Ray LaHood (6 December 1945-) was the US Secretary of Transportation from 23 January 2009 to 2 July 2013, succeeding Mary Peters and preceding Anthony Foxx. He previously served as a member of the US House of Representatives (R-IL 18) from 3 January 1995 to 3 January 2009, succeeding Robert H. Michel and preceding Aaron Schock.
Biography[]
Ray LaHood was born in Peoria, Illinois in 1945, and he taught middle school social studies before becoming involved in Republican Party politics. He briefly served in the State House of Representatives in 1982 after filling a vacant seat, and he went on to serve as chief-of-staff to House Minority Leader Robert H. Michel from 1982 to 1994. When Michel announced his retirement in 1994, LaHood ran for and won his seat in the US House of Representatives. He was a strongly bipartisan Republican, and President Barack Obama appointed him Secretary of Transportation in 2009 with the goal of acquiring a secretary who could bridge bitter partisan divides in the US Congress. He supported airline passenger rights to facilities, food and water during lengthy on-aircraft delays, and he was also a strong proponent of high-speed rail. He decided to retire in 2013.