Bob Stump (April 4, 1927 - June 20, 2003) was a U.S. Congressman from Arizona. Stump was born in Phoenix and was a U.S. Navy World War II combat veteran, where he served on the USS Tulagi from 1943-1946. He graduated from Tolleson High School in 1947, and Arizona State University in 1951. For many years, he owned a cotton and grain farm in the Phoenix suburb of Tolleson.
He served four terms in the Arizona House of Representatives from 1959-1967, and five terms in the Arizona State Senate, from 1967 to 1976. He served as President of the Arizona State Senate from 1975 to 1976.
He was first elected to the 95th Congress on November 2, 1976, originally as a Democrat from the 3rd Congressional District. The district took in the entire northwestern part of the state, but most of its vote was cast in its share of Phoenix and its fast-growing suburbs. Despite his Democratic affiliation, he considered himself a "Pinto," or rural, Democrat and his voting record was very conservative. He voted for Ronald Reagan's tax cuts in 1981. Shortly after that vote, he announced he would become a Republican when Congress reconvened in January 1982. Regardless of his party affiliation, he never faced serious competition at the ballot box. He briefly considered running for the Senate in 1986 after Barry Goldwater decided to retire.
In his 26 years in the House, he became a noted member of the House Armed Services Committee, serving as chairman from 2001 to 2003. He was also well-known for taking good care of his constituents, frequently answering the phone himself at his Washington office.
He decided in 2002 not to run for re-election due to declining health and died June 20, 2003.
There was some controversy over the fact that he seldom traveled to Arizona from Washington. Shortly before his retirement, reports surfaced that his permanent residence was actually in a part of Phoenix outside the 3rd District.
