  wilbert joseph "billy" tauzin ii (; born june 14, 1943) is an american lobbyist and politician. he was president and ceo of phrma, a pharmaceutical company lobby group. he was also a member of the united states house of representatives from 1980 to 2005, representing louisiana's 3rd congressional district. ==personal life== of cajun descent, he is a lifelong resident of chackbay, a small town just outside thibodaux, tauzin graduated from nicholls state university in 1964 with a bachelor of arts degree and earned a law degree from louisiana state university in 1967. while attending law school, he served as a legislative aide in the louisiana state senate. he is married to cecile tauzin and has five children by a previous marriage. ==political career== tauzin began his elective career in 1972, when he was elected to the louisiana house of representatives and served four full terms as a democrat. in his first term, he served alongside fellow democrats dick guidry and leonard j. chabert. in 1979, david c. treen, u.s. representative from louisiana's 3rd congressional district, the first republican congressman from louisiana since reconstruction, was elected as the state's first republican governor in more than a century. treen resigned his house seat on march 10, 1980. tauzin won a special election for the seat on may 17 and was sworn into office on may 22, just five months after winning a fifth term in the state house. he won the congressional race by seven points. tauzin defeated democratic state senator anthony guarisco, jr., of morgan city and another democrat-turned-republican: jim donelon of jefferson parish. tauzin then won a full term in november 19
1943_births American_Roman_Catholics American_lobbyists American_people_of_French_descent Cajun_people Democratic_Party_members_of_the_United_States_House_of_Representatives Living_people Louisiana_Democrats Louisiana_Republicans Louisiana_State_Senators Louisiana_State_University_Law_Center_alumni Louisiana_gubernatorial_candidates Members_of_the_Louisiana_House_of_Representatives Members_of_the_United_States_House_of_Representatives_from_Louisiana Nicholls_State_University_alumni Nonprofit_executives People_from_Lafourche_Parish,_Louisiana Republican_Party_members_of_the_United_States_House_of_Representatives