Changes

==Political life==

==Political life==

In 1978 at the age of twenty-nine, Emmett was elected to the first of his four terms in the state House. That year [[Bill Clements]] was elected as the first Republican [[governor]] of Texas since [[Reconstruction]], having narrowly defeated the [[Democratic Party|Democrat]] John Luke Hill (1923-2007), a former state attorney general and justice of the Texas Supreme Court. By the time Emmett left the House, Clements returned for his second non-consecutive term as governor when he waged a successful comeback against the man who had defeated him in 1982, then Attorney General [[Mark White]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lrl.state.tx.us/legeLeaders/members/memberDisplay.cfm?memberID=437&searchparams=chamber=H~city=~countyID=0~RcountyID=~district=127~first=~gender=~last=Emmett~leaderNote=~leg=~party=~roleDesc=~Committee=|title=Ed Emmett|publisher=Texas Legislative Reference Library|accessdate=September 3, 2020}}</ref> In 1978 at the age of twenty-nine, Emmett was elected to the first of his four terms in the state

In 1978 at the age of twenty-nine, Emmett was elected to the first of his four terms in the state House. That year [[Bill Clements]] was elected as the first Republican [[governor]] of Texas since [[Reconstruction]], having narrowly defeated the [[Democratic Party|Democrat]] John Luke Hill (1923-2007), a former state attorney general and justice of the Texas Supreme Court. By the time Emmett left the House, Clements returned for his second non-consecutive term as governor when he waged a successful comeback against the man who had defeated him in 1982, then Attorney General [[Mark White]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lrl.state.tx.us/legeLeaders/members/memberDisplay.cfm?memberID=437&searchparams=chamber=H~city=~countyID=0~RcountyID=~district=127~first=~gender=~last=Emmett~leaderNote=~leg=~party=~roleDesc=~Committee=|title=Ed Emmett|publisher=Texas Legislative Reference Library|accessdate=September 3, 2020}}</ref> In 1978 at the age of twenty-nine, Emmett was elected to the first of his four terms in the state House of Representatives.

During his state legislative tenure, Emmett chaired the House Energy Committee and sat as well on the Transportation Committee. In 1989, [[U.S. President]] [[George Herbert Walker Bush]] nominated Emmett to serve on the Interstate Commerce Commission, an appointment that he held for three years. In 1995, the remaining functions of the ICC were transferred to the Surface Transportation Board. Emmett was unanimously confirmed by the [[United States Senate]].<ref name=judgeemmett>{{cite web|url=http://www.judgeemmett.org/biography.asp|title=Ed Emmett, County Judge|publisher=judgeemmett.org|accessdate=April 1, 2014}}</ref>

During his state legislative tenure, Emmett chaired the House Energy Committee and sat as well on the Transportation Committee. In 1989, [[U.S. President]] [[George Herbert Walker Bush]] nominated Emmett to serve on the Interstate Commerce Commission, an appointment that he held for three years. In 1995, the remaining functions of the ICC were transferred to the Surface Transportation Board. Emmett was unanimously confirmed by the [[United States Senate]].<ref name=judgeemmett>{{cite web|url=http://www.judgeemmett.org/biography.asp|title=Ed Emmett, County Judge|publisher=judgeemmett.org|accessdate=April 1, 2014}}</ref>

Emmett was first appointed county judge by the commissioners court in 2007 to fill the nearly full four-year term left by the resignation of his predecessor, Robert Eckels (born 1957), also a transportation planner and a former member of the state House. In his capacity as county judge, Emmett was also the director of the Harris County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. He is the chairman of the Houston-Galveston Area Transportation Policy Council and the county Juvenile Board.<ref name=judgeemmett/>

Emmett was first appointed county judge by the commissioners court in 2007 to fill the nearly full four-year term left by the resignation of his predecessor, Robert Eckels (born 1957), also a transportation planner and a former member of the state House. In his capacity as county judge, Emmett was also the director of the Harris County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. He is the chairman of the Houston-Galveston Area Transportation Policy Council and the county Juvenile Board.<ref name=judgeemmett/>

