William Waldo Cameron Forum on Public Affairs - 11/30/2007
Chet Edwards
Congressman Chet Edwards, Class of ‘74, is one of only four Aggies in the U.S. Congress. Elected to his ninth term as the Congressman representing the 17th Congressional District of Texas in 2006, Congressman Chet Edwards represents portions of North Texas, Central Texas and the Brazos Valley. Chet was first elected to the United States Congress in 1990 and is now one of the few House members to serve on both the House Budget and the Appropriations Committees.
Chet is a recognized leader for America's veterans, troops, and military families in Congress. As Chairman of the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Subcommittee, Chet recently authored the $6.6 billion increase in the 2008 VA budget passed by the House this year, the largest increase in the VA's 77-year history. Chet also serves on the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee, and co-chairs the bi-partisan House Army Caucus and the USO Congressional Caucus.
Upon his graduation from Texas A&M in 1974 with a B.A. in Economics, Chet earned the Earl Rudder/Brown Foundation Award. Chet credits his A&M education and leadership experience, along with the Rudder/Brown Foundation scholarship, for making it possible for him to earn an M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School in 1981.
While at A&M, Chet also earned the Thomas Gathright Award, given to the Outstanding Senior in the College of Liberal Arts, and the Thomas Rountree Award, given to the top student leader in the MSC. As a freshman he was elected to the Student Senate. In his junior year he chaired the 18th Student Conference on National Affairs (SCONA), and as a senior, he was Executive Vice President of the MSC Council and Directorate.
On the day of Chet’s graduation in 1974, Congressman Olin E. “Tiger” Teague, Class of ’32, offered him a job as his Legislative Assistant.Since Teague chaired the House Science Committee and represented College Station, Chet worked closely with Texas A&M officials for over three years to earmark key research funding for Texas A&M.
As a State Senator from 1983-1990, Edwards strongly supported A&M funding issues. He served on the Texas Sunset Commission, which he later chaired, when he, along with Senators Kent Caperton and John Sharp, changed the state law to ensure an A&M representative would serve on the Board overseeing the Permanent University Fund, which is a key component of A&M’s funding. Chet had the honor of being invited by A&M students to be the principal speaker at the 1989 campus Aggie Muster. Chet has worked very closely with Texas A&M to fund numerous research projects including health care, agriculture, engineering, and national defense.