Summary
Current Position: US Representative of AR 2nd District since 2015
Affiliation: Republican
District: includes the state capital of Little Rock, its suburbs, and surrounding areas.
Upcoming Election:
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Arkansas Week Special Edition: French Hill
OnAir Post: French Hill AR-02
News
About
Source: Government page
A ninth generation Arkansan, French Hill is the 22nd Member of Congress to represent central Arkansas in the U.S. House of Representatives. He was elected on November 4, 2014, and began his first congressional term in the 114th Congress on January 3, 2015. He won reelection to serve in the 115th, 116th, and 117th sessions of Congress.
He is a member of the U.S. House Committee on Financial Services where he serves as Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Housing, Community Development and Insurance. Rep. Hill serves alongside Senator Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), Congresswoman Donna Shalala (D-Fla.) on the Congressional Oversight Commission established by the CARES Act. In 2019, Rep. Hill was selected to be a member of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) Republican House Whip Team.
Prior to his congressional service, Rep. Hill was actively engaged in the Arkansas business community for two decades as a commercial banker and investment manager. He was founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of Delta Trust & Banking Corp., which was headquartered in Little Rock and recently merged with Arkansas-based Simmons First National Corp.
Prior to his community banking work in Arkansas, Rep. Hill served as a senior official in the administration of President George H.W. Bush. From 1989 until 1991, Rep. Hill served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Corporate Finance, where one of his key assignments was representing the United States as a negotiator in the historic bilateral talks with Japan known as the Structural Impediments Initiative (SII).
After the fall of the Berlin Wall, Rep. Hill led the design of U.S. technical assistance to the emerging economies of eastern and central Europe in the areas of banking and securities. In 1991, at the age of 34, President Bush appointed Mr. Hill to be Executive Secretary to the President’s Economic Policy Council (EPC), where he coordinated all White House economic policy. For his leadership and service at the Treasury and the White House, Rep. Hill was awarded the Distinguished Service Award by U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Nicholas Brady in January 1993. Prior to his Executive Branch Service, from 1982 until 1984, Rep. Hill served on the staff of then-U.S. Senator John Tower (R-TX) as well as on the staff of the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, & Urban Affairs.
Throughout his career, Rep. Hill has been active in civic affairs. He is a past president of the Rotary Club of Little Rock and served as the 2013 chairman of the Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce.
He has received numerous awards and recognition for his long-time support of the Boy Scouts of America, the arts and humanities, tourism, and historic preservation in Arkansas. He is an avid outdoorsman, boy scout, and spends recreational time outside hiking, fishing, and more.
Rep. Hill is a magna cum laude graduate in Economics from Vanderbilt University. He is married to the former Martha McKenzie of Dallas, Texas, and they have a daughter and a son. The Hill family resides in Little Rock.
Personal
Full Name: James French Hill
Gender: Male
Family: Wife: Martha; 2 Children: Sarah, William
Birth Date: 12/05/1956
Birth Place: Little Rock, AR
Home City: Little Rock, AR
Religion: Roman Catholic
Source: Vote Smart
Education
Certified, Corporate Director, University of California, Los Angeles, 2007
BS, Economics, Vanderbilt University, 1975-1979
Political Experience
Representative, United States House of Representatives, Arkansas, District 2, 2015-present
Candidate, United States House of Representatives, Arkansas, District 2, 2022, 2024
Professional Experience
Founder/Chair/Chief Executive Officer, Delta Trust & Banking Corporation, 1999-2014
Senior Advisor, Governor Mike Huckabee, 2008
Executive Officer, First Commercial Corporation, 1993-1998
Special Assistant to the President/Executive Secretary of the Economic Policy Council, Office of President George H.W. Bush, 1991-1993
Deputy Assistant Secretary, United States Department of the Treasury, 1989-1991
Director, Mason Best Company, 1984-1989
Assistant to the Chair, Office of United States Senator John Tower, Senate Committee on Banking, Housing & Urban Affairs, 1982-1984
Senior Financial Analyst, InterFirst Corporation, 1979-1982
Offices
Washington, DC Office
1533 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-2506
Fax: (202) 225-5903
Conway Office
1105 Deer Street
Suite 12
Conway, AR 72032
Phone: (501) 358-3481
Fax: (501) 358-3494
Little Rock Office
1501 N. University Ave.
Suite 630
Little Rock, AR 72207
Phone: (501) 324-5941
Fax: (501) 324-6029
Contact
Email: Government page
Web Links
Politics
Source: none
Election Results
To learn more, go to the wikipedia section in this post.
Finances
Source: Vote Smart
Committees
Rep. Hill serves as Vice-Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee and serves as the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Digital Assets, Financial Technology and Inclusion. He also sits on the Subcommittee on Capital Markets.
