–159 on February 1, 2012<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Library of Congress – Thomas |url=http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d112:HR01173:@@@L&summ2=m& |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141014180849/http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d112:HR01173:@@@L&summ2=m& |archive-date=October 14, 2014 |access-date=October 11, 2012}}</ref> but was never passed by the Senate.

In 2013, Boustany was a sponsor of the [[United States farm bill]], which was rejected 234–195 in votes, with sixty-two Republicans voting against.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Weston |first=Elona |date=June 20, 2013 |title=Louisiana officials weigh in on farm bill's failure |url=http://www.kplctv.com/story/22648040/louisiana-officials-weigh-in-on-farm-bills-failure |access-date=July 16, 2013 |publisher=[[KPLC]]}}</ref>

===Committee assignments===
* '''[[United States House Committee on Ways and Means|Committee on Ways and Means]]'''
** [[United States House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Oversight|Subcommittee on Oversight]] (chairman)
** [[United States House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Human Resources|Subcommittee on Human Resources]]
** [[United States House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures|Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures]]

==2016 U.S. Senate campaign==
{{main|2016 United States Senate election in Louisiana}}
Boustany ran for the open U.S. Senate seat held by retiring Republican [[David Vitter]], and on election day he received 15.4 percent of the vote at third place, not enough to advance to the run-off.

==Personal life==
Boustany's wife Bridget Edwards is a daughter of the late Acadia Parish assistant district attorney Nolan Edwards (1930–1983) of [[Crowley, Louisiana|Crowley]] and Eleanor Merrill of [[Longboat Key, Florida]]. Nolan Edwards was shot to death in his law office by a disgruntled client.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Boustany, Dugal to unite in holy matrimony, May 2011 |url=http://www.crowleypostsignal.com/pages/full_story/push?article-Boustany-+Dugal+-to+unite+in+holy+matrimony%20&id=12832286&instance=secondary_stories_left_column |access-date=December 9, 2012 |publisher=Crowley Post Signal}}{{dead link|date=November 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Former client kills self, ex-governor's brother in Louisiana |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1346&dat=19830819&id=pvtEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5444,1126713 |access-date=December 9, 2012 |publisher=[[Lakeland Ledger]], [[Lakeland, Florida]], August 19, 1983}}</ref> Bridget Boustany is hence a paternal niece of Democratic former [[Governor of Louisiana|Governor]] [[Edwin Washington Edwards]].<ref>Jim Brown, [http://www.jimbrownla.com/columns/090204_lagop.pdf "Internal Republican Battles Affect La. Congressional Races"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090203061614/http://www.jimbrownla.com/columns/090204_lagop.pdf |date=February 3, 2009 }}, jimbrownla.com; accessed November 15, 2016.</ref>

The Boustanys have two children, Erik and Ashley. His cousin, Jerry Ramsey, and her husband Bo were among those wounded in the [[2015 Lafayette shooting]], in which two people were killed and nine others injured.<ref>{{Cite web |date=July 27, 2015 |title=Congressman's Cousin Among Those Shot in Louisiana Theater |url=http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/lafayette-theater-shooting/congressmans-cousin-among-those-shot-louisiana-theater-n398771 |access-date=July 27, 2015 |website=NBC News}}</ref>

In 1995, Boustany filed a lawsuit in Louisiana's 15th Judicial District against two men in Britain for defrauding him in a $50,000 investment and in the $18,500 purchase of a "title" after they failed to deliver a purchased British Lordship title.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Smith |first=Ben |date=September 9, 2009 |title=Title search |url=https://www.politico.com/blogs/ben-smith/2009/09/title-search-021215 |access-date=June 12, 2022 |website=POLITICO |language=en}}</ref>

