Bradley Byrne

Bradley Roberts Byrne (born February 16, 1955 ) is an American attorney and politician who served as the U.S. representative for Alabama's 1st congressional district from 2014 to 2021.

Bradley Byrne was born in 1955 in Mobile, Alabama.

He was one of three children.

He was raised in Baldwin County, Alabama.

He attended UMS-Wright Preparatory School in Mobile, graduating in 1973.

Byrne graduated from Duke University in 1977.

At Duke, he became a member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity.

In 1980, he graduated from the University of Alabama School of Law.

He was classmates with Mo Brooks.

After graduation, he became a private practice lawyer.

Elected as a member of the state Board of Education as a Democrat in 1994, he became a member of the Republican Party in 1997, and served in the Alabama Senate from 2003 to 2007, representing the state's 32nd district.

Byrne's first run for elective office, in 1994, was a success when he was elected to the Alabama State Board of Education as a Democrat.

During his term on the Board of Education, Byrne supported a science curriculum that was opposed by many religious leaders in Alabama.

He later voted with the Board to support a compromise that said, "Explanations of the origin of life and major groups of plants and animals, including humans, shall be treated as theory and not as fact. When attempting to apply scientific knowledge to world problems, no social agenda shall be promoted."

In 1996 Byrne voted with the majority of board members to reject $18 million in federal education funds because it was feared the money would allow greater federal control of schools.

The vote was seen as a nod to the growing conservative influence in his south Alabama district.

Byrne later changed his mind and convinced the Board to allow the money.

In 1997 Byrne left the Democratic Party and became a Republican.

In 2002 Byrne ran for an Alabama State Senate seat, representing part of Baldwin County.

He won with 91% of the vote over his Democratic challenger.

Bishop State Community College in Mobile was the target of investigators who found both financial and academic issues at the school in 2006 and 2007.

Byrne ordered an audit of the school, which demonstrated many deficiencies.

At the time, about two dozen people were charged with criminal fraud and theft charges.

Byrne was chancellor of the Alabama Community College System from 2007 until he resigned in 2009 to run for the 2010 Republican nomination for governor of Alabama.

In May 2007 Byrne took the position of community college chancellor and oversaw a controversial reordering of much of the system.

A total of 27 were charged before the probe ended in May 2007.

Byrne also worked with Alabama Attorney General Troy King to recover money stolen from the community college system.

He resigned as Chancellor on August 31, 2009.

During the campaign, he was accused by his opponents in the Republican primary of supporting evolution and of doubting that the Bible was infallible.

Byrne responded, "as a Christian and as a public servant, I have never wavered in my belief that this world and everything in it is a masterpiece created by the hands of God ... As a member of the Alabama Board of Education, the record clearly shows that I fought to ensure the teaching of creationism in our school text books. Those who attack me have distorted, twisted and misrepresented my comments and are spewing utter lies to the people of this state."

He also added that he believed "every single word" of the Bible was true.

Following the runoff, Byrne went back to practicing business law, joining the law firm Jones Walker on August 16, 2010.

On February 23, 2011, Byrne announced he was partnering with other prominent Alabamians to create a nonprofit organization that would push for reforms in state government.

Named Reform Alabama, the organization actively supported legislation in the 2011 Alabama Regular Legislative Session.

In 2011, Byrne considered running for chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court in the 2012 election, but ultimately did not enter the race.

In December 2013 he won a special election to represent the state's 1st congressional district in the United States House of Representatives.

On May 23, 2013, U.S. Representative Jo Bonner announced that he would resign, effective August 15, 2013.

Byrne finished first in the Republican primary and faced Tea Party candidate Dean Young in the runoff election.

Byrne won the runoff, but Young refused to endorse him, which led to rumors of a rift within the Republican Party.

Byrne ran in the Republican primary for the 2020 United States Senate election in Alabama, but was defeated in the first round of the primary by Tommy Tuberville and Jeff Sessions.