Robert E. Bauman (born April 4, 1937) is an American lawyer and politician. He is a former member of the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from

Maryland's 1st congressional district Maryland's 1st congressional district encompasses the entire Eastern Shore of Maryland, including Salisbury, Maryland, Salisbury, as well as Harford County, Maryland, Harford County and parts of Baltimore County, Maryland, Baltimore County; it i ...

(1973–1981). Bauman was a prominent

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

advocate in the House before being arrested for soliciting sex from a 16 year old boy. Following his departure from Congress, Bauman served as legal counsel for The Sovereign Society, and authored a series of financial books.

Early life and career

Robert Edmund Bauman was born in

Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania Bryn Mawr (, from Welsh language, Welsh for 'big hill') is a census-designated place (CDP) located in Pennsylvania, United States. It is located just west of Philadelphia along Lancaster Avenue, also known as U.S. Route 30 in Pennsylvania, U.S. ...

, to an unwed single mother. When a teenager, Bauman moved to

Easton, Maryland Easton is an incorporated town in and the county seat of Talbot County, Maryland, United States. The population was 17,101 at the 2020 census, with an estimated population of 17,342 in 2022. The primary ZIP Code is 21601, and the secondary ...

, where he attended

Easton High School Easton High School (EHS) is a four-year comprehensive public high school in Easton, Talbot County, Maryland, United States. It is one of two public high schools in Talbot County along with St. Michaels Middle/High School. Overview The school ...

until 1953. In 1955, he graduated from the Capitol Page School at the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

He obtained a B.S. in international affairs from the School of Foreign Service at

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...

in 1959, and a J.D. degree from

Georgetown University Law Center Georgetown University Law Center is the Law school in the United States, law school of Georgetown University, a Private university, private research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It was established in 1870 and is the largest law ...

in 1964. He was admitted to the Maryland

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in 1964, was later admitted to the District of Columbia bar, and entered into private practice as a lawyer. Representative Bauman, politically known as "Bob Bauman", served as a delegate to the

Republican National Convention The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the Republican Party in the United States. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal o ...

s of 1964, 1972, 1976 and 1980. He was also a member of the Federal Hospital Council of the

United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is a cabinet-level executive branch department of the US federal government created to protect the health of the US people and providing essential human services. Its motto is ...

from 1970 to 1973. In 1970, he was elected to the

Maryland Senate The Maryland Senate, sometimes referred to as the Maryland State Senate, is the upper house of the General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland. Composed of 47 senators elected from an equal number of constituent single ...

, where he served as a member from 1971 to 1973. A

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

, he was married to Carol Dawson, a co-founder of

Young Americans for Freedom Young Americans for Freedom (YAF) is a conservative youth educational activism organization that was founded in 1960 as a coalition between traditional conservatives and libertarians on American college campuses. It is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit ...

, with whom he had four children.

United States Congress

Bauman was elected to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

as a Republican in an August 1973 special election. He replaced William O. Mills, who had died by

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

the previous May.

Political positions

In Congress, Bauman established a reputation as a staunch

, often criticizing the state of morality in the United States. He was a founding member of several conservative activist groups, including the

(YAF) and the

American Conservative Union The American Conservative Union (ACU) is an American political organization that advocates for Conservatism in the United States, conservative policies, ranks politicians based on their level of conservatism, and organizes the Conservative Poli ...

(ACU), and he served both as national chairman. Bauman was also known for his exceptional knowledge of

parliamentary procedure Parliamentary procedures are the accepted Procedural law, rules, ethics, and Norm (sociology), customs governing meetings of an deliberative assembly, assembly or organization. Their object is to allow orderly deliberation upon questions of inte ...

and was considered a rising star in the Republican Party in the late 1970s.

Scandal

On October 3, 1980, while he was running for re-election, Bauman was charged for soliciting sex from a 16-year-old male

prostitute Prostitution is a type of sex work that involves engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-pe ...

. After the charges were made public, Bauman said he was suffering from

alcoholism Alcoholism is the continued drinking of alcohol despite it causing problems. Some definitions require evidence of dependence and withdrawal. Problematic use of alcohol has been mentioned in the earliest historical records. The World He ...

and entered himself into a court-supervised rehabilitation program, which, upon successful completion, resulted in the charges being dropped. Bauman stated he would continue his re-election campaign, and apologized to voters for his indiscretions. Bauman was defeated by Democrat

Roy Dyson Royden Patrick Dyson (born November 15, 1948), is a former Democratic politician from Maryland. Dyson served in the United States House of Representatives from 1980 to 1991 and as a Maryland state senator from 1995 to 2015. Background Dyson ...

on November 4, 1980. Dyson was not considered a serious contender for the seat before the charges were filed against Bauman. In 1982, Bauman again ran for the nomination for the House seat he had lost, but withdrew from the race before primary election day.

Post-congressional activities

Bauman was co-founder and legal counsel for the Sovereign Society, a group dedicated to promoting

offshore banking An offshore bank is a bank that is operated and regulated under international banking license (often called offshore license), which usually prohibits the bank from establishing any business activities in the jurisdiction of establishment. Due to ...

and investment, that funneled clients to the Panamanian law firm

Mossack Fonseca Mossack Fonseca & Co. () was a Panamanian law firm and corporate service provider.he Sovereign Societyphilosophy is not promoted by tax evasion but tax avoidance," Bauman said in an interview. "We serve as a conduit for people who want certain things offshore." Bauman is the author of numerous books on offshore and tax haven issues. He also wrote an autobiography, ''The Gentleman from Maryland: The Conscience of a Gay Conservative,'' which was published in 1986.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bauman, Robert 1937 births Walsh School of Foreign Service alumni American gay politicians Georgetown University Law Center alumni LGBTQ members of the United States Congress LGBTQ people from Pennsylvania LGBTQ Roman Catholics LGBTQ state legislators in Maryland Living people Republican Party Maryland state senators People from Easton, Maryland People from Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Maryland LGBTQ conservatism in the United States Catholic politicians from Maryland 20th-century American LGBTQ people 20th-century members of the Maryland General Assembly Maryland lawyers 21st-century American LGBTQ people 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives