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Vernon Ehlers
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office December 7, 1993 |
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| Preceded by | Paul Henry |
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| Born | February 6, 1934 Pipestone, Minnesota |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Johanna Ehlers |
| Residence | Grand Rapids, Michigan |
| Alma mater | Calvin College, University of California, Berkeley |
| Occupation | college professor |
| Religion | Christian Reformed Church |
Vernon James "Vern" Ehlers (born February 6, 1934) is a United States politician and a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives. He has represented Michigan's 3rd congressional district ([1]) since 1993. The district is based in Grand Rapids, and had once been represented by former President Gerald Ford (the district was numbered as the 5th District at the time).
Born in Pipestone, Minnesota, Vern Ehlers attended Calvin College in Grand Rapids for three years before transferring to the University of California, Berkeley, where he earned an undergraduate degree in physics and, in 1960, a Ph.D. in nuclear physics. The title of his doctoral dissertation is "The nuclear spins and moments of several radioactive gallium isotopes" and is available from University Microfilms International as document number 0227304. After six years of teaching and research at Berkeley, he moved back to Michigan and took employment at Calvin College in 1966 where he taught physics for 16 years and later served as chairman of the Physics Department.
He began his political career in 1974 while still at Calvin, when he was elected to the Kent County board of commissioners. He served four terms, then spent 10 years in the Michigan state legislature — two years in the state house and eight in the state senate.
In 1993, he won a special election for the 3rd District, which had been vacant since Congressman Paul B. Henry died six months into his fifth term. He won a full term in 1994 and has been reelected six times with little significant Democratic opposition.
Ehlers served as chairman of the House Administration Committee in the 109th Congress after Bob Ney resigned from the position. In the 110th Congress, he serves as the ranking member of the committee. On the Science and Technology Committee, he serves as ranking member of the Subcommittee on Research and Science Education. He is also a member of the Education and Labor Committee and the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
Ehlers is a moderate Republican. According to the National Journal, in 2006 his votes split 50-50 between "liberal" and "conservative." While strongly anti-abortion and supportive of lowering taxes, he is willing to break with his party on environmental and government spending issues. He is a member of the Republican Main Street Partnership and Republicans for Environmental Protection.
Ehlers is a staunch advocate of a federal prohibition of online poker. In 2006, he cosponsored H.R. 4411, the Goodlatte-Leach Internet Gambling Prohibition Act[1] and H.R. 4777, the Internet Gambling Prohibition Act.[2]
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See also
Committee assignments
- Committee on Education and Labor
- Committee on Science and Technology
- Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
Caucus memberships
- Co-chair of the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) Ed Caucus
Selected Publications
Lead Authored Articles in Scientific Journals
- V. J. Ehlers and A. Gallagher (1973). "Electron Excitation of the Calcium 4227-Å Resonance Line". Physical Review A 7: 1573-1585. doi:. ISSN 1050-2947. http://link.aps.org/abstract/PRA/v7/p1573.
- V. J. Ehlers, Y. Kabasakal, H. A. Shugart, O. Tezer (1968). "Hyperfine Structure of 67Ga and 72Ga". Physical Review 176: 25-42. doi:. ISSN 0031-899X. http://link.aps.org/abstract/PR/v176/p25.
- V. J. Ehlers, T. R. Fowler, H. A. Shugart (1968). "Nuclear Magnetic Moment of 85Rb: Resolving a Discrepancy". Physical Review 167 (4): 1062-1064. doi:. ISSN 0031-899X. http://link.aps.org/abstract/PR/v167/p1062.
- V. J. Ehlers, H. A. Shugart (1962). "Hyperfine-Structure Separations and Nuclear Moments of Gallium-68". Physical Review 127 (2): 529-536. doi:. ISSN 0031-899X. http://link.aps.org/abstract/PR/v127/p529.
- V. J. Ehlers, W. A. Nierenberg, H. A. Shugart (1962). "Nuclear Spin of Gallium-70". Physical Review 125 (6): 2008-2012. doi:. ISSN 0031-899X. http://link.aps.org/abstract/PR/v125/p2008.
Articles on Science Policy
- V. J. Ehlers (September 2000). "Science Education and Our Nation’s Future". BioScience 50 (9): 731. doi:. ISSN 0006-3568. http://www.bioone.org/perlserv/?request=get-document&page=731&volume=50&issn=0006-3568&issue=9&ct=1.
- V. J. Ehlers (January 1998). "The Future of U.S. Science Policy". Science 279 (5349): 302. doi:.
References
External links
- U.S. Congressman Vernon J. Ehlers official House site
- Vern Ehlers at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Vern Ehlers for U.S. Congress official campaign site
- Federal Election Commission — Vernon J Ehlers campaign finance reports and data
- On the Issues — Vernon Ehlers issue positions and quotes
- OpenSecrets.org — Vernon J. Ehlers campaign contributions
- Project Vote Smart — Representative Vernon J. Ehlers (MI) profile
- Washington Post — Congress Votes Database: Vern Ehlers voting record
- SourceWatch Congresspedia - Vernon Ehlers profile
| United States House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Paul B. Henry |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan's 3rd congressional district 1993–present |
Incumbent |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Bob Ney Ohio |
Chairman of the House Administration Committee 2006–2007 |
Succeeded by Juanita Millender-McDonald California |
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