Topic: Dick Armey

Richard Keith "Dick" Armey (pronounced /ˈɑrmi/; born July 7, 1940 in Cando, North Dakota) is a former U.S. Representative from Texas's 26th congressional district (1985–2003) and House Majority Leader (1995–2003). He was one of the engineers of the "Republican Revolution" of the 1990s, in which Republicans were elected to majorities of both houses of Congress for the first time in four decades. Armey was one of the chief authors of the Contract with America. Armey is also an author and former professor. After his congressional career he worked as a consultant and advisor.

Armey grew up in rural North Dakota, living in the farming town of Cando. He graduated from Jamestown College with a B.A. and then received an M.A. from the University of North Dakota and a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Oklahoma. Armey is a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity.

Armey was an economics professor at North Texas State University (now the University of North Texas) in Denton and was first elected to the House in 1984 in the 26th District of Texas, defeating freshman congressman Tom Vandergriff in what is still considered a huge upset (Vandergriff is well-known in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, most notably for bringing Major League Baseball's Texas Rangers to the area). Armey was one of six freshmen Republican Party congressmen elected from Texas in 1984 that were known as the Texas Six Pack. Due to the increasingly Republican tilt of the Metroplex, Armey would never face another tough race and was reelected eight times.