In 2014, New Orleans-based investigative reporter Ethan Brown published an article on Medium called "Who Killed the Jeff Davis 8?"<ref>{{Cite web |last=Brown |first=Ethan |date=August 14, 2014 |title=Who Killed the Jeff Davis 8? |url=https://medium.com/matter/who-killed-the-jeff-davis-8-d1b813e13581 |access-date=July 13, 2021 |website=Medium}}</ref> In 2016, a book by the same reporter, called "Murder in the Bayou: Who Killed the Women Known as the Jeff Davis 8?" was released.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Brown |first=Ethan |title=Murder in the Bayou: Who Killed the Women Known as the Jeff Davis 8? |date=September 13, 2016 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |isbn=978-1476793252}}</ref> A review of the documentary series by Rolling Stone states: "The book, obviously a much more detailed account than the Medium article, includes a particularly jaw-dropping revelation that came to light since 2014: In the second-to-last chapter, Brown discovers a connection between some of the victims and Louisiana Congressman Charles Boustany."<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Drell |first=Cady |date=September 27, 2016 |title=Dark Truth Behind 8 Sex Workers Murdered in the Bayou |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/dark-truth-behind-8-sex-workers-murdered-in-the-bayou-113264/ |access-date=July 13, 2021 |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]}}</ref> This connection to Boustany is further explored in the 2019 Showtime documentary, "Murder in the Bayou."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Murder in the Bayou &#124; True Crime Documentary Series – Official Series Site &#124; SHOWTIME |url=https://www.sho.com/murder-in-the-bayou |access-date=July 13, 2021 |website=SHO.com|date=September 13, 2019 }}</ref> Boustany later sued the author, Brown, and publisher of "Murder in the Bayou" in October, when he was in a tight competition for a U.S. Senate seat. He dropped the lawsuit that December.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Deslatte |first=Melinda |title=Rep. Charles Boustany drops lawsuit over prostitution allegations in book |url=https://www.theadvocate.com/acadiana/news/politics/article_bc0a5a34-c16a-11e6-a1d5-27fd38840357.html |website=[[The Advocate (Louisiana)|The Advocate]] (from the [[Associated Press]])|date=December 13, 2016|access-date=July 13, 2021}}</ref>

He is an [[Episcopal Church (United States)|Episcopalian]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2012/11/113-congress-relig-affil.pdf|title=THE RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION OF EACH MEMBER OF CONGRESS |publisher=Pew Research Center}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Physicians in the United States Congress]]
* [[List of Arab and Middle-Eastern Americans in the United States Congress]]
* [[Jeff Davis 8]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{C-SPAN|1013047}}
* {{CongLinks | congbio=b001255 | votesmart=35514 | fec=H4LA07029 | congress=charles-boustany/1787 }}<!-- Links formerly displayed via the {{CongLinks}} template:
* [http://ballotpedia.org/Charles_Boustany_Jr. Biography] at [[Ballotpedia]]
* [http://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/400636 Congressional profile] at [[GovTrack]]
* [http://www.opencongress.org/people/show/400636 Congressional profile] at [[Participatory Politics Foundation|OpenCongress]]
* [http://www.rollcall.com/members/22822.html Congressional profile] at ''[[Roll Call]]''
* [http://www.politifact.com/personalities/charles-boustany Fact-checking] at [[PolitiFact.com]]
* [http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.php?cid=N00026595 Financial information (federal office)] at [[Center for Responsive Politics|OpenSecrets.org]]
* [http://apps.washingtonpost.com/politics/capitol-assets/member/charles-boustany Financial investments (personal)] at ''[[The Washington Post]]''
* [http://www.legistorm.com/member/142/Rep_Charles_Boustany_Jr.html Staff salaries, trips and personal finance] at LegiStorm.com
* [http://www.ontheissues.org/House/Charles_Boustany.htm Issue positions and quotes] at [[On the Issues]]
* [http://www.worldcat.org/identities/np-boustany,%20charles Works by or about Charles Boustany] in libraries ([[WorldCat]] catalog)
* [http://www.c-spanvideo.org/person/1013047 Appearances] on [[C-SPAN]] programs
* [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3664290 Appearances] at the [[Internet Movie Database]]
* [http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/gIQAiMQPAP_topic.html Collected news and commentary] at ''[[The Washington Post]]''
* -->

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Boustany, Charles}}
[[Category:1956 births]]
[[Category:20th-century American politicians]]
[[Category:American Episcopalians]]
[[Category:American politicians of Lebanese descent]]
[[Category:American surgeons]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Louisiana State University alumni]]
[[Category:Middle Eastern Christians]]
[[Category:Politicians from Lafayette, Louisiana]]
[[Category:Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Louisiana]]
[[Category:University of Louisiana at Lafayette alumni]]
[[Category:Candidates in the 2016 United States Senate elections]]
[[Category:21st-century members of the United States House of Representatives]]

Latest revision as of 04:43, 3 December 2024

Charles Boustany
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Louisiana
In office
January 3, 2005 – January 3, 2017
Preceded byChris John
Succeeded byClay Higgins
Constituency
Personal details
Born
Charles William Boustany Jr.

