Paul Tsongas

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Paul Efthemios Tsongas
Paul Tsongas
In office
January 3, 1979 – January 3, 1985
Preceded by Edward Brooke
Succeeded by John Kerry
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Massachusetts's 5th district
In office
January 3, 1975 – January 3, 1979
Preceded by Paul W. Cronin
Succeeded by James Shannon
Born February 14, 1941(1941-02-14)
Lowell, Massachusetts
Died January 18, 1997 (aged 55)
Lowell, Massachusetts
Political party Democratic
Spouse Niki Tsongas
Alma mater Dartmouth and Yale Law School
Religion Greek Orthodox

Paul Efthemios Tsongas (pronounced /ˈsɒŋgəs/) (February 14, 1941 – January 18, 1997) was a United States Senator from Massachusetts and a one-time candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination. Previously he also served as a U.S. Representative from Massachusetts and held local political office as well.

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[edit] Early life

Tsongas was born along with a twin sister, Thaleia (Schlesinger), to a working-class Greek father and native Massachusetts mother. He attended Dartmouth and Yale Law School before settling in Lowell, Massachusetts.

He served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Ethiopia in 1962–1964, and as Peace Corps Country Director in the West Indies in 1967–1968.

[edit] Political career

Tsongas first entered politics as a city councillor, elected to the Lowell City Council in 1969 where he served two consecutive terms. Tsongas went on to serve as a county commissioner of Middlesex County, Massachusetts. In 1974 he was elected to the United States House of Representatives, defeating Republican incumbent Paul W. Cronin. He served two terms in the House, and in 1978 he was elected to the Senate, defeating incumbent Edward Brooke. In 1983, however, he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma[1] and in 1984 announced his retirement from the Senate. His seat went to fellow Democrat and 2004 presidential nominee John Kerry. After fighting the illness he returned to politics and, in 1992, ran for his party's nomination for President. Until the 1992 campaign, he had never lost an election.

[edit] Presidential campaign

Main article: United States presidential election, 1992

[edit] Primaries

Tsongas and Bill Clinton on the TIME Cover during the Democratic primaries
Tsongas and Bill Clinton on the TIME Cover during the Democratic primaries

The Tsongas campaign was banking heavily on early success in New Hampshire. Like many of the candidates, Tsongas ignored the 1992 contest in Iowa, which was expected to go overwhelmingly to Iowa's Senator Tom Harkin. Tsongas, from neighboring Massachusetts, hoped that his New England independence and fiscal conservatism would appeal to New Hampshirites. He achieved recognition for the bluntness and clarity of his plan, distributing a short book titled A Call to Economic Arms, which focused on such issues as the growing federal deficit. When asked why he didn't have a tax cut plan like the other candidates, Tsongas famously responded "I'm not Santa Claus."[2] During the early weeks of 1992, things seemed to be going Tsongas' way when one of the potential major candidates, Bill Clinton, stumbled over issues involving marital infidelity and avoidance of the military draft during Vietnam. While Clinton was hurt by these issues, the damage seemed to bottom out several weeks before the New Hampshire primary. While Tsongas was the actual winner in terms of votes received and delegates won, Clinton advisor James Carville tagged Clinton with the label "the Comeback Kid", and claimed that Clinton's campaign was back on track. While ostensibly the front-runner, Tsongas was already considered by many to be behind Clinton after just one primary.

Following the New Hampshire primary, Tsongas was unable to match Clinton's fundraising. Clinton later went to win most of the Super Tuesday primaries. Tsongas did go on to win delegate contests in Delaware, Maryland, Arizona, Washington, Utah, and Massachusetts, but his campaign never recovered from Clinton's comeback; Clinton won the primaries of most of the more populous and delegate-rich states.

[edit] Convention

Eventually, Tsongas pulled out of the race and endorsed Clinton. However, a number of the Tsongas delegates continued to support the former Senator, and voted for Tsongas at the convention. The roll call yielded 289 votes for Tsongas, placing him in third place, behind Clinton and former California governor Jerry Brown.

