Name	John Murtha
Image name	John Murtha portrait 2008.jpg
Date of birth	June 17, 1932
Place of birth	New Martinsville, West Virginia
Date of death	February 08, 2010
Place of death	Arlington, Virginia
Occupation	Small business owner
Residence	Johnstown, Pennsylvania
Alma mater	Washington and Jefferson CollegeUniversity of Pittsburgh
State	Pennsylvania
District	12th
Term start	February 5, 1974
Term end	February 8, 2010
Predecessor	John Saylor
Successor	Mark Critz
State house3	Pennsylvania
District3	72nd
Term start3	May 20, 1969
Term end3	November 30, 1973
Predecessor3	Edward McNally
Successor3	James Whelan
Party	Democratic
Spouse	Joyce Murtha
Religion	Roman Catholic
Signature	File-John Murtha sig.jpg Signature.svg
Branch	United States Marine Corps
Rank	Colonel
Battles	Vietnam War
Awards	Bronze StarPurple Heart (2)Combat Action RibbonVietnamese Cross of GallantryAmerican Spirit Honor Medal

John Patrick "Jack" Murtha, Jr. (; June 17, 1932 – February 8, 2010) was an American politician from the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Murtha, a Democrat, represented Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1974 until his death in 2010.

A former Marine Corps officer, Murtha was the first Vietnam War veteran elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. A member of the Pennsylvania House from 1969 to 1974, he narrowly won a special election to Congress in 1974 and was successively reelected every two years until his death. In the first decade of the 21st century, Murtha had been best known for his calls for a withdrawal of American forces in Iraq, as well as questions about his ethics.

In 2006, after the Democrats won control of Congress in the 2006 midterm elections he made a failed bid to be elected House Majority Leader during the 110th Congress (2007–2009) with the open support of the new House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi. He lost to Steny Hoyer of Maryland. After the Republican's defeat to the Democratic Majority in 2006 Murtha re-assumed his chairmanship of the House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee. He had previously chaired this subcommittee from 1989 to 1995 and served as its ranking Democrat from 1995 to 2007.

Background

Murtha was born into an Irish-American family in New Martinsville, West Virginia, near the border with Ohio and Pennsylvania, and grew up in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, a largely suburban county east of Pittsburgh.

As a youth, he became an Eagle Scout. He also worked delivering newspapers, picking papinkis, and at a gas station before graduating from The Kiski School, an all-male boarding school in Saltsburg, Pennsylvania.

Murtha left Washington and Jefferson College in 1952 to join the Marine Corps and was awarded the American Spirit Honor Medal for displaying outstanding leadership qualities during training. He became a drill instructor at Parris Island and was selected for Officer Candidate School at Quantico, Virginia. He was then assigned to the Second Marine Division, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. As an undergraduate, Murtha was initiated into the Kappa Sigma Fraternity.

Murtha remained in the Marine Forces Reserve and ran a small business, Johnstown Minute Car Wash (which still operates in the West End section of Johnstown). He also attended the University of Pittsburgh on the G.I. Bill, and received a degree in economics. Murtha later took graduate courses from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He married his wife Joyce on June 10, 1955. They had three children: daughter Donna and twin sons Patrick and John M., who live in Johnstown.

Murtha left the Marines in 1955. He remained in the Reserves after his discharge from active duty until he volunteered for service in the Vietnam War, serving from 1966 to 1967, serving as a battalion staff officer (S-2 Intelligence Section), receiving the Bronze Star with Valor device, two Purple Hearts, and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry. He retired from the Marine Corps Reserve as a Colonel in 1990, receiving the Navy Distinguished Service Medal.

In December 2009, Murtha was admitted to the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland after suffering from abdominal pains. He had surgery to remove his gallbladder in December 2009; In late January 2010, he was admitted to the intensive care unit due to complications from the surgery. He died on February 8, 2010.

Political career

Soon after returning from Vietnam, Murtha won the Democratic nomination for what was then the 22nd District, which was based in Johnstown. He lost fairly handily to longtime Republican incumbent John P. Saylor.

