French Hill (politician)

Last updated

Martha McKenzie
​
(m. 1988)​
French Hill
Rep. French Hill official photo, 118th Congress.jpg
Chair of the House Financial Services Committee
Designate
Assuming office
January 3, 2025
Children2
Education Vanderbilt University (BA)
Website House website
Hill's voice
Hill honoring former Sen. John McCain
Recorded September 6, 2018

James French Hill (born December 5, 1956) is an American businessman and politician serving as the U.S. representative for Arkansas's 2nd congressional district since 2015. He is a member of the Republican Party.

Contents

Background and early life

Hill was born in Little Rock, Arkansas. [1] His father, Jay F. Hill ran a Little Rock-based financial firm that he inherited from his father, James “Jay” Wilson Hill. [2] As a teenager, French Hill worked in the family financial firm during the summer months. [2]

He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from Vanderbilt University. [3] He attended the UCLA Anderson Graduate School of Management, where he earned a certified corporate director designation. [4]

Early political career

From 1982 to 1984, Hill was an aide to Republican Senator John Tower. [1] He was a staffer on the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee. [1] Hill was executive secretary to President George H. W. Bush’s Economic Policy Council from 1991 to 1993, and Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Corporate Finance from 1989 to 1991. [1] [5] Hill founded and was CEO and chairman of the Board Delta Trust and Banking Corporation in Little Rock until its acquisition by Simmons Bank in 2014. [6]

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

2014

Hill ran for the 2nd district U.S. House seat after fellow Republican Tim Griffin decided instead to run for lieutenant governor. Hill defeated Democratic nominee Pat Hays, the mayor of North Little Rock, [7] 52 to 44 percent. [8]

2016

Hill was renominated in the Republican primary over Brock Olree of Searcy (White County) and was reelected with 58% of the vote against the Democratic nominee, former Little Rock School District Board President Dianne Curry, and Libertarian nominee Chris Hayes of North Little Rock. [9]

2018

In 2017, Arkansas's 2nd district was included on the initial list of Republican-held seats targeted by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in 2018. [10] In the November general election, Hill defeated Democratic nominee Clarke Tucker with 52.1% of the vote to Tucker's 45.8%. Libertarian Joe Swafford received 2%. [11]

2020

Hill ran for another term. Sarah Huckabee Sanders endorsed Hill, speaking at a rally in support of him. [12]

In 2020, the Hill campaign warned that Democratic nominee Joyce Elliott was "as dangerous as they come". [1] Hill warned that if elected, Elliott would "be a member of the Democratic conference and she'd be a member of the Congressional Black Caucus and her first vote would be for Speaker Pelosi to be the speaker of the House." [1] In the November general election, Hill defeated Elliott. [13]

2022

Hill ran for reelection in 2022 and beat his Democratic opponent Quintessa Hathaway, winning with 60.0% of the vote. [14]

Tenure

Hill has been a member of the U.S. House during the presidencies of Barack Obama, Donald Trump, and Joe Biden. During Trump's presidency, Hill voted in line with the president's position 96.8% of the time. [15] At the start of Biden's presidency, Hill opposed Biden's decision to cancel the Keystone Pipeline. He said he wanted to work with the Biden administration on policy issues including Iran, free trade, and immigration. [16] As of October 2021, Hill had voted in line with Biden's stated position 12.5% of the time. [17]

On May 4, 2017, Hill voted to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) and pass the American Health Care Act. [18] [19] He voted for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. [20]

On April 17, 2020, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy appointed Hill to the COVID-19 Congressional Oversight Commission to oversee the implementation of the CARES Act. [21]

Hill praised the Trump administration's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. [1]

Hill did not join the majority of Republican members of Congress who signed an amicus brief in support of Texas v. Pennsylvania , a lawsuit filed at the United States Supreme Court contesting the results of the 2020 presidential election. Hill voted to certify both Arizona's and Pennsylvania's results in the 2021 United States Electoral College vote count. [22] [23]

