Chuck Quackenbush
American politician
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Charles Quackenbush (born April 20, 1954) is an American former politician and Florida law enforcement officer. A Republican, he served as Insurance Commissioner of California from 1995 to 2000 and as a California State Assemblyman representing the 22nd District, from 1986 to 1994.
Gray Davis
Charles Quackenbush | |
|---|---|
| |
| 2nd California Insurance Commissioner | |
| In office January 2, 1995 – July 10, 2000 | |
| Governor | Pete Wilson Gray Davis |
| Preceded by | John Garamendi |
| Succeeded by | J. Clark Kelso |
| Member of the California State Assembly from the 24th district | |
| In office December 7, 1992 – November 30, 1994 | |
| Preceded by | Dominic L. Cortese |
| Succeeded by | Jim Cunneen |
| Member of the California State Assembly from the 22nd district | |
| In office December 1, 1986 – November 30, 1992 | |
| Preceded by | Ernest L. Konnyu |
| Succeeded by | John Vasconcellos |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Charles Quackenbush April 20, 1954 Tacoma, Washington, U.S. |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse | Chris Quackenbush |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | University of Notre Dame |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Army |
Years of service | 1976–1982 |
| Rank | Captain |
Background and political career
Quackenbush was born on April 20, 1954, in Tacoma, Washington.[1] As a child, he grew up in a military family and after graduating University of Notre Dame on a full ROTC scholarship, he joined the United States Army and rose to the rank of Captain as a helicopter pilot. In 1982, he left the military to join the family business in Silicon Valley. He was elected as a Republican to the California Assembly in 1986.
In 1994 he was elected insurance commissioner, effectively applying considerable campaign contributions from various insurance companies.[2][3] He won re-election in 1998.
Resignation
In early 2000, Cindy Ossias, then a senior lawyer for the California Department of Insurance (CDI), charged the Department with corruption.
After the 1994 Northridge earthquake, it was alleged that Quackenbush allowed insurance companies to compensate their clients much less than the actual damages. In exchange, the insurance companies set up special "educational funds". Those funds were used to create television commercials in which Quackenbush appeared as a basketball referee with Shaquille O'Neal in a Los Angeles Lakers uniform.[4] While couched as public service announcements, suspicions rose that main idea behind the commercials was to increase Quackenbush's name identification, which is critical for electoral success in California statewide races. In addition to the educational funds, those same insurance companies contributed to his wife's unsuccessful 1998 assembly campaign, as well as his children's football camps.[5]
On June 28, 2000, Quackenbush announced his resignation (to become effective on July 10).[citation needed]
In February 2002, an 18-month investigation conducted by federal, state and Sacramento County prosecutors ended with prosecutors declining to press charges against Quackenbush, as they felt the evidence was not strong enough.[6][7]
Life after insurance commissioner
After resigning as California's insurance commissioner, Quackenbush moved to Hawaii, where he was "doing political and military intelligence consulting". Quackenbush then moved to Florida and in 2005 became a sheriff's deputy in Lee County, Florida.[8][9]
In 2007 he was suspended for accepting free food.[10] While working as a sheriff's deputy in February 2008, Quackenbush shot and critically wounded a suspect who was reported as resisting arrest. He was placed on paid leave during the investigation of the shooting, a standard practice for the agency.[11][10]
In September 2016, he resigned after making several Facebook postings that were described as "extremely racist." At the time of this resignation, he also served as the vice-chair of the Lee County Republican Executive Committee.[10]