Rob Simmons
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Connecticut's 2nd district
In office January 3, 2001–January 4, 2007
Preceded by	Sam Gejdenson
Succeeded by	Joe Courtney
Born	February 11, 1943 (1943-02-11) (age 65) New York City, New York
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Heidi Simmons
Religion	Episcopalian

Robert Ruhl Simmons (born February 11, 1943), American politician, was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from 2001 to 2007, representing the 2nd Congressional District of Connecticut. He was defeated by Democratic challenger Joe Courtney in the 2006 elections by a razor-thin margin of 83 votes. Type Bicameral Speaker of the House of Representatives House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi, (D) since January 4, 2007 Steny Hoyer, (D) since January 4, 2007 House Minority Leader John Boehner, (R) since January 4, 2007 Members 435 plus 4 Delegates and 1 Resident Commissioner Political groups Democratic Party Republican Party... Official language(s) none (de facto English) Capital Hartford Largest city Bridgeport[2] Largest metro area Hartford Metro Area[3] Area  Ranked 48th in the US  - Total 5,543[4] sq mi (14,356 km²)  - Width 70 miles (113 km)  - Length 110 miles (177 km)  - % water 12. ... Map Connecticut District 2 has been represented in the United States House of Representatives by Rob Simmons since 2001. ... is the 3rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... is the 4th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... United States Representative for the 2nd Congressional District of Connecticut. ... Joseph (Joe) Courtney, born April 6, 1953 in Hartford, Connecticut, is a Democrat and the Congressman-elect of the United States House of Representatives in Connecticuts 2nd congressional district (map). ... is the 42nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... New York, New York redirects here. ... GOP redirects here. ... This article is about the Episcopal Church in the United States. ... Robert Glenmore Simmons (December 25, 1891 – December 27, 1969) was a Nebraska republican politician. ... is the 42nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Republican Party, often called the GOP (for Grand Old Party, although one early citation described it as the Gallant Old Party) [1], is one of the two major political parties in the United States. ... Type Bicameral Speaker of the House of Representatives House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi, (D) since January 4, 2007 Steny Hoyer, (D) since January 4, 2007 House Minority Leader John Boehner, (R) since January 4, 2007 Members 435 plus 4 Delegates and 1 Resident Commissioner Political groups Democratic Party Republican Party... Connecticut District 2 has been represented in the United States House of Representatives by Rob Simmons since 2001. ... Joseph (Joe) Courtney, born April 6, 1953 in Hartford, Connecticut, is a Democrat and the Congressman-elect of the United States House of Representatives in Connecticuts 2nd congressional district (map). ... President Bush meets with Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer (then House Minority Leader and Minority Whip, respectively) at the Oval Office in the White House. ...

Born in New York City, Simmons was educated at Haverford College and served in the United States Army and the Central Intelligence Agency. In the Army, after leaving active duty, he led the 434th Military Intelligence Detachment associated with Yale University, and in this capacity led the writing of the first-ever "Open Source Intelligence Guide for the Military Intelligence Officer." This achievement in the 1990s led to the nomination, and selection, of his unit as the best small unit in the U.S. Army Reserve, and his promotion to full Colonel. New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... Haverford College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college located in Haverford, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia. ... The United States Army is the largest and oldest branch of the armed forces of the United States. ... CIA redirects here. ...

In 1979 he became a staff member for Senator John Chafee of Rhode Island, and then in 1981 the Staff Director for the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI) then under the Chairmanship of Senator Barry Goldwater (R-AZ), during which time he learned a great deal about Senate oversight of illegal intelligence activities. Leaving the Senate staff, he became both a teacher of political science at the college level, and a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives before entering the House, defeating ten-term Democratic incumbent Sam Gejdenson by only 2,000 votes. Despite being in the most Democratic GOP-held seat in the nation and being targeted by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee as a possible pickup, Simmons fought off a challenge from Democrat Joe Courtney in 2002, winning 54%-46%. John Lester Hubbard Chafee (October 22, 1922 – October 24, 1999) was an American politician. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ... Barry Morris Goldwater (January 1, 1909 – May 29, 1998) was a five-term United States Senator from Arizona (1953–1965, 1969–87) and the Republican Partys nominee for president in the 1964 election. ... The Hall of the Connecticut House of Representatives. ... The Democratic Party is one of two major political parties in the United States, the other being the Republican Party. ... United States Representative for the 2nd Congressional District of Connecticut. ... Categories: Politics stubs ... Joseph (Joe) Courtney, born April 6, 1953 in Hartford, Connecticut, is a Democrat and the Congressman-elect of the United States House of Representatives in Connecticuts 2nd congressional district (map). ...

In 2004, Simmons defeated Democrat Jim Sullivan, winning 54%-46%. Jim Sullivan was a Welsh rugby league player. ...