Murtha was elected to represent the 72nd legislative district in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in a special election on May 20, 1969. The election was triggered by the death of incumbent Representative Edward McNally. He was elected to a full term in 1970.

Congressman Saylor died in October 1973, nine months into his 13th term. Murtha immediately jumped into the special election contest in what was now the 12th District. In the February 1974 special election, Murtha defeated one of Saylor's former aides, Harry Fox, by only 242 votes. He defeated Fox by a significantly wider margin that November and was reelected 17 times.

Murtha faced tough primary challenges in 1982, 1990 and again in 2002. The 1982 challenge occurred when the Republican-controlled state legislature took advantage of Murtha's connection to Abscam, and incorporated most of the district of fellow Democrat and Vietnam War veteran Don Bailey of Westmoreland County into the 12th District.

in Johnstown in 1993.]]

The 2002 challenge occurred when the state legislature redrew the district of fellow Democrat Frank Mascara to make it more Republican-friendly, shifting a large chunk of Mascara's former territory into Murtha's district. Mascara opted to run against Murtha in the Democratic primary, since the new 12th contained more of Mascara's old territory than Murtha's. However, Mascara was badly defeated.

In 2006, Murtha's Republican challenger was Diana Irey, a county commissioner from Washington County, the heart of Mascara's former district. Irey attacked Murtha for his criticism of the Iraq war. Even though Irey was Murtha's strongest Republican opponent in decades, she polled well behind Murtha throughout the campaign. An October 12, 2006 poll by the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review showed Murtha with a commanding lead over Irey, 57%–30%. In the November election, Murtha won 61%–39%.

On June 9, 2006, Murtha informed Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi that he would run for Majority Leader if the Democrats gained control of the House in the 2006 midterm elections. Despite Murtha receiving Pelosi's support, current Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer was elected to the post.

On February 6, 2010, two days before his death, Murtha became the longest serving Pennsylvania congressman in history. Although he was not sworn into office until February 20, 1974, House of Representatives rules state that Murtha’s service officially began at his election because the seat was vacant.

In 2009, Murtha heard details from Fort Benning U.S. Army Soldiers on how their current uniforms and equipment were not providing camouflage in Iraq and Afghanistan during a personal visit. Murtha immediately took action and convinced the Army to fix the camouflage problem resulting in MultiCam being selected by the Secretary of the Army John McHugh for all incoming Soldiers deploying to Afghanistan in 2010, only weeks after Murtha had died.

Abscam investigation

Robert P. Casey.]] In 1980, during his fourth term as a Congressman, Murtha became embroiled in the Abscam investigation, which targeted dozens of congressmen. The investigation entailed FBI operatives posing as intermediaries for Saudi nationals hoping to bribe their way through the immigration process into the United States. Murtha met with these operatives and was videotaped. He did agree to testify against Frank Thompson (D-NJ) and John Murphy (D-NY), the two Congressmen mentioned as participants in the deal at the same meeting and who were later videotaped placing the cash bribes in their trousers. The FBI videotaped Murtha responding to an offer of $50,000, with Murtha saying, "I'm not interested... at this point. [If] we do business for a while, maybe I'll be interested, maybe I won't," right after Murtha had offered to provide names of businesses and banks in his district where money could be invested legally. The U.S. Attorney's Office reasoned that Murtha's intent was to obtain investment in his district. Full length viewing of the tape shows Murtha citing prospective investment opportunities that could return "500 or 1000" miners to work.

Earmarks and campaign contributions

Murtha was targeted by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington as one of the 20 most corrupt members of Congress.

In September 2006 the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) listed Murtha under Five Members to Watch in its Second Annual Most Corrupt Members of Congress Report. The report cited Murtha's steering of defense appropriations to clients of KSA Consulting, which employed his brother Robert, and the PMA Group, founded by Paul Magliocchetti, a former senior staffer on the Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Defense.

