Bill Foster (Illinois politician)

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This article is about the Illinois politician and physicist. For other people by the same name, see Bill Foster.
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Bill Foster
Bill Foster (Illinois politician)
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Illinois's 14th district
Incumbent
Assumed office 
March 11, 2008
Preceded by Dennis Hastert
Born October 7, 1955 (1955-10-07) (age 52)
Madison, Wisconsin
Political party Democratic
Residence Geneva, Illinois
Alma mater University of Wisconsin–Madison
Harvard University
Profession Physicist
business owner
Website Congressman Bill Foster

George William "Bill" Foster (born October 7, 1955) is an American physicist, businessman and politician from the state of Illinois. A Democrat, Foster was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives as the Representative from Illinois's 14th congressional district, defeating Jim Oberweis in the widely-watched March 2008 special election to replace former Representative and former Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert, a Republican.

Contents

[edit] Personal background

Foster was born in 1955 in Madison, Wisconsin. He received his bachelor's degree in physics from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1976 and his Ph.D. in physics from Harvard University in 1983.

Foster lives in Geneva, Illinois. He has lived and worked in the Tri-Cities area (composed of Geneva, Batavia, and St. Charles) since 1984.

Foster's children Billy and Christine were born and raised in the Fox Valley. Billy graduated from Batavia High school, received a bachelor's degree in mathematics and computer science from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 2006, and now works for TomoTherapy, Inc., a medical imaging and radiation therapy firm. Christine went to schools in Batavia and attended the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (IMSA) in Aurora. She is now a junior majoring in biochemistry at Stanford University.

[edit] Science and business career

After completing his Ph.D., Foster moved to the Fox Valley with his family to pursue a career in high-energy (particle) physics at Fermilab, a Department of Energy National Laboratory. Fermilab is home to the Tevatron, a powerful particle accelerator; during Foster's 22 years at Fermilab he participated in several notable projects, including the design of equipment and data analysis software for the CDF Detector, which were used in the discovery of the top quark, and the management of the design and construction of a 3km Anti-Proton Recycler Ring for the Main Injector.[1][2] He has been elected a fellow of the American Physical Society, was on the team receiving the 1989 Bruno Rossi Prize for cosmic ray physics for the discovery of the neutrino burst from the supernova SN 1987A, received the Particle Accelerator Technology Prize from the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, and was awarded an Energy Conservation award from the United States Department of Energy for his invention and application of permanent magnets for Fermilab's accelerators.[3]

Foster was also involved in business pursuits. At age 19, he and his younger brother Fred Foster started a company in their basement with $500 from their parents. The business, Electronic Theatre Controls (ETC), now has over 650 employees worldwide and manufactures over half of the theater lighting equipment in the United States. Installations include Broadway shows, Rolling Stones tours, opera houses, Super Bowl halftime shows, and at schools, churches, and community centers around the world.[4]

[edit] Political career

See also: Illinois's 14th congressional district special election, 2008

On November 26, 2007, former House Republican Speaker J. Dennis Hastert resigned as the Representative from Illinois' 14th congressional district. Foster announced his candidacy to fill the vacancy on May 30, 2007.[5]

Foster's positions in the following 14th congressional district election included ending involvement in the War in Iraq, increasing the amount of money used to fund alternative energy research, and enforcing existing immigration laws while allowing for immigration reform to take place. He also supports universal health care. Fiscally, Foster publicly stated that he would align himself with other Blue Dog Democrats in Congress. The Blue Dog Coalition focuses on fiscal responsibility and reducing the national debt.[6]

In the Democratic primary to fill the seat held on Super Tuesday (February 5, 2008), Foster defeated John Laesch for the Democratic nomination by a margin of 323 votes. After a short campaign season marked by aggressive (and often negative) campaigning,[7] on March 8, Foster won the seat, defeating Republican Jim Oberweis in the general election with 53 percent of the vote.[8]

Although it was initially thought that Foster would not be sworn in until April due to the need to count absentee ballots before the election would be certified, he took the oath of office on March 11.[9] On his first day in office, he cast the deciding vote to keep from tabling an ethics bill that would create an independent outside panel to investigate ethics complaints against House members.[10][11]

[edit] Committees and subcommittees

[edit] References

  1. ^ 4C.01 The Fermilab Permanent Magnet Antiproton Recycler Ring G. William Foster (Fermilab), The 1997 Particle Accelerator Conference Meeting Program Vancouver BC, Canada, May 12–16, 1997
  2. ^ Spotts, Peter N.. "Physicists hope to win support for new subatomic smasher", Christian Science Monitor, 2004-05-01. Retrieved on 2008-03-11. 
  3. ^ American Astronomical Society - High Energy Astrophysics Division (1989). HEAD AAS Rossi Prize Winners. Retrieved on 2008-03-11.
  4. ^ Electronic Theatre Controls (2008). Lighting Solutions from ETC. Retrieved on 2008-03-11.
  5. ^ "Geneva man seeks position in Congress", Courier News (Elgin, IL), 2007-05-31. Retrieved on 2008-03-11. 
  6. ^ Foster, Bill (2008). Foster on the Issues. Retrieved on 2008-03-12.
  7. ^ Kimberly, James. "Race to replace Hastert is in national spotlight - But November brings a rematch", Chicago Tribune, 2008-03-09. Retrieved on 2008-03-09. 
  8. ^ General election results. Chicago Tribune (2008-03-08).
  9. ^ Hague, Leslie. "Foster sworn into Congress", Daily Herald, 2008-03-11. Retrieved on 2008-03-12. 
  10. ^ "FINAL VOTE RESULTS FOR ROLL CALL 121", 2008-03-11. 
  11. ^ Jim Tankersley. "First day, swing vote for new Rep. Bill Foster", Baltimore Sun. 

[edit] External links

Preceded by
Dennis Hastert		 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Illinois's 14th congressional district
March 11, 2008 – present		 Incumbent
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