(1956-02-21) February 21, 1956 (age 68)
Lafayette, Louisiana, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseBridget Edwards
Children2
Education

Charles William Boustany Jr. (/bʊˈstæni/; born February 21, 1956) is an American politician, physician, and former congressman from Lafayette, Louisiana, who served as the U.S. representative from Louisiana's 3rd congressional district from 2005 to 2017 (numbered as the 7th district from 2005 to 2013). He is a member of the Republican Party.

In 2016 Boustany was linked to 3 of the 8 women killed in Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana between the years of 2005–2009 and to the hotel (owned by his staffer Martin Guillory) where the ladies entertained guests.[1][2][undue weight?discuss]

Boustany stepped down from the U.S. House in January 2017; he was a candidate for the United States Senate in 2016 in a bid to succeed the retiring Republican David Vitter. Boustany did not advance beyond the primary election, finishing third in the jungle primary behind Republican John Neely Kennedy and Democrat Foster Campbell. He was succeeded in the House of Representatives by Clay Higgins, a Republican who is a Lafayette law enforcement officer residing outside the district in St. Landry Parish.

Early life, education, and medical career

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Boustany was born in Lafayette, Louisiana, the son of Madlyn M. (née Ackal) and Charles W. Boustany Sr. (1930–2009); his paternal grandparents, Alfred Frem Boustany and Florida (née Saloom), were immigrants from Lebanon.[3][better source needed] His maternal grandparents were also Lebanese.[4]

In 2006, he was one of four Middle Eastern American members of Congress.[5]

The senior Boustany, a Democrat, served for sixteen years as coroner of Lafayette Parish. Congressman Boustany has nine siblings: James, Jon, Ron, Stella (Dr. Stella B. Noel), Therese (Mrs. Reggie), Kathryn (Mrs. Scurlock), Madlyn (Mrs. Juneau), Adele (Mrs. Weber), and Cheryn (Mrs. Eppley).[6] He is a cousin of Victoria Reggie Kennedy, widow of U.S. Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts.[7]

Boustany attended the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, at which he was a member of Kappa Alpha Order fraternity. He earned his medical degree from Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center New Orleans in 1978. He is a retired cardiovascular surgeon who completed his residency in Rochester, New York before returning to Louisiana to take a job at Charity Hospital, New Orleans.[citation needed]

During Boustany's medical career, he was the defendant in at least three malpractice suits. In a 2000 case, Geraldine Arceneaux, was awarded $1.2 Million in damages from a state compensation fund. Prior to filing the lawsuit, filed a complaint with the state's Medical Review Panel, which found his conduct to be "below the acceptable standard of care." In 1992, Melanie Malagarie filed a malpractice suit which resulted in an award of $600,000 in damages. In 1995, Delila Hays filed a medical malpractice suit which resulted in an unspecified settlement.[8]

U.S. House of Representatives

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Elections

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2004

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In 2004, incumbent Democratic U.S. Congressman Chris John of Louisiana's 7th congressional district decided to retire in order to run for the U.S. Senate. John had held the district for eight years without serious difficulty, even though it had been trending increasingly Republican at the national level. Boustany jumped into the race with another Republican, the late David Thibodaux of Lafayette, Democratic state senator Willie Mount of Lake Charles and Democratic state representative Don Cravins Jr. of Opelousas. In the open primary election, Boustany ranked first with 39 percent, with Mount garnering 25 percent for second place.[9] Under Louisiana's nonpartisan blanket primary system, in the event no candidate wins a "50 percent plus one vote" total, a runoff is conducted between the two top candidates, regardless of party.

Vice President Dick Cheney campaigned on behalf of Boustany. In the December 4 run-off election, Boustany defeated Mount 55–45 percent.[10] He was only the second Republican to represent the district, the first having been Jimmy Hayes, who switched from Democratic affiliation in 1995.[citation needed]

2006

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Boustany won re-election to a second term with 71 percent of the vote, defeating Democrat Mike Stagg.[11]

2008

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Boustany won re-election to a third term defeating Democrat Don Cravins, Jr. and Constitution Party candidate Peter Vidrine.[12]

2010

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Boustany won re-election to a fourth term unopposed.[13]

2012

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After Louisiana lost a district in redistricting, most of Boustany's territory became the 3rd District. He faced freshman fellow Republican and 3rd District incumbent Jeff Landry of New Iberia. Although the district retained Landry's district number, it was geographically and demographically more Boustany's district. Indeed, the new 3rd contained almost two-thirds of Boustany's former territory, while Landry retained only the western third of his former district. Landry led Boustany in third-quarter 2011 fundraising, $251,000 to $218,000. According to Federal Election Commission, Boustany led in cash-on-hand lead, $1.1 million – $402,000.[14] In addition to Boustany and Landry, a third Republican, state Representative Chris Leopold of Plaquemines Parish, announced via Facebook his candidacy for the seat,[15] but he never filed the paperwork.