In 2008, Esquire Magazine named him one of the 10 worst members of Congress because of his opposition to ethics reform and the $100 million a year he brought to his district in earmarks. The Wall Street Journal has called him "one of Congress's most unapologetic earmarkers." According to the Pennsylvania Report, Murtha was one of "Pennsylvania’s most powerful congressmen" and a "master of crossing the aisle and bringing pork into his district."

In February 2009, CQ Politics reported that Murtha was one of 104 U.S. representatives to earmark funds in the 2008 Defense appropriations spending bill for a lobbying group that had contributed to his past election campaigns. The spending bill, which was managed by Murtha in his capacity as Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, secured $38.1 million for clients of the PMA Group in the single fiscal law. The PMA Group was under investigation by the FBI.

In March 2009, the Washington Post reported that a Pennsylvania defense research center regularly consulted with two "handlers" close to Murtha while it received nearly $250 million in federal funding via Murtha's earmarks. The center then channeled a significant portion of the funding to companies that were among Murtha's campaign supporters.

Views on the 2003 Iraq War

Murtha voted for the October 10, 2002 resolution that authorized the use of force against Iraq. However, he later began expressing doubts about the war. On March 17, 2004, when Republicans offered a “War in Iraq Anniversary Resolution” that “affirms that the United States and the world have been made safer with the removal of Saddam Hussein and his regime from power in Iraq,” when JD Hayworth called for a recorded vote, Murtha voted against it.

Still, in early 2005 Murtha argued against the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq. “A premature withdrawal of our troops based on a political timetable could rapidly devolve into a civil war which would leave America’s foreign policy in disarray as countries question not only America’s judgment but also its perseverance,” he stated.

2005 Resolution on removing American forces from Iraq

On November 17, 2005, Murtha submitted H.J. Res. 73 in the House of Representatives, calling for the redeployment of U.S. troops in Iraq, saying, "The U.S. cannot accomplish anything further in Iraq militarily. It is time to bring them home.”

The bill cited lack of progress towards stabilizing Iraq, the possibility that a draft would be required to sustain sufficient troop numbers, Iraqi disapproval of US forces and approval of attacks on the soldiers, and the increasing costs of the war. The bill proposed that deployment to Iraq be suspended and that US Marines establish an "over-the-horizon" presence in nearby countries.

Murtha's comments forced a heated debate on the floor of the House on November 18. Republicans led by Duncan Hunter of California, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, responded by proposing their own resolution (H. Res. 571), which many Republicans said was intended to demonstrate that those calling for immediate troop withdrawal from Iraq were “out of the mainstream.” Murtha himself took the floor during debate on the resolution after the Democrats yielded all their time to him, and denounced the Hunter resolution as a sham. As expected, Hunter's resolution was defeated, with only three congressmen voting aye.

Jean Schmidt and the “coward” controversy

During debate on adopting the rule for the resolution, Congresswoman Jean Schmidt (R-Ohio) made a statement attributed to Danny Bubp, an Ohio state Representative and Marine Corps Reservist, “He also asked me to give Congressman Murtha a message: that cowards cut and run, Marines never do.”

Seeing Schmidt's remarks as an unwarranted "cheap shot" against Murtha, outraged Democrats brought House business to a halt for ten minutes until Schmidt herself asked and received permission to withdraw her comments. Bubp has since stated that he never mentioned Murtha when making the quoted comment. He added that he would never question the courage of a fellow Marine. Bubp later said, “I don't want to be interjected into this. I wish (Congresswoman Schmidt) never used my name.”

Haditha, Iraq killings

The Haditha incident occurred on November 19, 2005, and since then there have been differing accounts of exactly what took place.

In November 2005 Murtha announced that a military investigation into the Haditha killings had concluded that U.S. Marines had intentionally killed innocent civilians. Referring to the first report about Haditha in Time magazine, Murtha said:

"It's much worse than reported in Time magazine. There was no fire fight. There was no IED that killed these innocent people. Our troops overreacted because of the pressure on them and they killed innocent civilians in cold blood. And that's what the report is going to tell."

