Senator John B. Breaux

Senator John Breaux is dedicated and vital figure in the American political arena. Senator Breaux led a long and distinguished career in the Congress before joining Patton Boggs as Senior Counsel upon his retirement from the United States Senate in 2005. He provides strategic advice to Patton Boggs’ attorneys and clients on a wide range of public policy matters, with special concentration in the areas of health care and energy law. Senator Breaux is exclusively represented for lectures by Leading Authorities, Inc., based in Washington, D.C.

A leader in national politics, Senator Breaux was elected to the House of Representatives in 1972 at the age of 28—at the time of his election he was the youngest member of the United States Congress. He represented the 7th District of Louisiana for 14 years before being elected to fill Senator Russell Long’s seat in 1986.

Senator Breaux was a widely recognized bipartisan leader in the Senate, and in 1993 was elected by his Democratic colleagues to the post of Deputy Minority Whip, a position he held until his retirement. He also held a number of key Senate committee positions. A senior member of the Finance Committee, Senator Breaux served as the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Social Security and Family Policy. He also held positions on two other Finance subcommittees, the Subcommittee on Health Care and the Subcommittee on Taxation and IRS Oversight. From his position on the Finance Committee, he played instrumental roles in forging the compromises that led to passage of the welfare reform and health insurance reform bills in 1996. He was also a leader in the efforts to reduce the capital gains tax and to provide tax relief for college education expenses.

While in the Senate, Senator Breaux was a recognized leader on energy issues. He served as co-chair of the Oil and Gas Caucus and was a conferee on energy legislation that eventually was written into the 2005 Energy Bill. Senator Breaux was active in advancing legislation to promote domestic oil and gas production, and was a co-sponsor of the Marginal Well Preservation Act, a tax-incentive program to encourage oil production from marginal oil wells. He was also a principal author of the Outer Continental Shelf Land Act.

Senator Breaux was a founder of the Centrist Coalition of Senate Democrats and Republicans and served as chairman of the Democratic Leadership Council. In 2005 President George W. Bush appointed Senator Beaux as the co-chair of the President’s Advisory Panel on Federal Tax Reform, while in 2006, Senator Breaux was chosen to be a member of the Advisory Committee on Transformational Diplomacy at the U.S. Department of State.

Senator Breaux continues to serve as an effective and aggressive advocate for the state of Louisiana. His mainstream approach to government has earned him praise from conservatives, liberals and moderates across the nation. As The Shreveport Times observed in a March 1997 editorial: "Instead of indulging in the partisan, divisive ideological politics that has characterized recent years, Breaux has sought to build bridges between Democrats and Republicans and is widely respected on both sides of the aisle. Breaux speaks for America and Louisiana, not for an ideology, and his constituents know it." Senator Breaux addresses today’s most important issues in a comfortable manner, based on many years of experience in service to the nation.

Senator Breaux and his wife, the former Lois Daigle of Lafayette, have four children, John Jr., Bill, Beth and Julia. He also has three grandchildren, Anna Kate Shepherdson, Campbell McKay Shepherdson and Charles Jefferson Shepherdson V. Senator Breaux is a graduate of the University of Southwestern Louisiana (now the University of Louisiana at Lafayette) and the Louisiana State University School of Law in Baton Rouge.