Steve Bartlett

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 and Barbara Staff, one of three Reagan co-chairmen in the Texas campaign that year.

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 an unsuccessful gubernatorial candidate in 2010. The position became vacant when the long-term Republican 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 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.

Private sector and lobbying

Bartlett was hired to head the Financial Services Roundtable in 1999. In 2012, he was replaced as president and CEO by former Republican presidential candidate and the former Governor Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota.

Following his government service, Bartlett served on a number of boards of directors, including IMCO Recycling, Kaufman and Broad Home Corporation, Sun Coast Industrial and the YMCA of Metropolitan Washington. In addition, he also served on the board of governors of the National YMCA, the Fannie Mae National Advisory Council and the board of the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. In 2001 he served on the President's Commission on Excellence in Special Education.

Bartlett has been recognized for his leadership skills by the National Association of Manufacturers, National Federation of Independent Business; Ebony, Essence, and Jet magazines; Texas Association for Retarded Citizens; Anti-Defamation League; National Council of La Raza; American Electronics Association; Watchdogs of the Treasury; and Best Dad by the NF Foundation.

In 2011, Bartlett earned about $2 million a year at Financial Services Roundtable.

Other activities

Bartlett has served as an adjunct professor at the University of Texas Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs and as a member of the Leadership Group on U.S.-Muslim Engagement.

Personal life

Bartlett was born in Los Angeles, California and reared in Lockhart in Caldwell County, Texas. He attended Kimball High School in Dallas, at which he met his future wife at a Young Republicans bake sale; he graduated in 1966. Barlett attended the University of Texas at Austin, from which he received a Bachelor of Arts in 1971. He also became a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon.

Bartlett is married to the former Gail Coke; the Bartletts have three children and three grandchildren. They reside in McLean, Virginia.