Charles Bass
Charles Foster Bass (born January 8, 1952) is an American politician and member of the Republican Party who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives for New Hampshire's 2nd congressional district from 1995 to 2007 and 2011 to 2013.[1] He is the son of Perkins Bass, who also represented the same New Hampshire district from 1955 to 1963.
For the medical doctor and researcher, see Charles C. Bass.
Charles Bass
Early life, education, and early political career[edit]
Bass was born in Boston to Katharine and Perkins Bass.[2] His father served as a Republican U.S. Congressman from New Hampshire in the 1950s and 1960s. Bass's grandfather Robert Bass served as Republican governor of New Hampshire from 1911 to 1912, founded the Progressive Republican movement, and was a friend/confidant of President Teddy Roosevelt.
Charles Bass attended the Holderness School in Holderness, New Hampshire, where he was elected President of the school in his senior year. Bass graduated from Dartmouth College in 1974.
During 1974 Bass worked for Maine Republican U.S. Congressman William Cohen. From 1975 to 1979 Bass worked for Maine Republican U.S. Congressman David F. Emery. Bass served in the New Hampshire General Court from 1982 to 1988.
New Hampshire Senate[edit]
In 1988, he ran for the New Hampshire Senate and defeated incumbent Jean White in the Republican primary.[3] He served there until 1992. While in the State Senate, he represented Peterborough.[4] He was a supporter of tort reform and some abortion rights.[5]
Inter-congressional career (2007–2009)[edit]
Bass is a business consultant to renewable energy companies. He has been on the Board of Managers of New England Wood Pellet, a producer of clean burning wood pellets, located in Jaffrey, New Hampshire, since January 2007.
In March 2006, the company publicly credited Bass with setting up a February 2006 meeting in New Hampshire between its president, Steven Walker, and Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman. In March 2007, Bass reported on his financial disclosure statement that he had bought shares in the company in January and November 2006. But in October 2010 he said that his initial purchase had been in January 2007, after he left office.[35]
In 2009, Bass joined the board of directors of Laidlaw Biopower, LLC,[36] a developer of biomass power plants in the northeastern United States.[37]
Post-congressional career (2013–present)[edit]
Bass considered challenging Democratic incumbent Jeanne Shaheen in the 2014 Senate election[38] but decided against it.[39] For the 2016 presidential election, he endorsed his friend and former colleague, Ohio governor John Kasich for the Republican nomination.
Bass is a member of the ReFormers Caucus of Issue One.[40]
Personal life[edit]
Bass currently resides in Peterborough, New Hampshire.