A conservative community leader, United States Congressman Pete Sessions has combined hard work, innovative thinking, free-market solutions and common sense principles and values to build a successful family, business, and congressional career.
Congressman Sessions was born on March 22, 1955 and grew up in Waco, Texas. He graduated from Southwestern University in 1978, and married Juanita Diaz in 1984. They have two sons, Bill (age 19) and Alex (age 15), and they make their home in East Dallas.
After graduating from Southwestern University, Congressman Sessions worked for then-Southwestern Bell Telephone Company for 16 years, retiring as District Manager for Marketing in Dallas. Thanks to this private sector experience, Congressman Sessions understands the need to fight bureaucracy and to utilize market-driven solutions to effectively solve problems in our communities and in government.
In 1996, the people of Dallas and the 5th Congressional District sent Congressman Sessions to Washington, DC to represent them in the United States House of Representatives. In 2002, Congressman Sessions began representing the 32nd Congressional District, created from redistricting. In 2008, the people of the 32nd Congressional District called him back to Congress for his seventh term.
Congressman Sessions is a stalwart defender of U.S. homeland and national security interests, as well as the men and women who defend them. As the parent of a child with Down Syndrome, he is a passionate advocate for people with disabilities. Congressman Sessions also believes that taxpayers deserve to get results from government, and has pursued common-sense, market-based reforms to help government operate more efficiently.
Congressman Sessions pursues his goals on these and other issues through his work on various Congressional committees and caucuses. He serves as a Member of the powerful House Committee on Rules. In 2008 he was elected by the House Republican Conference as Chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee.
Congressman Sessions is an Eagle Scout and a former Scout Master for 13 Eagle Scouts. He is a member of the Executive Board of the Circle Ten Council of the Boy Scouts of America. In 1999, Congressman Sessions was honored as a recipient of the National Distinguished Eagle Scout Award for service to his community as a Representative in Congress and for his commitment to furthering the role of the Boy Scouts of America in the lives of young men in the Dallas Community.
Congressman Sessions is also a member of the United Methodist Church. He is active in his community, where he is currently an honorary East Dallas Rotarian, and an Adopt-A-Shoreline Team Leader volunteer in the effort to maintain and conserve White Rock Lake in Dallas. As a businessman, he served as Chairman of the Northeast Dallas Chamber of Commerce.