Dade Phelan

Matthew McDade Phelan
Texas State Representative from District 21 (Jefferson and Orange counties)
Assumed office
January 13, 2015
Preceded by Allan Ritter
Personal details
Born 1975
Beaumont, Jefferson County
Texas, USA
Nationality American
Political party Republican
Spouse(s) Kim Phelan
Children 4
Residence Beaumont, Texas
Alma mater University of Texas at Austin
Occupation Real estate developer

Matthew McDade Phelan, known as Dade Phelan (born 1975), is a real estate developer from Beaumont, Texas and a member of the Texas House of Representatives. He represents District 21, which encompasses half of Jefferson County and all of neighboring Orange County in the far southeastern corner of the state.

Background

Phelan is a 1994 graduate of Monsignor Kelly Catholic High School in Beaumont and a 1998 graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He is a senior partner and broker at his family-owned Phelan Investments, a real estate development company. He was a staff member for former District 4 State Senator Tommy Williams, U.S. Representative Dick Armey of Texas's 26th congressional district and District 21 State Representative Mark Stiles. Governor Rick Perry twice named him to the Lower Neches Valley Authority; he was the board president in 2013. He is a former board secretary to Catholic Charities of Southeast Texas and a member of the St. Anne Roman Catholic Church in Beaumont. He has served on the board of the historic Jefferson Theatre in downtown Beaumont. Phelan and his wife, Kim, live in Jefferson County with their four young boys.[1]

State legislator

Phelan succeeds former Democrat Allan Ritter , who was first elected in 1998 and switched to Republican affiliation late in his tenure in November 2010. Ritter announced in October 2013 that he would not run for a ninth two-year term. The district includes all of Orange County and the cities of Groves, Port Neches, and Nederland, and part of Beaumont, all in Jefferson County.

In the 2014 Republican primary, Phelan defeated Judy L. Nichols (born 1961), a businesswoman and the favorite of the Tea Party movement, 7,940 votes (59.9 percent) to 5,314 votes (40.1 percent).[2] Phelan then handily prevailed over the Democrat Gavin Vance Bruney (born 1958) of Nederland, 74.4 to 25.6 percent, in the November 4 general election in which Republican candidates again swept all statewide elected offices.[3]

Representative Phelan currently serves as Vice Chair of the Natural Resources Committee, and on the Natural Resources Sub-Committee on Special Water Districts, the Appropriations Committee, the Appropriations Subcommittee on Articles VI, VII & VIII, the Select Committee on Texas Ports, Innovation and Infrastructure, the Calendars Committee as well as on the State Water Infrastructure Fund for Texas Advisory Committee.[4]

Capitol Inside named Representative Phelan one of the outstanding freshmen after his first session and again honored him for his efforts in his second session as the Most Valuable Sophomore member of the Legislature. [5]

References

  1. ↑ "About Dade Phelan". texansfordade.com. Retrieved December 5, 2014.
  2. ↑ "Republican primary election return, March 4, 2014". Texas Secretary of State. Archived from the original on November 8, 2006. Retrieved March 6, 2014.
  3. ↑ "General election returns, November 4, 2014". Texas Secretary of State. Archived from the original on November 8, 2006. Retrieved December 5, 2014.
  4. ↑ "Texas Legislature Online - House Committees". www.capitol.state.tx.us.
  5. ↑ "Capitol Inside". www.capitolinside.com.
Preceded by
Allan Ritter		 Texas State Representative from District 21 (Jefferson and Orange counties)

Matthew McDade "Dade" Phelan
2015–

Succeeded by
Incumbent
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