Hon. Martin Frost

The Honorable Martin Frost served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1979-2005.

With 26 years of legislative experience, he is regarded as a preeminent political analyst among his peers. He held numerous leadership positions in his party and is also considered to be one of its top strategists, an innovative lawmaker who is able to craft bipartisan legislation, and a strong fundraiser for fellow Democrats. He is also the co-author, with Congressman Tom Davis (V-RA) of The PARTISAN DIVIDE: Congress in Crisis, which looks at how to solve the gridlock in Washington. In his presentations, Martin Frost addresses our current political climate, what to expect from Congress after the election, and what it takes to achieve bi-partisan cooperation.n, and what it takes to achieve bi-partisan cooperation.

Early in his political career, Frost served six years on the House Budget Committee and was chairman of the Health Task Force from 1985–1988. During the 1996 and 1998 elections, Frost was the chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, a position he utilized to help his party gain 14 seats in the House. In 1999, he earned the distinguished role of chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, the party’s third-highest leadership role. During his last term, Frost held noteworthy positions as the ranking member of the House Rules Committee and highest ranking Southerner in the House Democratic Leadership. He was also the senior southern democrat in the House and the dean of the Texas congressional delegation.

Frost earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism and history from the University of Missouri-Columbia. Following his graduation from Georgetown Law School, he practiced in Dallas until his election in 1978. In 2005, Frost was a fellow at the Institute of Politics at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard, and in 2006, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars named him a public policy scholar.