Additionally, Rep. Hill serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and sits on two of its subcommittees:
Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations
Oversight & Accountability
He also serves on the House Permanent Select Committee On Intelligence.
Rep. Hill serves on the Congressional Oversight Commission established by the CARES Act alongside Senator Pat Toomey (R-Pa.).
In 2019, Rep. Hill was selected to be a member of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) Republican House Whip Team.
He serves on the Japan-United States Friendship Commission, an independent federal government agency established by Congress in 1975.
Rep. Hill’s Caucus memberships:
Families, Community, and Education
Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth
Congressional Scouting Caucus
Congressional Prayer Caucus
Congressional Solidarity Caucus
Congressional Historic Preservation Caucus
Congressional Humanities Caucus
Opportunity Gap and Skilled Workforce
Congressional Skilled American Workforce Caucus (Co-Chair)
Congressional Bipartisan Congressional Arts Caucus
Congressional Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Caucus (Vice Co-Chair)
Congressional STEAM Caucus
U.S. Military and Foreign Relations
Congressional National Guard and Reserve Components Caucus (NGRCC)
Congressional Army Caucus
Congressional Air Force Caucus
Congressional Missile Defense Caucus
Congressional House Republican Israel Caucus
Congressional Israel Allies Caucus
Congressional U.S.-Japan Caucus
Congressional Study Group on Japan
Congressional Battlefield Caucus
Congressional Caucus on India and Indian-Americans
Congressional French Caucus
Small Business and Economic Growth
Congressional Entrepreneurship Caucus
Congressional Natural Gas Caucus
Congressional House Small Brewers Caucus
Congressional Chicken Caucus
Congressional Wine Caucus
Congressional Financial Literacy and Wealth Creation Caucus
Health and Wellness
Congressional Diabetes Caucus
Congressional Kidney Caucus
Congressional Dyslexia Caucus
Congressional Congenital Heart Caucus
Congressional Caucus on Fitness
Conservation
Congressional International Conservation Caucus
Congressional Boating Caucus
Congressional Sportsman’s Caucus
New Legislation
Sponsored and Cosponsored
More Information
Services
Source: Government page
District
Source: Wikipedia
Arkansas’s 2nd congressional district is a congressional district located in the central part of the U.S. state of Arkansas and includes the state capital of Little Rock, its suburbs, and surrounding areas. The district leans Republican, with a Cook Partisan Voting Index rating of R+9. However, due to the influence of heavily Democratic Little Rock, it is still considered the least Republican congressional district in Arkansas, which has an all-Republican congressional delegation.[3]
It is represented in the United States House of Representatives by Republican French Hill.
The district has been based on the state capital Little Rock since the 1960 United States census.
Wikipedia
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.
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]
- Committee on Financial Services
- Committee on Foreign Affairs
- Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence
Caucus memberships
- Congressional Arts Caucus[29]
- Republican Study Committee[30]
- United States Congressional International Conservation Caucus[31]
- U.S.-Japan Caucus[32]
- Congressional Coalition on Adoption[33]
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.[34] 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.”[35]
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.[36][37]
Electoral history
| Arkansas’s 2nd congressional district Republican primary election, 2014 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Republican | French Hill | 29,916 | 55.08 |
| Republican | Ann Clemmer | 12,400 | 22.83 |
| Republican | Conrad Reynolds | 11,994 | 22.08 |
| Arkansas’s 2nd congressional district election, 2014 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Republican | French Hill | 123,073 | 51.86 |
| Democratic | Pat Hays | 103,477 | 43.60 |
| Libertarian | Debbie Standiford | 10,590 | 4.46 |
| Write-ins | Write-ins | 190 | 0.08 |
| Arkansas’s 2nd congressional district Republican primary election, 2016 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Republican | French Hill (inc.) | 86,474 | 84.54 |
| Republican | Brock Olree | 15,811 | 15.46 |
| Arkansas’s 2nd congressional district election, 2016[38] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Republican | French Hill (inc.) | 176,472 | 58.34 |
| Democratic | Dianne Curry | 111,347 | 36.81 |
| Libertarian | Chris Hayes | 14,342 | 4.74 |
| Write-ins | Write-ins | 303 | 0.1 |
| Arkansas’s 2nd congressional district election, 2018 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Republican | French Hill (inc.) | 132,125 | 52.1 |
| Democratic | Clarke Tucker | 116,135 | 45.8 |
| Libertarian | Joe Swafford | 5,193 | 2.0 |
| Arkansas’s 2nd congressional district election, 2020 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Republican | French Hill (inc.) | 184,093 | 55.4 |
| Democratic | Joyce Elliott | 148,410 | 44.6 |
| Arkansas’s 2nd congressional district election, 2022 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Republican | French Hill (inc.) | 147,975 | 60.0 |
| Democratic | Quintessa Hathaway | 86,887 | 35.2 |
| Libertarian | Michael White | 11,584 | 4.7 |
Personal life
A Roman Catholic,[39] 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]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i “Hill, Elliott in tight race for U.S. House seat”. Arkansas Online. October 18, 2020. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
- ^ a b c “Heirs of Power”. Reuters. 2023.
