Barry Goldwater, Jr.

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Barry Morris Goldwater, Jr. (born July 15, 1938) was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from California, 1969-1983. He was the son of Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater, the Republican nominee who ran against Lyndon B. Johnson for President of the United States during the 1964 Presidential election.

It was April of 1969 that Goldwater ran his first race for Congress representing northern Los Angeles County. He won that race for the 91st Congress and was reelected for six consecutive terms. During his time in Washington Goldwater served on several committees such as the Committee on Public Works and Transportation, the Joint Committee on Energy, the Committee on Science and Technology, and also served on the Special Committee that reviewed the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster.

During his tenure Goldwater drafted powerful legislation that addressed issues that are still topics of debate today. The Privacy Act of 1974 that prevents the distribution of private information from government and businesses is one of his most widely known laws.

In 1980 Goldwater campaigned for family friend, Governor of California Ronald Reagan who won his election against Jimmy Carter. Ironically Goldwater would later publicly debate Reagan's son Ron Reagan who did not support Goldwater friend and then California Republican gubernatorial candidate Arnold Schwarzenegger. Schwarzenegger went on to win the 2003 recall election replacing Gray Davis as Governor of California.

Goldwater ran for the Republican nomination to the United States Senate in 1982. Goldwater lost that race to Pete Wilson from what Goldwater labeled "partisan mud slinging" which tried to link his name to a congressional drug use scandal that Goldwater was found not to be involved in. Goldwater during that time did seek help from a treatment center in Wickenburg, Arizona for an admitted drinking problem which he overcame. Congressman Barry Goldwater Jr. continued his political career in the House of Representatives until he retired from the U.S. Congress and retreated from the spotlight of the national media in 1983.

After retiring from politics Goldwater moved to Los Angeles and pursued a career in the financial sector specializing in security law and underwriting. Goldwater's clients were major US banks and insurance companies. Goldwater became a member of the New York Stock exchange and a partner in what is now Wedbush Morgan Securities formerly Noble Cook,Inc.

Goldwater currently lives in Phoenix, Arizona where he resides with his second wife Sylvia Goldwater and near his son Barry M. Goldwater III.

Barry Goldwater Jr. has won several awards including the Achievement Award from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences and an award from the President’s Commission on Employment of the Handicapped. He has served on the board of the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence Program. He is also currently serving on the Board of Directors of the Goldwater Institute. The Goldwater Institute is a non profit political think tank which studies and publishes findings on public policies that align with the conservative values promoted by Goldwater’s father. Goldwater supported legislation and policies generally embrace economic independence, individual rights, and a restriction of governmental powers.

Goldwater maintains many political contacts with Republican and Democratic leaders as well as celebrity activists and continues to champion the conservative political ideology the Goldwater name now represents.