The Boustany-Landry race attracted most of the political attention in Louisiana in 2012, as it was seen as pitting an establishment Republican against a candidate identifying with the Tea Party. Though most politicians shunned involvement in the heated race, Louisiana Commissioner of Agriculture and Forestry Michael G. Strain endorsed Boustany, whom he described as particularly helpful to the agricultural sector while serving as a U.S. representative. Landry, meanwhile, carried the backing of most of the Republican parish executive committees in the district.[16] Landry also was endorsed by Phyllis Schlafly's Eagle Forum political action committee.[17]

In the November 6 election, technically a nonpartisan blanket primary for Congress, Boustany led Landry by 45,596 votes. In a five-candidate field, Boustany received 139,123 votes (45 percent); Landry received 93,527 votes (30 percent). Democrat Ron Richard procured the critical 67,070 votes (22 percent). The remaining 7,908 votes (2 percent) and 3,765 ballots (1 percent) were cast, respectively, for Republican Bryan Barrilleaux and the Libertarian Jim Stark. Because no candidate received a majority, Boustany and Landry met in a runoff contest held on December 8.[18]

Boustany won the runoff election against Landry with 58,820 votes (61 percent). He had large margins in seven of the ten parishes in the district, particularly in Acadia, Calcasieu, and Lafayette but lost the three parishes that Landry represents, St. Martin, Iberia, and St. Mary.[19]

Tenure

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Boustany presented the Republican response to President Barack H. Obama's joint address to Congress on Wednesday September 9, 2009. He was the sponsor of H.R. 1173, the Fiscal Responsibility and Retirement Security Act of 2011. The bill would repeal title VIII of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act which established a voluntary long-term care insurance program. It passed the house 267–159 on February 1, 2012[20] but was never passed by the Senate.

In 2013, Boustany was a sponsor of the United States farm bill, which was rejected 234–195 in votes, with sixty-two Republicans voting against.[21]

Committee assignments

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2016 U.S. Senate campaign

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Boustany ran for the open U.S. Senate seat held by retiring Republican David Vitter, and on election day he received 15.4 percent of the vote at third place, not enough to advance to the run-off.

Personal life

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Boustany's wife Bridget Edwards is a daughter of the late Acadia Parish assistant district attorney Nolan Edwards (1930–1983) of Crowley and Eleanor Merrill of Longboat Key, Florida. Nolan Edwards was shot to death in his law office by a disgruntled client.[22][23] Bridget Boustany is hence a paternal niece of Democratic former Governor Edwin Washington Edwards.[24]

The Boustanys have two children, Erik and Ashley. His cousin, Jerry Ramsey, and her husband Bo were among those wounded in the 2015 Lafayette shooting, in which two people were killed and nine others injured.[25]

In 1995, Boustany filed a lawsuit in Louisiana's 15th Judicial District against two men in Britain for defrauding him in a $50,000 investment and in the $18,500 purchase of a "title" after they failed to deliver a purchased British Lordship title.[26]

In 2014, New Orleans-based investigative reporter Ethan Brown published an article on Medium called "Who Killed the Jeff Davis 8?"[27] In 2016, a book by the same reporter, called "Murder in the Bayou: Who Killed the Women Known as the Jeff Davis 8?" was released.[28] A review of the documentary series by Rolling Stone states: "The book, obviously a much more detailed account than the Medium article, includes a particularly jaw-dropping revelation that came to light since 2014: In the second-to-last chapter, Brown discovers a connection between some of the victims and Louisiana Congressman Charles Boustany."[29] This connection to Boustany is further explored in the 2019 Showtime documentary, "Murder in the Bayou."[30] Boustany later sued the author, Brown, and publisher of "Murder in the Bayou" in October, when he was in a tight competition for a U.S. Senate seat. He dropped the lawsuit that December.[31]

