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Bob Eckhardt

Bob Eckhardt
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 8th district
In office January 3, 1967 – January 3, 1981
Preceded by	Lera Millard Thomas
Succeeded by	Jack Fields
Member of the Texas House of Representatives from the 22-2 district
In office 1958–1966
Personal details
Born	Robert Christian Eckhardt (1913-07-16)July 16, 1913 Austin, Texas, U.S.
Died	November 13, 2001(2001-11-13) (aged 88) Austin, Texas, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Orissa Stevenson, Nadine Ellen Cannon, Celia Morris
Children	Orissa Eckhardt, Rosalind Eckhardt, Sarah Eckhardt
Relatives	Richard M. Kleberg (second cousin) Rudolph Kleberg (great-uncle)
Alma mater	University of Texas at Austin (BA, JD)
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Army
Years of service	1943-1944

Robert Christian Eckhardt (July 16, 1913 – November 13, 2001) was a Democratic United States Representative representing the 8th District of Texas from 1967 to 1981, and lawyer that practiced labor law.

Eckhardt was born in Austin on July 16, 1913. He was the grand-nephew of Democratic Congressman Rudolph Kleberg, nephew of Republican Congressman Harry Wurzbach, and a cousin of Richard Mifflin Kleberg, Sr., heir to the famous King Ranch in South Texas. Eckhardt graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 1935 and received his law degree from the University of Texas Law School in 1939. He served in the United States Army from 1942 to 1944. Eckhardt was appointed Southwestern Director of the Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs, 1944–1945.^[1]

He moved to Houston and was elected a member of the Texas House of Representatives, serving from 1958 to 1966, where he compiled a fairly liberal voting record. One of Eckhardt's most enduring accomplishments in the Texas House was writing the Texas Open Beaches Act, passed in 1959.^[2]

In 1966, he was elected as a Democrat in Congress representing Texas's 8th congressional district, which included most of northern Houston. Eckhardt was the sponsor of the War Powers Act and the Toxic Substances Act.^[3] He was reelected six times without serious difficulty. In 1980, however, he was narrowly defeated by Jack Fields, losing by only 4,900 votes. He was also a co-founder of the Texas Observer magazine.^[4]

Eckhardt died on November 13, 2001, in Austin. He was interred in Austin Memorial Park Cemetery.

• Eckhardt, Bob. The Tides of Power: Conversations on the American Constitution between Bob Eckhardt, Member of Congress from Texas, and Charles L. Black Jr., Sterling Professor of Law, Yale University (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1976)

• United States Congress. "Bob Eckhardt (id: E000035)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• Keith, Gary A. Eckhardt:There Once was a Congressman from Texas (Austin: University of Texas Press, 2007) ISBN 978-0-292-71691-9
• Robert C. Eckhardt Papers, 1931–1992, Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin
• Bob EckhardtatFind a Grave