Joe Deshotel is a former Texas state representative who served Texas House District 22 from 1999 to 2023. Born Joseph Dwain Deshotel on December 3, 1951, in Beaumont, Texas, he is an attorney, businessman, and lifelong resident of the city. He is married to Claudia Darjean and served as a Technical Sergeant in the United States Air Force Reserves. Notable achievements include organizing Lamar University's first NAACP chapter, helping rename a road to Martin Luther King, Jr. Parkway, serving on the Beaumont City Council, and appointments to the Job Training Coordinating Council and Lamar University Board of Regents by Governor Mark White. He also held key committee roles, such as chair of the House Economic Development Committee and House Business and Industry Committee , and received the Rising Star Award from the Legislative Study Group.

Education

Deshotel graduated from Monsignor Kelly Catholic High School in Beaumont. He earned a BS in Political Science from Lamar University in 1974 and a Juris Doctor from Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University in 1978.

Political Experience

Deshotel began his public service on the Beaumont City Council and as vice president for administration and legal counsel at Lamar University-Beaumont. First elected unopposed to the Texas House in 1998 , he served through the 87th Legislature . Key roles included the House Appropriations Committee , vice chair of Local & Consent Calendars, chairman of budget oversight for the House Elections Committee, and committees on Economic Development, Transportation, and Redistricting .