Jim Keffer
{{short description|American politician}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2020}}
{{BLP sources|date=June 2019}}{{Infobox officeholder
| name = James Lloyd "Jim" Keffer
| state_house = Texas
| district = 60th
| party = Republican
| term_start = January 14, 1997
| term_end = January 9, 2017
| preceded = John R. Cook
| succeeded = Mike Lang
| birth_place = San Angelo, Tom Green County
Texas, United States
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1953|1|20}}
| death_date =
| death_place =
| death_cause =
| resting_place =
| residence = Eastland, Texas
| occupation = Businessman
| spouse = Leslie Keffer
| children = 3
| alma_mater = Texas Tech University
| footnotes =
}}James Lloyd Keffer (born January 20, 1953) is a businessman from Eastland, Texas, who is a former Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 60, which includes Eastland County located east of Abilene, as well as Brown, Callahan, Coleman, Shackelford, Stephens Palo Pinto, and Hood counties.{{Cite web|url=https://house.texas.gov/members/member-page/?district=60|title=Texas House Member James L. "Jim" Keffer|last=|first=|date=|website=|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160416045043/http://www.house.state.tx.us/members/member-page/?district=60|archive-date=April 16, 2016|access-date=}}
Biography
Keffer was born in San Angelo in Tom Green County in West Texas.{{cite web|url=http://votesmart.org/candidate/biography/10028/jim-keffer#.UkRvShUo6po=|title=Representative Jim Keffer's Biography|publisher=votesmart.org|accessdate=September 26, 2013}} A lifelong Republican, Keffer is a former Eastland County GOP chairman. A graduate of Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Keffer is president of EBAA Iron Sales in Eastland. Keffer previously served{{When|date=June 2020}} as chairman of the House Ways and Means and Economic Development Committee.
Keffer was initially elected to the Texas House in 1996, when he narrowly unseated the Democratic incumbent John R. Cook, 21,922 (50.6 percent) to 21,409 (49.4 percent).{{cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Texas general election returns, November 5, 1996|url=http://elections.sos.state.tx.us/elchist.exe|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20061108172637/http://elections.sos.state.tx.us/elchist.exe|archivedate=November 8, 2006|accessdate=December 13, 2012|website=|publisher=Texas Secretary of State}}
In 2010, he co-founded the "Debt Busters Program" for the Texas Republican Party, an endeavor that brought solvency to party coffers under the administration of GOP state chairman Steve Munisteri.
A group called the Texas Conservative Roundtable's grading system dubbed him a "Lone Star Conservative Leader" in 2012 because of his pro-business voting record.{{Cite web|url=http://texasconservativeroundtable.com/2012-scorecards|title=2012 Scorecards|last=|first=|date=|website=Texas Conservative Roundtable|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120616001200/http://texasconservativeroundtable.com/2012-scorecards|archive-date=June 16, 2012|access-date=}}
Keffer was reelected without opposition to a ninth House term in the general election held on November 6, 2012.{{cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Texas general election returns, November 6, 2012|url=http://elections.sos.state.tx.us/elchist.exe|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20061108172637/http://elections.sos.state.tx.us/elchist.exe|archivedate=November 8, 2006|accessdate=December 13, 2012|website=|publisher=Texas Secretary of State}}
As of 2013, he was the chairman of the House Committee on Energy Resources and a member of the Natural Resources and Redistricting committees.
In the Republican primary on March 4, 2014, Keffer won re-nomination with 14,160 votes (56.3 percent) against his lone opponent, Cullen Crisp, who received 10,992 votes (43.7 percent).{{cite web|url=https://team1.sos.state.tx.us/enr/results/mar04_169_state.htm?x=0&y=3852&id=407|title=Republican primary election returns|last=|first=|date=|website=|publisher=Texas Secretary of State|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140307081703/https://team1.sos.state.tx.us/enr/results/mar04_169_state.htm?x=0&y=3852&id=407|archive-date=March 7, 2014|accessdate=March 6, 2014}}
Keffer's younger brother, William R. "Bill" Keffer, a Dallas lawyer who was born in Upton County in 1958, was from 2003 to 2007 a member of the Texas House from District 107 in the Lake Highlands section of northern Dallas County.{{cite web|url=http://www.lrl.state.tx.us/legeLeaders/members/memberDisplay.cfm?memberID=5569&searchparams=chamber=~city=~countyID=0~RcountyID=~district=~first=~gender=~last=Keffer~leaderNote=~leg=~party=~roleDesc=~Committee=#bio|title=Bill Keffer|publisher=lr.state.tx.us|accessdate=September 25, 2013}} Bill Keffer lost a Republican runoff election in District 114 on July 31, 2012, to Jason Villalba.
References
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{{succession box
| before=John R. Cook
| years=1997–2017
| after=Mike Lang
}}
{{S-end}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Keffer, Jim}}
Category:Republican Party members of the Texas House of Representatives
Category:People from San Angelo, Texas
Category:People from Eastland, Texas
Category:Texas Tech University alumni