Bob Eckhardt

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. He was also a lawyer specializing in labor law. Born on July 16, 1913, in Austin, Texas, Eckhardt had a political lineage, being the grand-nephew of Democratic Congressman Rudolph Kleberg, nephew of Republican Congressman Harry Wurzbach, and a cousin of Richard Mifflin Kleberg, Sr. He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 1935 and obtained his law degree from the University of Texas Law School in 1939. Eckhardt served in the United States Army from 1942 to 1944. Prior to his congressional career, he was a member of the Texas House of Representatives from 1958 to 1966, where he garnered a reputation for his liberal voting record.