Billy Tauzin III

Who is Billy Tauzin III?

Wilbert Joseph "Billy" Tauzin III was born December 1, 1973 in Thibodaux, Louisiana, the son of Congressman Billy Tauzin and Gayle Clement Tauzin, currently married to Ikram S. Tauzin. After graduating from Bishop O'Connell High School in Arlington, VA, as a National Honor Society Student and 3 sport lettermen, Tauzin accepted an appointment to the United States Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut.

After resigning from the Coast Guard Academy his junior year, Tauzin finished his bachelor's degree in marketing at Louisiana State University in 1996. He worked for Bell Atlantic Wireless in Virginia and later BellSouth in Metairie, Louisiana.

In a decision that provoked internal dissension in the Louisiana Republican Party, the 30-year-old Tauzin was endorsed by the Republican Party executive committee as its candidate to fill the open seat caused by his father's 2004 retirement from the United States House of Representatives due to his battle with intestinal cancer.

Tauzin bested a crowded field in the primary and faced Democratic challenger Charlie Melancon, a long-time lobbyist for the sugar cane industry, in the runoff. The hotly contested race ended with both candidates receiving 50% but Melancon edging Tauzin by over 500 votes out of over 100,000 votes cast.