• Office Sought: Representative, Texas (2)
• Birth Date: Sept. 9, 1948
• Occupation: Former state district judge
• Religion: Church of Christ
• Web site: http://www.tedpoe.com

Education

• Abilene Christian University, BA
• University of Houston Law Center, JD

Ted Poe, a state district judge for more than 22 years, stepped down from the bench late in 2003. Poe, who was initially appointed by Gov. Bill Clements in 1981, never shied away from controversy.

In his resignation letter to Texas Gov. Rick Perry, Poe hinted at his run for Congress.

"I look forward to exploring other ways to be an advocate for our state," he wrote. "I will continue to serve my state and my constituency with the zeal and determination I have displayed on the bench."

Poe is well known for his unconventional sentences and gained national attention for his decision to allow a PBS documentary crew to film jury deliberations in a capital murder case.

Texas' highest criminal court, however, barred the videotaping by the PBS series "Frontline," saying the presence of a camera in the deliberation room would violate the "ancient and centuries-old rule that jury deliberations should be private and confidential."

As a judge Poe also has handed out some unusual sentences, like requiring a probationer to shovel out the Houston police stables or forcing convicts to carry signs outside the courthouse proclaiming their crimes.

Poe was hired by the Harris County District Attorney's office fresh out of law school. He didn't lose a case in eight years, then asked the district attorney to recommend him as a judge. He was appointed, then elected to the bench six times.

Among his prosecutions was Allen Wayne Janecka and Markham Duff-Smith, both convicted as part of a murder-for-inheritance plot that wiped out four members of a wealthy Houston family. Both men have since been executed.

Poe received his undergraduate degree in political science from Abilene Christian University and his law degree from the University of Houston.

He was elected to the U.S. House in 2004.

Poe's hobbies include photography and the study of Texas history.

He lives in Humble, Texas with his wife, Carol. The couple has four children.