John Olver
| John Olver | |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office June 4, 1991 |
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| Preceded by | Silvio Conte |
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| Succeeded by | Incumbent |
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| Born | September 03 1936 Honesdale, Pennsylvania |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Rose Olver |
| Religion | Unspecified |
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.
He was born in Honesdale, Pennsylvania, but has called Amherst, Massachusetts home since 1963. 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.
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
Committees and caucuses
Olver is the only member of the Appropriations Committee from Massachusetts, and serves as chair of the Appropriations Committee's Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies. He is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. He the co-chairman of the Congressional Climate Change Caucus.
Positions
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.[1]
Personal life
John Olver is married to Rose Olver, a professor at Amherst College. They have one daughter, Martha. He favors gray overcoats and rarely speaks on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives.
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]
Civil disobedience
Olver was one of five members of Congress arrested April 28, 2006 after protesting outside the Sudanese Embassy over atrocities in the Darfur region.[2]
References
- ^ Clerk.House.gov
- ^ Jim Doyle, Five members of Congress arrested over Sudan protest, San Francisco Chronicle, April 28, 2006. Accessed 25 September 2006.
External links
- U.S. Congressman John Olver official House site
- John Olver at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
- Biography, Voting record, and Interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
- Federal Election Commission — John W. Olver campaign finance reports and data
- On the Issues — John Olver issue positions and quotes
- OpenSecrets.org — John W. Olver campaign contributions
- SourceWatch Congresspedia — John Olver profile
- 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 |
| Massachusetts's current delegation to the United States Congress | |
|---|---|
| Senators | Edward Kennedy (D), John Kerry (D) |
| Representative(s) | John Olver (D), Richard Neal (D), Jim McGovern (D), Barney Frank (D), Niki Tsongas (D), John F. Tierney (D), Ed Markey (D), Mike Capuano (D), Stephen Lynch (D), Bill Delahunt (D) |
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