The Marine Corps responded to Murtha's announcement by stating that "there is an ongoing investigation; therefore, any comment at this time would be inappropriate and could undermine the investigatory and possible legal process." Murtha was criticized by conservatives for presenting a version of events as simple fact before an official investigation had been concluded.

In August 2006, Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich filed a lawsuit against Murtha for character defamation during an ongoing investigation into the Haditha incident. In April 2009 this suit was dismissed by a federal appeals court, which ruled that Murtha could not be sued because he was acting in his official role as a lawmaker when he made the statements.

On December 21, 2006, the US military charged Wuterich with 12 counts of unpremeditated murder against individuals and one count of the murder of six people "while engaged in an act inherently dangerous to others." Charges were subsequently dropped against seven of the eight Marines involved: Capt. Lucas McConnell, Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani, Sgt. Sanick Dela Cruz, Lance Corporal Stephen Tatum, Lance Cpl. Justin Sharratt, Capt. Randy Stone, and 1st Lt. Andrew Grayson. Only Sergeant Frank Wuterich is still facing trial on 9 counts of involuntary manslaughter.

Sun-Sentinel story and correction

In a June 24, 2006, speech at Florida International University, Murtha said that the military presence in Iraq was hurting U.S. credibility, citing a poll by the Pew Research Center indicating that people in several countries considered the U.S. in Iraq to be a greater threat to world peace than either Iran or North Korea. When the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported the speech on June 25, it asserted without further evidence that it was Murtha's own view that the U.S. was a greater threat to world peace: “American presence in Iraq is more dangerous to world peace than nuclear threats from North Korea or Iran, U.S. Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., said to a crowd of more than 200 in North Miami Saturday afternoon.”

The Sun-Sentinel story was picked up by the wire services and the Drudge Report website, leading several conservative pundits, including Bill O’Reilly, Tucker Carlson, and Newt Gingrich, to comment. After the Sun-Sentinel issued a correction, O'Reilly publicly apologized.

2008 Presidential Election

After having endorsed Hillary Clinton, commenting on the prospects for the election of Barack Obama during the 2008 Presidential campaign, Murtha became the subject of controversy after deriding many of his own constituents as "racists" who would not vote for Obama because he is black. In response to the outrage at his comments he apologized, but then reiterated the point by saying, "[T]here's still folks that have a problem voting for someone because they are black. This whole area, years ago, was really redneck."

Political views

Murtha generally opposed gun control, earning an A from the National Rifle Association.

In 2004, he was one of only two congressmen to vote for a measure proposing reinstatement of the draft.

Murtha voted for the Affordable Healthcare for America Act (HR 3692), which passed in the House 220-215 on November 7, 2009. He said of the bill, "For nearly a century, both Democrats and Republicans have failed to enact comprehensive health care reform. Today's historic vote moves us closer to solving America's health care crisis." However, Murtha did not support allowing abortions as part of health care reform. He voted for the Stupak-Pitts Amendment to the health care bill that prohibits elective abortions for people covered by the public healthcare plan and to prohibit people receiving federal assistance from purchasing a private healthcare plan that includes abortions, except when the woman’s life is in danger. He also voted for a bill to prohibit pregnant minors from crossing state borders to obtain abortions.

In August 2009, Murtha refused Republican challenger Tim Burns' invitation to attend a town hall meeting focused on healthcare (at the time, Murtha had not yet hosted a town hall meeting); however, Murtha had held several conference call sessions with his constituents focused on healthcare. Planned Parenthood, whose stated purpose is “to provide comprehensive reproductive and complementary health care,” gave him a rating of 50% in 2009. He received a rating of 50% from the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association, which advocates “access to voluntary, comprehensive and culturally sensitive family planning and reproductive health care services and ... reproductive freedom for all.”