In 2008, Emmett defeated fellow Republican Charles Bacarisse, the former Harris County district clerk, in the primary election to complete the last two years of the term that Eckels vacated.<ref name=houstonpolitics>{{cite web|url=http://blog.chron.com/houstonpolitics/2014/02/bettencourt-says-he-predicted-emmetts-whopper-donation/|title=Kiah Collier, UPDATED: Paul Bettencourt says he predicted Emmett's whopper donation, February 26, 2014|publisher=''Houston Chronicle''|accessdate=April 1, 2014}}</ref> He went on to defeat Democrat David Mincberg in the 2008 general election and won a full term in 2010 by defeating former Houston City Council member Gordon Quan. Emmett ran again in the [[general election]] held on November 4, 2014, when he defeated another Democrat, Ahmed Robert Hassan, a real estate and mortgage broker.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/pasadena/news/primary-elections-who-s-in-the-running/article_5ab4ed77-a05a-5a8e-8b2e-f2626625b071.html|author=Kristi Nix|title=Harris County primary elections, who's in the running?|date=January 13, 2014|publisher=yourhoustonnews.com|accessdate=April 1, 2014}}</ref>

In 2008, Emmett defeated fellow Republican Charles Bacarisse, the former Harris County district clerk, in the primary election to complete the last two years of the term that Eckels vacated.<ref name=houstonpolitics>{{cite web|url=http://blog.chron.com/houstonpolitics/2014/02/bettencourt-says-he-predicted-emmetts-whopper-donation/|author=Kiah Collier|title=Updated: Paul Bettencourt says he predicted Emmett's whopper donation, February 26, 2014|publisher=''Houston Chronicle''|accessdate=April 1, 2014}}</ref> He went on to defeat Democrat David Mincberg in the 2008 general election and won a full term in 2010 by defeating former Houston City Council member Gordon Quan. Emmett ran again in the [[general election]] held on November 4, 2014, when he defeated another Democrat, Ahmed Robert Hassan, a real estate and mortgage broker.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/pasadena/news/primary-elections-who-s-in-the-running/article_5ab4ed77-a05a-5a8e-8b2e-f2626625b071.html|author=Kristi Nix|title=Harris County primary elections, who's in the running?|date=January 13, 2014|publisher=yourhoustonnews.com|accessdate=April 1, 2014}}</ref>

Early in the 2014 campaign, Emmett, who had no intra-party rival, donated $90,000 from his own campaign funds to engineer-turned-lawyer Paul Simpson, who in the primary unseated conservative Jared Woodfill, the long-term chairman of the Harris County Republican Party. Woodfill carried the backing of former chairman [[Gary Polland]], the state Senator and later Lieutenant Governor [[Dan Patrick]], and Paul Bettencourt, the former Harris County tax assessor-collector and Patrick's successor in state Senate District 7. Emmett, however, claims that Woodfill in 2012 took personal credit for the establishment of "victory centers" when the sites were the work of Emmett and the state Republican party.<ref name=houstonpolitics/> Simpson supporters claimed that Woodfill had been lackluster in campaign fundraising and had accented "social issues" as chairman, including a lawsuit against then [[Mayor]] Annise Parker, regarding benefits for same-sex couples working for the city.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/politics/houston/article/Challenger-wins-GOP-chair-race-5289730.php#/0|title=Kiah Collier, Challenger wins GOP chair race, March 4, 2014|publisher=''The Houston Chronicle''|accessdate=April 1, 2014}}</ref>

Early in the 2014 campaign, Emmett, who had no intra-party rival, donated $90,000 from his own campaign funds to engineer-turned-lawyer Paul Simpson, who in the primary unseated conservative Jared Woodfill, the long-term chairman of the Harris County Republican Party. Woodfill carried the backing of former chairman [[Gary Polland]], the state Senator and later Lieutenant Governor [[Dan Patrick]], and Paul Bettencourt, the former Harris County tax assessor-collector and Patrick's successor in state Senate District 7. Emmett, however, claims that Woodfill in 2012 took personal credit for the establishment of "victory centers" when the sites were the work of Emmett and the state Republican party.<ref name=houstonpolitics/> Simpson supporters claimed that Woodfill had been lackluster in campaign fundraising and had accented "social issues" as chairman, including a lawsuit against then [[Mayor]] Annise Parker, regarding benefits for same-sex couples working for the city.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/politics/houston/article/Challenger-wins-GOP-chair-race-5289730.php#/0|title=Kiah Collier, Challenger wins GOP chair race, March 4, 2014|publisher=''The Houston Chronicle''|accessdate=April 1, 2014}}</ref>