[edit] Political positions

Tsongas was viewed as a social liberal and economic moderate. He was especially known for his pro-business economic policies. In particular, he focused on the U.S. budget deficit, a cause he continued to champion after his primary campaign ended, by co-founding The Concord Coalition. Tsongas was often criticized by his opponents as a Reaganomics-style politician, who was closer to Republicans in this matter. In the mid 1980s he shocked many of the members of the Americans for Democratic Action by telling them that they should focus more on economic growth than wealth redistribution.

His most memorable quip might have been, "If anyone thinks the words government and efficiency belong in the same sentence, we have counseling available."[1]

[edit] Post career

A few years later the cancer (non-Hodgkins lymphoma) returned. He died of pneumonia and liver failure on January 18, 1997. On January 27, 1998, the Tsongas Arena in Lowell was dedicated in his honor.[3]

In a special election held on October 16, 2007, his widow Niki Tsongas won the Massachusetts Congressional seat that Paul once held.[4]

[edit] Electoral history

Massachusetts 5th district, 1974[5]

  • Paul Tsongas (D) - 99,518 (60.64%)
  • Paul W. Cronin (R) (inc.) - 64,596 (39.36%)

Massachusetts 5th district, 1976[6]

  • Paul Tsongas (D) (inc.) - 144,217 (67.31%)
  • Roger P. Durkin (D) - 70,036 (32.69%)

Democratic primary for the United States Senate from Massachusetts, 1978[7]

Massachusetts United States Senate election, 1978[8]

  • Paul Tsongas (D) - 1,093,283 (55.06%)
  • Edward Brooke (R) (inc.) - 890,584 (44.85%)
  • Others - 1,833 (0.09%)

United States presidential election, 1992 (Democratic primaries)

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ New York Times, Ex-Senator Gets Transplant, September 5, 1986. Retrieved Oct. 20, 2007.
  2. ^ http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE6D6143FF931A25751C0A964958260
  3. ^ Tsongas Arena,Lowell MA, Entertainment Venue, Sports, Concerts, Tradeshows, Lock Monsters, RiverHawks
  4. ^ ABC News: Dem Senator's Widow Wins House Seat
  5. ^ Our Campaigns - MA District 05 Race - Nov 04, 1974
  6. ^ Our Campaigns - MA District 05 Race - Nov 02, 1976
  7. ^ Our Campaigns - MA US Senate- D Primary Race - Sep 19, 1978
  8. ^ Our Campaigns - MA US Senate Race - Nov 07, 1978

[edit] External links

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United States House of Representatives
Preceded by
Paul W. Cronin		 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Massachusetts's 5th congressional district
January 3, 1975 – January 3, 1979		 Succeeded by
James Shannon
United States Senate
Preceded by
Edward Brooke		 United States Senator (Class 2) from Massachusetts
January 3, 1979 – January 3, 1985
Served alongside: Ted Kennedy		 Succeeded by
John Kerry
v • d • e
United States Senators from Massachusetts
Class 1: Dalton • Cabot • Goodhue • Mason • Adams • Lloyd • Gore • Ashmun • Mellen • Mills • Webster • Choate • Webster • Winthrop • Rantoul • Sumner • Washburn • Dawes • Lodge, Sr. • Butler • Walsh • Lodge, Jr. • J. Kennedy • Smith • E. Kennedy
Class 2: Strong • Sedgwick • Dexter • Foster • Pickering • Varnum • Otis • Lloyd • Silsbee • Davis • Bates • Davis • Everett • Rockwell • Wilson • Boutwell • Hoar • Crane • J. Weeks • Walsh • Gillett • Coolidge • Lodge, Jr. • S. Weeks • Saltonstall • Brooke • Tsongas • Kerry
 United States Senate