In March 2021, Hill voted against the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. [24]

In 2020 and 2021, Hill strongly opposed plans by the United States and other nations in the G7 to issue a $650 billion Special Drawing Rights general allocation, calling for a specific and targeted allocation instead. [25]

Hill strongly supported Biden's airstrikes on Iranian targets in Syria. [26]

On May 19, 2021, Hill was one of 35 Republicans who joined all Democrats in voting to approve legislation to establish the January 6, 2021 commission meant to investigate the storming of the U.S. Capitol. [27]

Committee assignments

For the 118th Congress: [28]

Caucus memberships

Political positions

Abortion

Hill describes himself as pro-life. He voted in support of the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act. He has a 100% rating from the National Right to Life Committee for his pro-life voting record. [35] He supported the 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade, saying that it "elevates life by affirming that there is no constitutional right to an abortion." [36]

Big Tech

In 2022, Hill was one of 39 Republicans to vote for the Merger Filing Fee Modernization Act of 2022, an antitrust package that would crack down on corporations for anti-competitive behavior. [37] [38]

Electoral history

Arkansas's 2nd congressional district Republican primary election, 2014
PartyCandidateVotes%
RepublicanFrench Hill29,91655.08
RepublicanAnn Clemmer12,40022.83
RepublicanConrad Reynolds11,99422.08
Arkansas's 2nd congressional district election, 2014
PartyCandidateVotes%
RepublicanFrench Hill123,07351.86
Democratic Pat Hays 103,47743.60
LibertarianDebbie Standiford10,5904.46
Write-insWrite-ins1900.08
Arkansas's 2nd congressional district Republican primary election, 2016
PartyCandidateVotes%
RepublicanFrench Hill (inc.)86,47484.54
RepublicanBrock Olree15,81115.46
Arkansas's 2nd congressional district election, 2016 [39]
PartyCandidateVotes%
RepublicanFrench Hill (inc.)176,47258.34
DemocraticDianne Curry111,34736.81
LibertarianChris Hayes14,3424.74
Write-insWrite-ins3030.1
Arkansas's 2nd congressional district election, 2018
PartyCandidateVotes%
RepublicanFrench Hill (inc.)132,12552.1
Democratic Clarke Tucker 116,13545.8
LibertarianJoe Swafford5,1932.0
Arkansas's 2nd congressional district election, 2020
PartyCandidateVotes%
RepublicanFrench Hill (inc.)184,09355.4
Democratic Joyce Elliott 148,41044.6
Arkansas's 2nd congressional district election, 2022
PartyCandidateVotes%
RepublicanFrench Hill (inc.)147,97560.0
DemocraticQuintessa Hathaway86,88735.2
LibertarianMichael White11,5844.7

Personal life

A Roman Catholic, [40] Hill resides in Little Rock. [1] He and his wife, Martha McKenzie, have two children. [1]