In 2005, the NRCC listed Simmons as one of their most vulnerable members and his seat was widely seen as a possible Democratic pickup in 2006. Courtney was once again the Democratic nominee in 2006 and the race was considered a toss-up. The National Republican Congressional Committee is the Republican Hill committee for the United States House of Representatives, working to elect Republicans to that body. ...

On election night Simmons trailed his challenger, Joe Courtney, by 167 votes out of over 242,000 votes cast. This margin was small enough to trigger an automatic recount under Connecticut law. During this recount, elections officials discovered several errors in the original vote. The recount concluded on November 14 giving Courtney an 82 vote victory over Simmons. [1] As Simmons fared far better than other defeated Republican incumbents it was speculated he would try for a political comeback in 2008, which he did not rule out in conceding the 2006 election to Courtney. However, on March 4th, 2007, on an episode of Face the State, he stated that he would not challenge Joe Courtney in 2008. is the 318th day of the year (319th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... March 4 is the 63rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (64th in leap years). ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ...

On February 26, 2007, Rob Simmons was nominated by Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell to become the State's first Business Advocate. [2] The Office of the Business Advocate was established as part of the Governor's 2006 "Jobs for the 21st Century" Act (PA 06-83), for the purpose of providing centralized assistance to businesses in the state, and to pro-actively provide assistance to businesses of broader economic significance to the State. [3] The office was originally intended to be a part of the Office of Policy and Management, but is now slated to be relocated into the Department of Economic and Community Development, for administrative purposes only, as part of the Governor's Fiscal Year 2008–2009 Proposed Budget. [4] is the 57th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ...

Simmons was a member of the House Armed Services Committee and was involved in issues concerning the district's major defense presence at the Electric Boat submarine shipyard in Groton and the nearby Naval Submarine Base New London. In 2005, the Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC) targeted the U.S. Navy's New London submarine base for closure. Simmons was among the many Connecticut politicians who urged the BRAC to reverse their proposal to close the base, which the BRAC did on August 24, 2005. The U.S. House Committee on Armed Services, commonly known as the House Armed Services Committee, is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives, the lower house of Congress. ... While most boats on the water today are powered by diesel engines, and sail power and gasoline engines are also popular, it is perfectly feasible to power boats by electricity too. ... For other uses, see Submarine (disambiguation). ... Waterfront of Groton, Connecticut looking upriver Groton is a town located on the Thames River in New London County, Connecticut. ... The town of Groton, Connecticut is host to SUBASE New London and the Electric Boat division of General Dynamics. ... Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) is a process used by the Congress of the United States to reduce and consolidate the excess capacity of military installations in order to save operation and maintenance costs. ... The United States Navy (USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for naval operations. ... Nickname: Motto: MARE LIBERUM Coordinates: , NECTA Norwich-New London Region Southeastern Connecticut Settled 1646 (Pequot Plantation) Named 1658 (New London) Incorporated (city) 1784 Government  - Type Council-manager  - City council Margaret Mary Curtin, Mayor Kevin J. Cavanagh, Dep. ... is the 236th day of the year (237th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Simmons was also on the House Homeland Security Committee, and in his first assignment as a Chairman, as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Intelligence, Information Sharing, and Terrorism Risk Assessment, had broken with the conventional wisdom in Washington, and become the foremost proponent in Congress for giving all state and local authorities free open source software for sharing, collaborative work, and desktop analytics, modeled after STRONG ANGEL, the program to create the same free tools for Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO) who must share unclassified information with U.S. forces in the transition to and from hostilities. Simmons was also the champion for Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) on the Hill, and sponsored hearings that have led to the draft Smart Nation Act that he developed in consultation with various OSINT authorities.

Simmons is a member of various liberal/moderate Republican organizations such as The Republican Main Street Partnership, Republicans for Choice, The Republican Majority For Choice, Republicans for Environmental Protection and It's My Party Too. He was endorsed for re-election by Planned Parenthood. In 2003, he voted with the House Democrats to oppose Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act. The bill was passed by a large 281-142 majority on October 2, 2003. The Republican Main Street Partnership is a group of social liberals and moderates in the United States Republican Party. ... Republicans for Choice, an organization based in the Washington, DC area (Headquarters: 2760 Eisenhower Ave, Suite #260, Alexandria, Virginia 22314) is a political action committee (PAC) composed of members of the United States Republican Party who support legalized abortion. ... Republicans for Environmental Protection (or REP America), is a national organization of Republican voters formed in 1995 with the stated purpose of educating and advocating environmental issues and supporting efforts to conserve natural resources and protect human and environmental health. ... This article is about Planned Parenthood Federation of America. ... The Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act (Public Law 108-105, HR 760, S 3, 18 U.S. Code 1531)[1] (or PBA Ban) is a United States law prohibiting a form of late-term abortion that the Act calls partial-birth abortion. ... is the 275th day of the year (276th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Simmons is married to the former Edith Heidi Paffard. They have a son Robert and a daughter Jane.

External links

• Rob Simmons at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Voting record maintained by the Washington Post
• Connecticut Conservative Interview with Simmons