Ed Whitfield | |
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Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Kentucky's 1st district |
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In office January 3, 1995 – September 6, 2016 |
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Preceded by | Tom Barlow |
Succeeded by | James Comer |
Member of the Kentucky House of Representatives | |
In office 1974–1975 |
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Personal details | |
Born |
Wayne Edward Whitfield May 25, 1943 Hopkinsville, Kentucky |
Political party |
Democratic (1974–1994) Republican (1994–present) |
Spouse(s) | Constance Whitfield |
Residence | Hopkinsville, Kentucky |
Alma mater |
University of Kentucky University of Kentucky College of Law |
Occupation | attorney, railroad executive |
Religion | Methodist |
Military service | |
Allegiance | United States |
Service/branch | United States Army Reserve |
Years of service | 1967–1973 |
Rank | First Lieutenant |
Unit | 100th Division |
Wayne Edward "Ed" Whitfield (born May 25, 1943) is an American politician who served as the U.S. Representative of Kentucky's 1st congressional district from January 1995, until his resignation in September 2016. He is a member of the Republican Party.
The district covers much of the western part of the state, including Hopkinsville, Paducah, Henderson and Kentucky's share of Fort Campbell.
Whitfield was born in Hopkinsville, Kentucky; his family later moved to Madisonville, Kentucky, where he graduated from Madisonville High School. He attended the University of Kentucky for both undergraduate and law school, where he was a member of Delta Tau Delta Fraternity. He also attended the Wesley Theological Seminary. He served in the United States Army Reserve and reached the rank of First Lieutenant. He served as legal counsel to executives at Seaboard System Railroad of Washington. He served as a Vice President for the later CSX Corporation in two different capacities and was the Legal Counsel to the Chairman of the Interstate Commerce Commission from 1991 to 1993. this was a time when the Commission was deregulating the railroad and trucking industries. He was elected to the United States Congress in November 1994 and began his term in January, 1995, as a member of the 104th Congress. During his 21 plus years in the congress, Whitfield served on the Energy and Commerce Committee and served as Chairman of the Oversight and Investigation, Energy and Power Subcommittees.