Lou Frey, Jr.
Institute Founder

Lou Frey, Jr.

Biographical Information

Lou Frey, Jr., now an attorney living in Central Florida, served in the United States Congress from 1969 to 1979. He was elected one of five Republican leaders in the House of Representatives during the 93rd and 94th Congress. He was only the fourth Republican to be elected to the House since Reconstruction. During his congressional terms, he served on the Interstate and Foreign Commerce Committee, the Science and Technology Committee, and the Select Committee on Narcotics Abuse and Control. Frey sponsored legislation to balance the budget, to fight the financial burdens of catastrophic illness, to protect our oceans from pollution, to deregulate the communications industry, to punish drug pushers, to provide tuition tax credits for higher education and to establish safety standards for mobile homes. He received the Watch Dog of the Treasury Award in each of his terms for voting to hold the line against inflation and to curb excess government spending. He also received the Guardian of Small Business Award each term. He was elected to the Senior Citizens Hall of Fame.

After retiring undefeated from the Congress, Lou Frey was a statewide candidate in Florida for Governor and Senator. During his notable legal career, he has been admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of Florida, the District Court of the Middle District of Florida, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court.

Frey is past president of The United States Association of Former Members of Congress and currently serves as a member of its Executive Committee. With more than 600 members, the Former Members have developed a number of domestic and international programs to promote the understanding of the United States Congress as an institution and representative democracy as a system of government. The Former Members teach in many colleges under the Congress to Campus program and share their experiences in many countries overseas. Recently, Congressman Frey led a delegation to China, Vietnam, England and Cuba twice, filing the reports of the trips with the United States Congress, the U.S. State Department and the White House.

Lou Frey is a partner with the law firm of Lowndes, Drosdick, Doster, Kantor & Reed in Orlando, Florida. He has served as President of The Center for Independent Technology and Education, Chairman of the Advisory Committee for the National Center for Simulation, and as President and Executive Committee Member of the Florida Council on Economic Education. Lou Frey conducts a weekly statewide radio program called "The Florida Round Table", is on public radio and television weekly, writes a column for numerous newspapers in the state, and teaches in many high schools and colleges. He is co-author and editor of a new book on the House of Representatives called "Inside the House: Former Members Reveal How Congress Really Works." He is the founder of the Lou Frey Institute of Politics and Government at the University of Central Florida. Lou Frey was named by Governor Bush to serve on The Florida Energy 20/20 Commission. As Co-Chairman of Change4Kids, he helped pass a referendum that will raise over $2 billion for school construction and rehabilitation in Central Florida.

Lou Frey served on active duty in the United States Navy and retired as a Captain in the USNR. He is married to the former Marcia Turner and has five children and six grandchildren.

Public Service Background

Lou Frey began his public service from 1961 to 1963 as Assistant County Solicitor in Orange County, Florida. In 1964 he became Chairman of the Orange County Young Republicans and Chairman of the Youth for Goldwater. In 1965 Lou Frey was elected Chairman of the State Young Republicans and started the first Teenage Republican Clubs in Florida. He used the State Young Republicans organization to take over the State Republican Party in 1966, and became its Treasurer. This was the first time in Florida that the Republicans had party leadership dedicated to electing Republicans throughout the State. In 1966, he was one of the leaders of the campaign that elected Claude Kirk as the First Republican Governor in close to one hundred years. He was General Counsel of the Florida Turnpike Authority in 1966 and 1967.

Lou Frey was urged to run for Congress in 1967 even though he was relatively unknown in a 3 to 1 Democrat district, and had never held an elective office. Over a period of 13 months, his campaign took him to 30,000 doors in the Congressional district. With little money, but with the help and support of many of these people, Lou Frey won a seat in the United States Congress by over 60% of the vote. As a result of his dedication and hard work, he was elected to five consecutive terms. In his last term, he won by nearly 80% of the vote. He retired undefeated from the Congress in 1979. He was a candidate for the U.S. Senate and Governor in Florida.

During his ten years in Congress, Lou Frey became recognized nationwide as an outstanding Legislator. He served on the Interstate and Foreign Commerce Committee, the Science and Technology Committee, and the Committee on Narcotics Abuse and Control. He was the first Chairman of the Republican Task Force on Drug Abuse. He authored, with George Bush and Bill Brock, the report on Youth of America which became the basis for the 18-year-old vote and the college loan program. Lou Frey was named by Time magazine as one of the 200 "Rising Leaders in the U.S." Life magazine named him as a "Hope for Congress". He was elected to the Senior Citizens Hall of Fame.

Lou Frey's legislative efforts touched the lives his district and the country:

• Sponsored the Balance Budget Resolution
• Introduced and helped to pass legislation prohibiting dumping toxic wastes in the oceans
• Managed the Space Shuttle Program on the floor of Congress
• Authored the Drug Pusher Elimination Act
• Introduced legislation aimed at helping families suffering catastrophic illnesses
• Introduced and helped to pass legislation which set safety standards for mobile homes
• Sponsored a bill to allow tuition tax credits for higher education.
• Co-sponsored major legislation on Cancer Research
• Helped pass The Clean Water and Clean Air Act
• Wrote and helped pass the Federal Noxious Weed Act

Specifically to Florida:

• Helped to keep the Naval Training Device Center in Orlando rather than having it moved to Pensacola
• Helped to transfer the McCoy Air Force Base to the City of Orlando along with initial funding for the International Jet Port
• Together with Congressman Don Fuqua and Senator Ed Gurney, fought effectively to make Cape Canaveral the home base of the Space Shuttle and to keep Patrick Air Force Base open
• Helped to create Spessard Holland Sea Shore Park
• Started a senior citizen transportation system in Orlando
• Had the most appointments to the miltary academies of any Congressman in the country in the late 1970's
• Obtained a new Federal Courthouse in Orlando
• Established the high school intern program
• Obtained one of the first VA clinics in the Nation for the district

Lou Frey continues to teach in high schools and colleges on a voluntary basis and makes many speeches to civic clubs. He has edited and co-authored a book on Congress called "Inside the House: Former Members Reveal How Congress Really Works." Frey has continued to be involved in the political world including being the State Chairman for President Ford, Co-Chairman of the Former Members for Ronald Reagan, National Finance Committee member for George Bush, Co-Chairman of the Dole Campaign and National Finance Committee member of the George W. Bush Campaign. Frey has been a delegate or alternate delegate to most Republican Conventions since 1968. Frey is the Founder of the Lou Frey Institute on Politics and Government at the University of Central Florida.

You might say that he has always been a participant, never a spectator. Above all, he is someone who cares about his community, his state, and his country.