Early life, education and career

Whitfield was born in Hopkinsville, Kentucky; his family later moved to Madisonville, Kentucky, where he graduated from Madisonville High School. He attended the University of Kentucky for both undergraduate and law school, where he was a member of Delta Tau Delta Fraternity. He also attended the Wesley Theological Seminary. He served in the United States Army Reserve and reached the rank of First Lieutenant. He served as legal counsel to executives at Seaboard System Railroad of Washington. He served as a vice president for the later CSX Corporation in two different capacities and was the legal counsel to the chairman of the Interstate Commerce Commission from 1991 to 1993.

Kentucky House of Representatives

Whitfield gained his first political experience as a Democratic member of the Kentucky House of Representatives from 1974 to 1975. He did not seek re-election and entered into his family"s Oil Distributorhip Business serving the coal fields of Kentucky.

U.S. Representative

Committee assignments

• Committee on Energy and Commerce
  • Subcommittee on Energy and Power (Chairman)
  • Subcommittee on Environment and Economy
  • Subcommittee on Health

Whitfield is a member of the moderate Republican Main Street Partnership. On his official website, he represents himself as a conservative who has consistently voted pro-life and "supports allowing students to engage in voluntary school prayer." He also lists military issues and encouraging the use of coal and nuclear power as substitutes for oil as two of his main priorities. The Sunlight Foundation pointed out that among the 435 members of the U.S. House of Representatives, Whitfield has the seventh-highest amount of investment in oil stocks.Whitfield was Co-Founder of the United States Turkish Caucus in the United States Congress. Recognizing the important role Turkey plays as the only Muslim Nation in NATO and having had many conversations with Commanding Generals of the 101st Airborne Division at Ft. Campbell, Kentucky, Whitfield thought it was important to form a Congressional Entity to provide support for Turkey in its role as a NATO Member.

He was one of three Republicans who voted for the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act in 2009.

When chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations within the Committee on Energy and Commerce, Whitfield held hearings on child pornography and flag burning.

In 2011, Whitfield voted for the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012.

Legislation sponsored

Whitfield introduced the Electricity Security and Affordability Act (H.R. 3826; 113th Congress) into the House on January 9, 2014. The bill would repeal a pending rule published by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on January 8, 2014. The proposed rule would establish uniform national limits on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from new electricity-generating facilities that use coal or natural gas. The rule also sets new standards of performance for those power plants, including the requirement to install carbon capture and sequestration technology. Whitfield said that, if finalized, the EPA's rule would "make it impossible to build a new coal-powered plant in American... That is hard to believe that that will can be the situation in our great country, particularly since 40 percent of our electricity comes from coal." Whitfield argued that the legislation was needed because the EPA refused to respond to criticism or complaints about their proposed rule.He also introduced and managed the floor debate on two Congressioanl Review Acts that had passed the United States Senate to stop the Clean Energy Plan Regulations adopted by EPA. He was successful in passing both measures on the House Floor>

Whitfield's major legislative accomplishments are creating the 170,000 acre of National Recreation Area at the Land between the Lakes. He also introduced and helped pass a health compensation program at the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant, which paid over $315,000,000 to the 3,139 employees and victims of toxic contamination. He also helped create the first Medicare Prescription Drug benefit plan for seniors. Whitfield has introduced,sponsored and helped pass several bills to strengthen and insure the humane treatment of animals in the United States. He is a recognized leader regarding the humane treatment of animals.

Political campaigns

See also: United States House of Representatives elections in Kentucky, 2010

Whitfield had been a Democrat for most of his life, but in 1994 filed to run in the 1st District as a Republican. He defeated the 1992 Republican nominee, Steve Hamrick, in the primary, and then defeated freshman Democratic Congressman Tom Barlow by 2,500 votes. He defeated Dennis Null in 1996 even as Bill Clinton carried the district, but hasn't faced a close race since.

On September 29, 2015, Whitfield announced that he would not be seeking re-election in 2016.

Personal life

Whitfield's wife, Constance Whitfield, was a former Justice Department Attorney, Assistant Secretary of Interior for Fish, Wildlife and National Parks in the first Bush Presidency. She also served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Export-Import Bank of the United States, Vice-Chairman of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission and is currently an employee of the Humane Society USA.

[ Source: Wikipedia ]