American politician (born 1947)
Vic Snyder
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![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/07/Rep._Vic_Snyder.jpg/220px-Rep._Vic_Snyder.jpg) |
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In office
January 3, 1997 ? January 3, 2011
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Preceded by
| Ray Thornton
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Succeeded by
| Tim Griffin
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In office
January 14, 1991 ? January 3, 1997
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Preceded by
| Doug Brandon
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Succeeded by
| Phil Wyrick
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Constituency
| 23rd district (1991?1993)
16th district (1993?1997)
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Born
| Victor Frederick Snyder
(
1947-09-27
)
September 27, 1947
(age 76)
Medford, Oregon
, U.S.
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Political party
| Democratic
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Spouse
| Betsy Singleton Snyder
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Children
| 4
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Residence(s)
| Little Rock, Arkansas
, U.S.
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Education
| Willamette University
(BA)
Oregon Health & Science University
(MD)
University of Arkansas, Little Rock
(JD)
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Allegiance
| United States
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Branch/service
|
United States Marine Corps
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Years of service
| 1967?1969
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Rank
| Corporal
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Unit
| 1st Marine Division
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Battles/wars
| Vietnam War
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Victor Frederick Snyder
(born September 27, 1947) is an American
physician
,
lawyer
, and politician who was the
U.S. representative
for
Arkansas's 2nd congressional district
from 1997 to 2011. He is a member of the
Democratic Party
. He served in the
United States Marine Corps
during the
Vietnam War
at the rank of
corporal
.
Early life, education and career
[
edit
]
Vic Snyder was born in
Medford
,
Oregon
. He is a graduate of Medford High School (1965) and attended college at
Willamette University
in
Salem, Oregon
, where he was a member of
Kappa Sigma
. In 1967, after two years of college, Snyder volunteered for the
United States Marine Corps
. He served in
South Vietnam
with Headquarters Company of the
US 1st Marine Division
during the
Vietnam War
. He served for two years and attained the rank of
corporal
. Snyder earned a degree in Chemistry in 1975 from Willamette and earned his
M.D.
degree from the University of Oregon Health Sciences Center (now
Oregon Health & Science University
) in
Portland, Oregon
in 1979.
Snyder moved to
Little Rock, Arkansas
and served his residency at the
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
. In 1982 after completing his residency he worked as a family practice physician for 15 years. During this time he travelled overseas to volunteer his medical services at
Cambodian
refugee camps in
Thailand
,
Salvadoran
refugee camps in
Honduras
, and
Ethiopian
refugee camps in
Sudan
. From 1985 to 1988 Snyder attended the
University of Arkansas at Little Rock School of Law
to obtain his
J.D.
degree while still maintaining his medical practice.
Arkansas Legislature
[
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]
In 1990, Snyder successfully ran for a seat in the Arkansas legislature and served in that body until 1996. In the Arkansas legislature, Snyder stepped into one of his earliest legislative controversies when he attempted to repeal the state's aged "
Sodomy Laws
". Ultimately, however, his efforts failed, and the sodomy laws stayed in effect until the state Supreme Court struck it down in
Jegley v. Picado
in March 2001.
U.S. House of Representatives
[
edit
]
Committee assignments
[
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]
Snyder focuses on many traditionally
liberal
issues, including a particular interest in support for veteran's and military families. He has a fairly liberal voting record for being an elected politician from the South and otherwise conservative-leaning Arkansas. Snyder voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment, the ban on partial-birth abortions, banning lawsuits against gun manufacturers and distributors, bankruptcy reform, drilling in ANWR, and on October 10, 2002, he was among the 133 members of the House who voted against authorizing the
invasion of Iraq
. In addition, Snyder was one of only two Congressmen to vote against prosecuting
Saddam Hussein
.
On issues of free and expanded trade, Snyder differs with his party, especially his Southern populist colleagues. He has also opposed legislation cracking down on
Wal-Mart
, which is headquartered in
Bentonville, Arkansas
.
Political campaigns
[
edit
]
Comedian
Stephen Colbert
with Snyder, whose district became "
Better Known
" on February 15, 2007
Snyder was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1996 and was reelected in 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2008.
Snyder announced on January 15, 2010 that he would retire at the conclusion of his term which ends in 2010. A SurveyUSA poll released January 15, 2010 showed him trailing his Republican challenger,
Tim Griffin
, by 17 points.
[1]
During the 2008 presidential campaign, like most Arkansas Democrats, Snyder endorsed former
U.S. Senator
and former First Lady of Arkansas
Hillary Clinton
(D-
New York
) for President.
Electoral history
[
edit
]
Personal life
[
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]
Snyder, in 2003 married The Reverend Betsy Singleton, then a
United Methodist
minister at Little Rock's
Quapaw Quarter
United Methodist Church. They have four children, all boys, named Penn, Aubrey, Wyatt, and Sullivan. The latter three are triplets.
References
[
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]
External links
[
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]
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International
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National
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People
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Other
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