In 2023, Hill’s public financial disclosures show net worth between $10.3 million and $25.7 million. [2]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Hill, Elliott in tight race for U.S. House seat". Arkansas Online. October 18, 2020. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 "Heirs of Power". Reuters. 2023.
  3. ↑ Burnett, Lisa (May 20, 2014). "Hill gets GOP nod for District 2". Arkansas Online.,
  4. ↑ "J. French Hill – 40 Under 40 – 1996". ArkansasBusiness.com. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
  5. ↑ "2013 SMEI Arkansas Top Manager of the Year Award". SMEI.org. Sales and Marketing Executives International, Inc. Archived from the original on November 5, 2014. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
  6. ↑ Friedman, Mark; Turner, Lance (March 24, 2014). "Simmons First to Buy Delta Trust for $66M". ArkansasBusiness.com. Retrieved September 4, 2015.
  7. ↑ "GOP's French Hill wins US House seat in Arkansas". Associated Press. November 4, 2014. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
  8. ↑ "Arkansas House results – 2014 Election Center – Elections and Politics from CNN.com". CNN. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
  9. ↑ "Arkansas U.S. House 2nd District Results: French Hill Wins". The New York Times. August 1, 2017. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved October 2, 2023.
  10. ↑ Cheney, Kyle (January 30, 2017). "Amid Democratic doldrums, DCCC identifies 2018 targets". Politico . Retrieved March 23, 2017.
  11. ↑ "Arkansas Election Results: Second House District". The New York Times. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
  12. ↑ "Sarah Huckabee Sanders encourages Arkansas voters at French Hill rally". THV 11. October 31, 2020. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  13. ↑ Cushman, Paige (November 3, 2020). "French Hill wins re-election against Democratic opponent Joyce Elliott". KATV. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  14. ↑ "Candidate Information". Arkansas Secretary of State. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  15. ↑ Bycoffe, Aaron (January 30, 2017). "Tracking J. French Hill In The Age Of Trump". FiveThirtyEight. Retrieved February 18, 2017.
  16. ↑ Brock, Roby (February 14, 2021). "U.S. Rep. French Hill notes areas for 'common ground' with Biden administration". Talk Business & Politics. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  17. ↑ Bycoffe, Anna Wiederkehr and Aaron (April 22, 2021). "Does Your Member Of Congress Vote With Or Against Biden?". FiveThirtyEight. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
  18. ↑ "How the House voted to pass the GOP health-care bill". Washington Post. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
  19. ↑ "How every member voted on health care bill". CNN. May 4, 2017. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
  20. ↑ Almukhtar, Sarah (December 19, 2017). "How Each House Member Voted on the Tax Bill". The New York Times. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
  21. ↑ "Hill named to panel overseeing virus aid". Arkansas Online. April 18, 2020. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
  22. ↑ Lockwood, Frank; Herzog, Rachel (December 15, 2020). "3 state delegates in D.C. accept vote of electors". Arkansas Online. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  23. ↑ "How Arkansas's congressmen voted on the objections to the electoral college vote". KARK. January 7, 2021. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  24. ↑ "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 49". Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
  25. ↑ Hill, French (February 2, 2021). "Congressional Democrats' Plan to Bail Out China". Wall Street Journal.
  26. ↑ Keene, Houston (February 26, 2021). "Biden's Syria airstrike earns applause from prominent Republicans". Fox News.
  27. ↑ LeBlanc, Paul (May 19, 2021). "Here are the 35 House Republicans who voted for the January 6 commission". CNN. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  28. ↑ "J. French Hill". Clerk of the United States House of Representatives. Retrieved April 23, 2023.
  29. ↑ "Membership". Congressional Arts Caucus. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved May 22, 2018.
  30. ↑ "Member List". Republican Study Committee. Archived from the original on December 22, 2017. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
  31. ↑ "Our Members". U.S. House of Representatives International Conservation Caucus. Archived from the original on August 1, 2018. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  32. ↑ "Members". U.S. - Japan Caucus. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
  33. ↑ "Members of the Caucus on U.S. - Türkiye Relations & Turkish Americans". Turkish Coalition of America. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
  34. ↑ "Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute".
  35. ↑ "The Voter's Self Defense System". Vote Smart. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
  36. ↑ Webb, Jack A. (June 24, 2022). "Arkansas lawmakers praise Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade". KATV. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
  37. ↑ "House passes antitrust bill that hikes M&A fees as larger efforts targeting tech have stalled". CNBC . September 29, 2022.
  38. ↑ "H.R. 3843: Merger Filing Fee Modernization Act of 2022 -- House Vote #460 -- Sep 29, 2022".
  39. ↑ "Arkansas Election Results". The New York Times. November 6, 2018. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved December 21, 2019.
  40. ↑ "Arkansas–2: J. French Hill (R)". Nationaljournal.com. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Arkansas's 2nd congressional district
2015–present		Incumbent
Preceded by Chair of the House Financial Services Committee
Taking office 2025		Designate
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by United States representatives by seniority
164th		Succeeded by
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