Representative Michael Allen Andrews

Michael Allen Andrews (born February 7, 1944) is an American attorney and politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Texas. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected to the 98th United States Congress and the five succeeding Congresses, serving six consecutive terms from January 3, 1983, until January 3, 1995. During this period, he contributed to the legislative process in the House of Representatives and participated in the democratic governance of the United States while representing the interests of his Texas constituents.

Andrews was born in Houston, Texas, and spent his formative years in the state. He graduated from Arlington Heights High School in Fort Worth, Texas, in 1962. Pursuing higher education in his home state, he attended the University of Texas at Austin, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1967. He then studied law at Southern Methodist University’s Dedman School of Law in Dallas, receiving his Juris Doctor in 1970, laying the foundation for a professional career in law and public service.

Following his admission to the Texas bar in 1971, Andrews began practicing law and embarked on a series of legal roles that introduced him to both federal and local judicial systems. From 1971 to 1972, he served as a law clerk for a United States district court judge for the Southern District of Texas, gaining experience in federal trial practice and procedure. He then became an assistant district attorney for Harris County, Texas, serving from 1972 to 1976, where he prosecuted criminal cases and developed a reputation within the Houston legal community. After leaving the district attorney’s office, he returned to private practice, working as an attorney from 1976 until his election to Congress in 1983.

Andrews’s first bid for federal office came in 1980, when he ran as the Democratic candidate in Texas’s 22nd congressional district. In that race he narrowly lost to the Republican incumbent, Ron Paul, in a contest that highlighted the shifting political landscape of suburban Houston. Two years later, following redistricting, Andrews sought election in the newly created 25th congressional district, which had been drawn largely from the more Democratic-leaning portions of the old 22nd district. In the 1982 election he won the seat decisively, securing a place in the 98th Congress and beginning a twelve-year tenure in the House of Representatives.

During his six terms in Congress, from 1983 to 1995, Michael Allen Andrews served at a time of significant national and international developments, including the final decade of the Cold War, its conclusion, and the early post–Cold War era. As a Democratic member of the House of Representatives from Texas, he took part in debates and votes on major domestic and foreign policy issues, contributing to the legislative process over multiple sessions of Congress. He was reelected five times, reflecting consistent support from his constituents; in both 1986 and 1990 he ran unopposed, underscoring his political strength in the district. His service in Congress encompassed work on legislation affecting his district and the broader national interest, and he remained an active participant in the institutional life of the House throughout his tenure.

In 1994, Andrews chose not to seek renomination to the House of Representatives. Instead, he sought higher office by running for the Democratic nomination in the 1994 United States Senate election from Texas. By declining to run for another House term, he concluded his twelve-year career in the House at the end of the 103rd Congress on January 3, 1995. His decision marked a transition from elected office back to the practice of law and policy work in the private sector.

After leaving Congress, Andrews resumed his legal career and became associated with one of the nation’s prominent law firms. He has served as senior counsel in the Washington, D.C., office of King & Spalding, where his work has drawn on his experience in federal lawmaking, public policy, and regulatory matters. In this capacity, he has remained engaged with national issues from a legal and advisory perspective, continuing a professional life that has combined law, public service, and policy advocacy.