Walter B. Jones Jr.

Synopsis

The son of longtime U.S. Rep. Walter B. Jones Sr., he was appointed to the N.C. House of Representatives in 1983, eventually serving five terms. After his father died in 1992, he unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination for his First Congressional District seat. Two years later, he switched parties and won in the nearby Third, which covers the Outer Banks and counties next to Pamlico Sound, including Camp Lejeune. In 1996, he proposed successful legislation, known as the War Crimes Act, which criminalized breaches of the Geneva Conventions. He voted for the Iraq war resolution and famously ordered french fries in the House cafeteria be renamed "freedom fries." Recently, he has spoken out against the war.

Trivia

He converted to Catholicism at the age of 31.

Endorsements