John Olver
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| John Olver | |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office June 4, 1991 |
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| Preceded by | Silvio Conte |
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| Born | September 3, 1936 Honesdale, Pennsylvania |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Rose Olver |
| Alma mater | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Tufts University Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
John Walter Olver (born September 3, 1936), American politician, has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 1991, representing Massachusetts's 1st congressional district, a primarily rural district that makes up most of Western Massachusetts.
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[edit] Education and family life
Olver was born in Honesdale, Pennsylvania. He earned a B.S. from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute at the age of 18, an M.S. from Tufts University, and a Ph.D. in chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He served as a chemistry professor at the Franklin Technical Institute in Joplin, Missouri, at MIT and at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
John Olver is married to Rose Olver, a professor at Amherst College. They have one daughter, Martha. The family has lived in Amherst, Massachusetts, where Olver has lived since 1963.
[edit] Political career
He served two terms as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1969 to 1973, and then nine terms in the Massachusetts Senate from 1973 to 1991.
On February 18, 1991, 1st District Congressman Silvio Conte died just one month after taking office for his 17th term. That June, Olver, who had just been sworn in for his 10th term in the state senate, narrowly defeated Republican Steve Pierce in a special election for the seat, becoming the first Democrat to win the seat since it changed from being the 13th district in 1895. He won election to a full term by 8 points in 1992 and has only faced one truly serious challenge since, from future Acting Governor Jane Swift in 1996 (the same year Governor William Weld gave Senator John Kerry the closest race a Democratic senator has faced in Massachusetts in almost two decades). The 1st District had long been considered the most Republican district in heavily Democratic Massachusetts, but rapidly swung into the Democratic column in the 1990s. For example, in 1994, a year in which district after district fell to the Republicans nationally, Olver ran unopposed.
In 2008, Olver is being challenged in the Democratic primary by Robert Feuer, and the winner of that election will face Republican Nathan Bech in November.
[edit] Committee Assignments
- Appropriations Committee
- Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development
- Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies
- Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (Chairman)
- Senior Whip
[edit] Positions
Olver has been critical of the United States lack of involvement with the genocide in Darfur. Olver was one of five members of Congress arrested April 28, 2006 after protesting outside the Sudanese Embassy.[1]
He was one of the 31 who objected in the House to the counting of the electoral votes from Ohio in the United States presidential election, 2004.[2]
Olver is a superdelegate to the 2008 Democratic National Convention. He announced his commitment to Senator Barack Obama on June 3rd, 2008.
[edit] Ideological ratings
- American Civil Liberties Union, 95 percent in 2003–2004.[1]
- American Conservative Union, Lifetime score of 2%.[2]
- Americans for Democratic Action, Lifetime score of 97%.[3]
- NARAL Pro-Choice America, 100% for 2000, 2001, 2003–2005.[4]
- National Journal, Composite Liberal Score of 96% for 2003[5] and 2005.[6]
- Republican Liberty Caucus, 40% for 2005.[7]
[edit] References
- ^ Jim Doyle, Five members of Congress arrested over Sudan protest, San Francisco Chronicle, April 28, 2006. Accessed 25 September 2006.
- ^ Clerk.House.gov
[edit] External links
- Congressman John Olver, U.S. House website
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
- Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
- Campaign contributions at OpenSecrets.org
- Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
- Profile at SourceWatch Congresspedia
- The Religious Affiliation of U.S. Congressman John Olver, Adherents.com: National & World Religion Statistics
| Preceded by Silvio O. Conte |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts's 1st congressional district June 4, 1991 – present |
Incumbent |
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