- ^ Burnett, Lisa (May 20, 2014). “Hill gets GOP nod for District 2”. Arkansas Online.,
- ^ “J. French Hill – 40 Under 40 – 1996”. ArkansasBusiness.com. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
- ^ “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.
- ^ Friedman, Mark; Turner, Lance (March 24, 2014). “Simmons First to Buy Delta Trust for $66M”. ArkansasBusiness.com. Retrieved September 4, 2015.
- ^ “GOP’s French Hill wins US House seat in Arkansas”. Associated Press. November 4, 2014. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
- ^ “Arkansas House results – 2014 Election Center – Elections and Politics from CNN.com”. CNN. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
- ^ “Arkansas U.S. House 2nd District Results: French Hill Wins”. The New York Times. August 1, 2017. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
- ^ Cheney, Kyle (January 30, 2017). “Amid Democratic doldrums, DCCC identifies 2018 targets”. Politico. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
- ^ “Arkansas Election Results: Second House District”. The New York Times. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
- ^ “Sarah Huckabee Sanders encourages Arkansas voters at French Hill rally”. THV 11. October 31, 2020. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
- ^ Cushman, Paige (November 3, 2020). “French Hill wins re-election against Democratic opponent Joyce Elliott”. KATV. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
- ^ “Candidate Information”. Arkansas Secretary of State. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
- ^ Bycoffe, Aaron (January 30, 2017). “Tracking J. French Hill In The Age Of Trump”. FiveThirtyEight. Retrieved February 18, 2017.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Bycoffe, Anna Wiederkehr and Aaron (April 22, 2021). “Does Your Member Of Congress Vote With Or Against Biden?”. FiveThirtyEight. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
- ^ “How the House voted to pass the GOP health-care bill”. Washington Post. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
- ^ “How every member voted on health care bill”. CNN. May 4, 2017. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
- ^ Almukhtar, Sarah (December 19, 2017). “How Each House Member Voted on the Tax Bill”. The New York Times. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
- ^ “Hill named to panel overseeing virus aid”. Arkansas Online. April 18, 2020. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
- ^ Lockwood, Frank; Herzog, Rachel (December 15, 2020). “3 state delegates in D.C. accept vote of electors”. Arkansas Online. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
- ^ “How Arkansas’s congressmen voted on the objections to the electoral college vote”. KARK. January 7, 2021. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
- ^ “Final Vote Results for Roll Call 49”. Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
- ^ Hill, French (February 2, 2021). “Congressional Democrats’ Plan to Bail Out China”. Wall Street Journal.
- ^ Keene, Houston (February 26, 2021). “Biden’s Syria airstrike earns applause from prominent Republicans”. Fox News.
- ^ LeBlanc, Paul (May 19, 2021). “Here are the 35 House Republicans who voted for the January 6 commission”. CNN. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
- ^ “J. French Hill”. Clerk of the United States House of Representatives. Retrieved April 23, 2023.
- ^ “Membership”. Congressional Arts Caucus. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved May 22, 2018.
- ^ “Member List”. Republican Study Committee. Archived from the original on December 22, 2017. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
- ^ “Our Members”. U.S. House of Representatives International Conservation Caucus. Archived from the original on August 1, 2018. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
- ^ “Members”. U.S. – Japan Caucus. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
- ^ “Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute”.
- ^ “The Voter’s Self Defense System”. Vote Smart. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
- ^ Webb, Jack A. (June 24, 2022). “Arkansas lawmakers praise Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade”. KATV. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
- ^ “House passes antitrust bill that hikes M&A fees as larger efforts targeting tech have stalled”. CNBC. September 29, 2022.
- ^ “H.R. 3843: Merger Filing Fee Modernization Act of 2022 — House Vote #460 — Sep 29, 2022”.
- ^ “Arkansas Election Results”. The New York Times. November 6, 2018. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
- ^ “Arkansas–2: J. French Hill (R)”. Nationaljournal.com. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
External links
- Representative French Hill official U.S. House website
- French Hill for Congress
- French Hill at Curlie
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress
- Profile at Vote Smart
- Appearances on C-SPAN
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