Mel Martínez
Mel Martínez | |
|---|---|
| United States Senator from Florida | |
| In office January 3, 2005 – September 9, 2009 | |
| Preceded by | Bob Graham |
| Succeeded by | George LeMieux |
| General Chair of the Republican National Committee | |
| In office January 19, 2007 – October 19, 2007 Served with Mike Duncan (National Chair) | |
| Preceded by | Ken Mehlman (chair) |
| Succeeded by | Mike Duncan (chair) |
| 12th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development | |
| In office January 24, 2001 – August 13, 2004 | |
| President | George W. Bush |
| Deputy | Alphonso Jackson |
| Preceded by | Andrew Cuomo |
| Succeeded by | Alphonso Jackson |
| 2nd Chair of Orange County | |
| In office November 17, 1998 – January 24, 2001 | |
| Preceded by | Linda Chapin |
| Succeeded by | Rich Crotty |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Melquíades Rafael Ruiz Martínez October 23, 1946 |
| Party | Democratic (before 1979) Republican (1979–present) |
| Spouse | Kitty Martínez |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | Orlando Junior College (AA) Florida State University (BA, JD) |
Melquíades Rafael Ruiz Martínez (born October 23, 1946) is a Cuban-American lobbyist and former politician who served as a United States senator from Florida from 2005 to 2009 and as general chairman of the Republican Party from November 2006 until October 19, 2007. Previously, Martínez served as the 12th secretary of housing and urban development from 2001 to 2004 under President George W. Bush.
Martínez resigned his United States Cabinet post on August 12, 2004, to run for the open U.S. Senate seat in Florida being vacated by retiring Democratic Senator Bob Graham. Martínez secured the Republican nomination and narrowly defeated the Democratic nominee, Betty Castor. His election made him the first Cuban-American to serve in the U.S. Senate. On December 2, 2008, Martínez announced he would not be running for re-election to the Senate in 2010.
On August 7, 2009, CNN and the Orlando Sentinel reported that Martínez would be resigning from his Senate seat. Later that month, Governor Charlie Crist announced that he would appoint George LeMieux as the successor to Martínez for the remaining year and a half of the Senate term.
Two weeks after Martínez resigned his Senate seat, The Hill reported that he would become a lobbyist and partner at international firm DLA Piper. He left DLA Piper in August 2010 to become chairman of Chase Bank Florida and its operations in Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. Martinez is currently chairman of the Southeast and Latin America for JPMorgan, Chase & Co. Martínez also serves as a co-chair of the Housing Commission at the Bipartisan Policy Center.