Senator John Cornyn
National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman
R – Texas
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Sen. Cornyn was born in Houston on February 2, 1952, and was raised in San Antonio. He is the son of John and Gale Cornyn, both native Texans. His father, a B-17 pilot in World War II, served for 31 years in the U.S. Air Force and, later, taught at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. A graduate of Trinity University and St. Mary’s School of Law, both in San Antonio, Sen. Cornyn also earned a Masters of Law from the University of Virginia Law School in 1995. He was named the St. Mary’s Distinguished Law School Graduate in 1994 and a Trinity University Distinguished Alumnus in 2001. Sen. Cornyn is married to Sandy, his wife of 31 years. They have two daughters.
John Cornyn was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2002, succeeding Senator Phil Gramm. He quickly earned the respect of his colleagues, and his appointment to the Senate Armed Services Committee occured a little more than a year after the terrorist attacks of 9/11. His initial committee assignments also included the Judiciary and Budget committees, and he still serves on these committees. In 2006, he was elected to the Republican Senate Leadership team as Vice Chairman of the Senate Republican Conference.
Senator Cornyn has earned the respect of his fellow Texans by bringing successful state policies to Washington. He has been a champion of transparency in the government, and he successfully cosponsored the Open Government Act of 2007. He has sponsored legislation modeled on the Texas Sunset Commission and supports a Balanced Budget Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Texans judged Senator Cornyn’s first term a success and reelected him in 2008.
Senate Republicans have given Senator Cornyn even more responsibility in his second term. He serves on the powerful Senate Finance Committee, which shares jurisdiction over health care legislation; the Senate Armed Services Committee, which has oversight of the nation’s military forces; the Senate Judiciary Committee, which questions President Obama’s nominees to the Supreme Court of the United States; and the Senate Budget Committee, which is responsible for fiscal issues. Senator Cornyn is also the Ranking Member of the Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees, and Border Security.
Following his successful re-election campaign in 2008, Senator Cornyn’s Republican colleagues chose him to serve as Chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC). Under Senator Cornyn’s leadership, Senate Republicans grew their caucus during the 2010 cycle from a low of 40 seats, their fewest since 1964, to a total of 47 seats, their largest net gain since 1994. Senator Cornyn was re-elected unanimously as Chairman of the NRSC for the 2012 cycle.
In addition to his committee responsibilities, Senator Cornyn is the Chairman of the Senate India Caucus, Chairman of the Senate RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) Caucus, Vice Chairman of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus, and Vice Chairman of the Senate Republican Conference Task Force on Hispanic Affairs. He is also a member of the Senate Republican High Tech Task Force, the Congressional Oversight Group on Trade, and the President’s Export Council.
Senator Cornyn has received numerous awards and recognitions while in public service. These include the 2005 Border Texan of the Year Award; the Children’s Champion Award from the National Child Support Enforcement Association, the Friend of Farm Bureau Award from the American Farm Bureau Federation; the Fighter for Free Enterprise Award from the Texas Association of Businesses; the Guardian of Small Business Award from the National Federation of Independent Businesses; the Latino Leadership Award from the National Coalition of Latino Clergy and Christian Leaders; and the International Leadership Legislative Award from the Texas Association of Mexican American Chambers of Commerce.
Two of his alma maters have honored him as their distinguished alumnus; St. Mary’s in 1994, and Trinity in 2001. Also in 2001, the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas presented Senator Cornyn with the James Madison Award for efforts to promote open government.
