Known as Bud by his classmates, he earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1969 and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Alabama School of Law in 1972.

Cramer managed to defeat Parker with less difficulty in 1996 and never faced serious opposition again, winning five more terms by over 70 percent of the vote before running unopposed in 2006.

In the House, Cramer was a supporter of the International Space Station and an advocate for spending increases in missile defense, as Huntsville has long been a center for research and development of these two projects, as Redstone Arsenal—located in the district—is home of the United States Army Aviation and Missile Command (AMCOM) and NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center.

He often broke with his party on issues such as abortion, gay rights, gun control, taxes, regulation of business, and the environment.

[5] Because of his largely conservative positions, he was encouraged by fellow Alabama politician Sen. Richard Shelby to make the same switch that he did and register as a Republican.

Since leaving Congress, Cramer has worked as a lobbyist and government affairs consultant, representing clients in the defense and aerospace industries.