Jay Dickey

Jay Dickey
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Arkansas's 4th district
In office January 3, 1993 – January 3, 2001
Preceded by	Beryl Anthony, Jr.
Succeeded by	Mike Ross
Personal details
Born	Jay Woodson Dickey, Jr. December 14, 1939 Pine Bluff, Arkansas
Political party	Republican

Jay Woodson Dickey, Jr. (born December 14, 1939) is a former U.S. Representative from the Fourth Congressional District of Arkansas. He served in Congress from 1993 to 2001. Both the Dickey Amendment (1996), which blocks CDC funds to be used for injury prevention research that might advocate or promote gun control, and the Dickey-Wicker Amendment (1995), which prohibits federal funds to be spent on research that involves the destruction of a human embryo, are named for him. After the 2012 Aurora shooting, former congressman Dickey said that he regrets his role in blocking the CDC from researching gun violence.

Education and early career

Dickey, born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, graduated from Pine Bluff High School in 1957; after attending Hendrix College, he got his B.A. (1961) and his J.D. (1963) from the University of Arkansas.^[1] He began his career in law in private practice, and later served as city attorney of Pine Bluff from 1968 to 1970.^[1]

In 1988 then-Governor Bill Clinton appointed Dickey as a special justice for a case before the Arkansas Supreme Court.^[1]

Political career

Dickey, beating Secretary of State William J. "Bill" McCuen, described as a "scandal-plagued Democratic nominee",^[2] was elected United States Representative for the Fourth District of Arkansas—the first Republican to be elected to the seat—on November 3, 1992. He was re-elected three times, and served on the U.S. House Committee on Appropriations, and five of its subcommittees: Agriculture, National Security, Energy and Water, Transportation and Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education.

A Second Amendment rights advocate, in 1996 Dickey responded to a supposed bias^[3] on the part of the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), whose research on firearm injuries and fatalities in the US was seen to be motivated more by pro gun-control politics rather than pure science.^[4] Dickey successfully passed an amendment to eliminate $2.6 million from the CDC budget, reflecting the amount the CDC had previously spent on gun research.^[4]

The outspoken, controversial, and conservative Dickey saw his popularity decline in his overall moderate district. In 2000, he lost in his reelection campaign to the Democratic candidate Mike Ross in a close race. House Speaker Dennis Hastert came into the district in a bid to save Dickey's seat, while President Bill Clinton poured massive resources into the contest on behalf of Ross.

Dickey opposed Ross in 2002 in an attempt to return to his seat, but he was defeated, 60-40 percent.

Subsequent career

After leaving office, Dickey operated JD Consulting,^[5] primarily a federal government lobbying firm, which represents clients' interest in children's health care, navigation and water, tax matters, homeland security, and roads.

Following the mass shooting in Aurora, CO, Dickey publicly reversed his position on gun violence research, regretting that he had served as "the NRA’s point person in Congress" to suppress valid and valuable work, and called for new scientific research in the field.^[6]

Electoral history

The following are the electoral results from the Arkansas's 4th congressional district for 1992–2002.^[7]

Year		Democrat	Votes	Pct		Republican	Votes	Pct
1992		W. J. "Bill" McCuen	102,918	48%		Jay Dickey	113,009	52%
1994		Jay Bradford	81,370	48%		Jay Dickey	87,469	52%
1996		Vincent Tolliver	72,391	36%		Jay Dickey	125,956	64%
1998		Judy Smith	68,194	42%		Jay Dickey	92,346	58%
2000		Mike Ross	108,143	51%		Jay Dickey	104,017	49%
2002		Mike Ross	119,633	61%		Jay Dickey	77,904	39%

References

1. United States Congress. "Jay Dickey (id: D000312)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved 2010-04-06.
2. "Republican Party". Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture. Retrieved 2010-04-06.
3. "Reviving the CDC's Gun-Factoid Factory". National Review Online. Retrieved 2016-03-23.
4. Luo, Michael (January 25, 2011). "N.R.A. Stymies Firearms Research". The New York Times. Retrieved 2012-12-20.
5. "Lobbying: JD Consulting". OpenSecrets.org. Center for Responsive Politics. Retrieved 2010-04-06.
6. "We won't know the cause of gun violence until we look for it". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2012-12-20.
7. "Election Statistics". Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives. Retrieved 2010-04-06.