George LeMieux
George S. LeMieux ( born May 21, 1969 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida) is an American lawyer and politician ( Republican), who represented the state of Florida from September 2009 to January 2011 in the U.S. Senate. He was appointed successor to the retiring Senator Mel Martinez and the youngest at that time a member of the Senate.
Career in Florida
George LeMieux came in Fort Lauderdale and grew up in Coral Springs, where he attended high school and graduated in 1987. He then earned a degree in political science from Emory University in 1991 and reached a degree magna cum laude. In 1994, he acquired then the Juris Doctor from Georgetown University; Here he graduated cum laude. Subsequently, he completed internships at the congressman E. Clay Shaw and U.S. Senator Connie Mack. Also still in 1994 he was admitted to the Florida Bar and entered the service of a law firm in Fort Lauderdale.
During this time, LeMieux began to get involved in the Republican Party. He tried to increase their influence in the democratic dominated Broward County. In 1998 he competed there for a seat in the House of Representatives from Florida, where he made himself strong in the campaign for a better system of health insurance and smaller class sizes in schools. Ultimately, he lost the election against the Democratic incumbent Tracy Stafford, but established himself as a leading figure of the Republicans in his county. During this time he also joined friendship with the late Governor Charlie Crist, who was sitting in the State Senate at the time.
In 2002 offered Crist, meanwhile, went up to the Attorney General of Florida, LeMieux to post his chief of staff at, whereupon he finished his profession. From 2003 to 2005 he served as Deputy Attorney General. 2006 led LeMieux then Crist's campaign in the ultimately successful election as governor. The key tactical decisions to victory over Jim Davis are attributed to him; so he convinced Crist, not to meet the day before the election with U.S. President George W. Bush, who was visiting Florida at that time. The choice of Jeff Kottkamp for the post of lieutenant governor declined to LeMieux. He was later referred to by political commentators as the " maestro " of Crist's campaign.
In 2007, LeMieux practiced first from the Office of Chief of Staff to Governor Crist. He acted among other things, an agreement with the Seminole Tribe; He also served as Crist's liaison to the Council of 100, a bipartisan group of influential businessmen. In January 2008, he returned to the private sector. He again worked for the law firm of Gunster Yoakley & Stewart, in which he advanced within three months as chairman of the company.
U.S. Senator
In early August, 2009, U.S. Senator Mel Martinez announced that he would resign within a short time. On August 28, Governor Crist then nominated his former colleague LeMieux as a successor, which drew critical comments in both political camps to be. The Democratic Party of Florida spoke of " nepotism ", the Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives from Florida, Marco Rubio, described the appointment of LeMieux as "disappointing". Background was the official election pending in November 2010 for this Senate seat, did not want to run in the George LeMieux.
George LeMieux was in the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Trade Committee.