Fred Upton

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For the cofounder of Whirlpool Corporation, see Frederick and Louis Upton

Fred Upton
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan's 6th district
Incumbent
Assumed office  January 6, 1987
Preceded by	Bob Carr
Born	April 23, 1953 (1953-04-23) (age 55) St. Joseph, Michigan
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Amey Rulon-Miller
Religion	Congregationalist

Frederick Stephen "Fred" Upton, (born April 23, 1953) is a politician from the State of Michigan. He is a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives, serving the state's 6th congressional district and as "Dean" of the state's Republican delegation. The district is based in Kalamazoo and stretches along the Michigan-Indiana border in the southwestern part of the state.

Born in St. Joseph, Michigan, Upton earned a B.A. in Journalism from the University of Michigan in 1975. He served in the Office of Management and Budget under Ronald Reagan from 1981 to 1985. A protege of OMB director and former congressman Dave Stockman, he ran in the 1986 Republican primary against Stockman's successor in what was then the 4th district, Mark D. Siljander. Upton won the primary and was handily elected to the U.S. House in November. He has been reelected 10 times. His district became the 6th district after reapportionment following the 1990 census caused Michigan to lose two seats.

Upton has rarely missed a single vote in his 20 years in Congress, a record that has earned him the nicknames "Ironman of the House" and "the Cal Ripken of Congress." A leading moderate Republican, he helped to guide a powerful bloc of moderate congressmen in unison, playing influential roles in a number of tax relief and budget matters.

Upton is well-known for his personable manner, often telling those who address him as "Congressman Upton" to "call me Fred." He personally reads all of the legislative mail he receives from his constituents, and often calls them to discuss their concerns.

He has often bucked the right-leaning House leadership (e.g., Upton harshly criticized Newt Gingrich for his failure to compromise with Bill Clinton in the 1995 budget crisis) and has voted against the Bush Administration on a number of significant policy matters (e.g., embryonic stem cell research, reauthorization of the SCHIP, etc). He has worked across the aisle on several occasions with Democrats to introduce legislation, including a recent bill with Indiana Congressman Joe Donnelly to introduce H.R. 1490, The Fairness in Veterans Disability Benefits Act, which reduces waiting time for veterans deserving disability benefits.[14]

Upton serves as a senior member on the House Energy and Commerce Committee. He, along with Edward Markey, is responsible for changing daylight saving time by adding the provision to the Energy Policy Act of 2005. In the 110th United States Congress, Upton serves as ranking member of the Energy and Air Quality Subcommittee, as well as a senior member of the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet. Upton is a member of several moderate Republican groups such as the Republican Main Street Partnership, Republicans for Environmental Protection, and Christine Todd Whitman's IMP-PAC (Its My Party Too).

In 2002, he faced former Michigan State Senator Dale Shugars in a contested primary election--his only serious primary challenge to date. Shugars ran well to Upton's right and harshly criticized Upton for not being strident enough in his opposition to abortion (even though he has consistently voted against abortion rights [1]) as well as for supporting stem cell research and some forms of gun control. However, Upton easily defeated Shugars in the primary, effectively clinching a ninth term.

On September 29, 2006, Upton introduced the Video Game Decency Act (H.R.6120) to the House.

Upton is the grandson of Frederick Upton, the cofounder of Whirlpool Corporation, which is headquartered in Benton Harbor.

[edit] Committee Assignments

• Energy and Commerce Committee
  • Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality (Ranking Member)
  • Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet

[edit] 2006 election

Upton had no opponent in the Republican primary. In the general election, Upton took 61 percent of the vote, defeating his Democratic challenger Kim Clark.

[edit] Trivia

• Upton's grandfather, Frederick Upton, was co-founder of appliance manufacturer and marketer Whirlpool Corporation, which is headquartered in Benton Harbor.
• Upton is a known supporter of Michigan Wolverine athletics as well as an enthusiastic Chicago Cubs baseball fan.

[edit] External links

• U.S. Congressman Fred Upton official House site
• Fred Upton at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Federal Election Commission — Frederick Stephen Upton campaign finance reports and data
• On the Issues — Fred Upton issue positions and quotes
• OpenSecrets.org — Fred Upton campaign contributions
• Project Vote Smart — Representative Frederick Stephen 'Fred' Upton (MI) profile
• Washington Post — Congress Votes Database: Fred Upton voting record
• SourceWatch Congresspedia - Fred Upton profile
• Fred Upton official campaign site