Political Offices
On May 1, 1976, Bartlett was defeated as a delegate in the Republican presidential primary pledged to then U.S. President Gerald R. Ford, Jr. His defeat occurred ironically in Texas's 3rd congressional district, which he later represented in Congress. Victory went to a slate of delegates pledged to Ronald W. Reagan and headed by future State Senator John N. Leedom.
Bartlett served as a U.S. Representative from 1983 until his resignation in 1991. He won the open seat over former state Representative Kay Bailey Hutchison, later the state treasurer, U.S. senator, and gubernatorial candidate. The position became vacant when the long-term incumbent, James M. Collins ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate against the Democrat Lloyd M. Bentsen, Jr., of Houston.
While in Congress, Bartlett served as a member of the House Banking Committee, where he "led the successful push to let the market set interest rates on government-insured mortgages." He served as Deputy Whip and was a sponsor or principal cosponsor of nearly 20 major pieces of legislation, including the Enhanced Secondary Mortgage Market Act, Fair Labor Standards Act Reforms, FHA Deregulation and the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Bartlett left the House when he was elected to the nonpartisan position as Mayor of Dallas. As mayor, Bartlett led an effort to reduce violent crime and adopted a $5 billion capital improvements plan. He worked to significantly improve an economic revitalization, a downtown renaissance, and 30,000 new residential units in or adjacent to downtown Dallas. Bartlett served as the city's executive until 1995.
Read more about this topic: Steve Bartlett
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