He is an Episcopalian.[32]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Bresnahan, John (September 13, 2016). "Boustany's wife denies prostitution allegations against him". Politico.
  2. ^ "Dark Truth Behind 8 Sex Workers Murdered in the Bayou". Rolling Stone. September 27, 2016.
  3. ^ "Charles W. Boustany, Jr". Archived from the original on June 30, 2012. Retrieved November 9, 2016.
  4. ^ "NewsLibrary Search Results". Retrieved November 9, 2016.
  5. ^ Congress, U.S. (October 28, 2010). Congressional Record, V. 152, Pt. 14, September 2006. Government Printing Office. ISBN 9780160867804. Retrieved November 9, 2016 – via Google Books.
  6. ^ "Obituary of Charles Boustany Sr., M.D." Baton Rouge Morning Advocate. Retrieved March 17, 2009.
  7. ^ "Crowley native, wife of Kennedy at center of national spotlight". kplctv.com. Archived from the original on March 6, 2012. Retrieved November 21, 2012.
  8. ^ Thrush, Glenn (September 9, 2009). "Boustany had three malpractice suits". POLITICO. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
  9. ^ "Our Campaigns – LA District 07 – Initial Election Race". November 2, 2004. Retrieved November 9, 2016.
  10. ^ "Our Campaigns – LA District 07 – Runoff Race". December 4, 2004. Retrieved November 9, 2016.
  11. ^ "Boustany secured a second term with 71 percent of vote" Archived November 11, 2006, at the Wayback Machine, The Daily Advertiser; accessed November 15, 2016.
  12. ^ "Our Campaigns – LA – District 07 Race". November 4, 2008. Retrieved November 9, 2016.
  13. ^ Unopposed Candidates in Acadiana Archived July 13, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, KATC.com; accessed November 15, 2016.
  14. ^ "Citizens United goes all in for Landry". Politico. November 29, 2011. Retrieved November 9, 2016.
  15. ^ "Chris Leopold for Congress". facebook.com. Retrieved May 18, 2012.
  16. ^ "Jordan Blum, "Boustany gets Strain's support"". Baton Rouge Morning Advocate. Archived from the original on March 1, 2014. Retrieved October 31, 2012.
  17. ^ "Candidates endorsed by Eagle Forum PAC". eagleforum.org. October 31, 2012. Retrieved November 3, 2012.
  18. ^ "Louisiana election returns, November 6, 2012". staticresults.sos.la.gov. Retrieved November 10, 2012.
  19. ^ "Louisiana election returns". staticresults.sos.la.gov. December 8, 2012. Retrieved November 10, 2012.
  20. ^ "The Library of Congress – Thomas". Archived from the original on October 14, 2014. Retrieved October 11, 2012.
  21. ^ Weston, Elona (June 20, 2013). "Louisiana officials weigh in on farm bill's failure". KPLC. Retrieved July 16, 2013.
  22. ^ "Boustany, Dugal to unite in holy matrimony, May 2011". Crowley Post Signal. Retrieved December 9, 2012.[permanent dead link]
  23. ^ "Former client kills self, ex-governor's brother in Louisiana". Lakeland Ledger, Lakeland, Florida, August 19, 1983. Retrieved December 9, 2012.
  24. ^ Jim Brown, "Internal Republican Battles Affect La. Congressional Races" Archived February 3, 2009, at the Wayback Machine, jimbrownla.com; accessed November 15, 2016.
  25. ^ "Congressman's Cousin Among Those Shot in Louisiana Theater". NBC News. July 27, 2015. Retrieved July 27, 2015.
  26. ^ Smith, Ben (September 9, 2009). "Title search". POLITICO. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
  27. ^ Brown, Ethan (August 14, 2014). "Who Killed the Jeff Davis 8?". Medium. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
  28. ^ Brown, Ethan (September 13, 2016). Murder in the Bayou: Who Killed the Women Known as the Jeff Davis 8?. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-1476793252.
  29. ^ Drell, Cady (September 27, 2016). "Dark Truth Behind 8 Sex Workers Murdered in the Bayou". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
  30. ^ "Murder in the Bayou | True Crime Documentary Series – Official Series Site | SHOWTIME". SHO.com. September 13, 2019. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
  31. ^ Deslatte, Melinda (December 13, 2016). "Rep. Charles Boustany drops lawsuit over prostitution allegations in book". The Advocate (from the Associated Press). Retrieved July 13, 2021.
  32. ^ "THE RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION OF EACH MEMBER OF CONGRESS" (PDF). Pew Research Center.
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U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Louisiana's 7th congressional district

2005–2013
Constituency abolished
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Louisiana's 3rd congressional district

2013–2017
Succeeded by
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded byas Former US Representative Order of precedence of the United States
as Former US Representative
Succeeded byas Former US Representative