Death and legacy

Murtha was first hospitalized with gallbladder problems for a few days in December 2009, and had surgery on January 28, 2010, at Bethesda Naval Hospital. Longtime friend and fellow Pennsylvania Democratic Representative Bob Brady said Murtha's large intestine was damaged during the normally routine laparoscopic surgery, causing an infection. Due to the complication, Murtha was again hospitalized two days later, and died on the afternoon of February 8, 2010, in the Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, Virginia, with his family by his side. He was buried on February 16, 2010, at Grandview Cemetery in Johnstown, Pennsylvania.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, said in a statement on the day of his death, "with the passing of John Murtha, America has lost a great patriot." House Republican Leader John Boehner said, "our nation has lost a decorated veteran."

On April 9, 2010, Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus signed an official memo to the Chief of Naval Operations, designating the naming of a Landing Platform Dock, a type of naval warship, as the John P. Murtha (LPD-26). The Navy Times said the official announcement "added fuel to an already smoldering backlash online."

A special election was held to fill the seat left vacant by the late congressman, taking place on May 18 to coincide with that state's primaries for Senate and Governor. The Democratic candidate, Mark Critz, defeated Republican candidate Tim Burns to win Murtha's seat.

See also

Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district special election, 2010

References

External links

Profile at SourceWatch Congresspedia

John Murtha on the Internet Movie Database

Books by Murtha Articles

Murray, Shailagh (November 25, 2005). "The About-Face of a Hawkish Democrat". Washington Post, pg. A02.

Murtha, John John Murtha's Iraq Exit Strategy November 17, 2005.

H. Res. 557, the "War in Iraq Anniversary resolution"

'Unwinnable' comment draws GOP fire (CNN)

Murtha calls for change in U.S. Iraq policy (Associated Press)

USA Today profile

Rep. Murtha says Rumsfeld, Cheney should resign

Washington Post: Confessions of a "Defeatocrat"

Rep. John Murtha, Iraq War Critic, Dies at 77 - video by Democracy Now!

John Murtha Passes Away (MyJohnstownPA)

Category:Abscam Category:American military personnel of the Vietnam War Category:American Roman Catholic politicians Category:Deaths from surgical complications Category:Eagle Scouts Category:American politicians of Irish descent Category:Members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Category:Members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania Category:Pennsylvania Democrats Category:People from Johnstown, Pennsylvania Category:Politicians from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Category:Recipients of the Bronze Star Medal Category:Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (United States) Category:Recipients of the Purple Heart medal Category:United States Marine Corps officers Category:University of Pittsburgh alumni Category:University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown alumni Category:Washington & Jefferson College alumni Category:1932 births Category:2010 deaths

Name	John D. Dingell, Jr.
Birth date	July 08, 1926
Birth place	Colorado Springs, Colorado
State	Michigan
District	15th
Term start	December 13, 1955
Preceded	John D. Dingell, Sr.
Party	Democrat
Office2	43rd Dean of the United States House of Representatives
Term start2	January 3, 1995
Predecessor2	Jamie L. Whitten
Office3	Chairman Emeritus of the House Energy and Commerce Committee
Term start3	January 5, 2009
Term end3	January 5, 2011
Predecessor3	Position created
Successor3	Joe Barton
Office4	Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee
Term start4	January 5, 2007
Term end4	January 5, 2009
Predecessor4	Joe Barton
Successor4	Henry Waxman
Term start5	January 5, 1981
Term end5	January 5, 1995
Predecessor5	Harley Orrin Staggers
Successor5	Thomas J. Bliley, Jr.
Religion	Roman Catholic
Spouse	Deborah Dingell
Occupation	Attorney
Residence	Dearborn, Michigan
Alma mater	Georgetown University
Signature	John Dingell Signature.svg
Website	The Honorable John D. Dingell
Branch	United States Army
Serviceyears	1944–1946
Rank	Second Lieutenant

John David Dingell, Jr. (born July 8, 1926) is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1955 (his district was first in western Detroit but has successively moved further into that city's western suburbs). He is a member of the Democratic Party.

He is currently the Dean of the U.S. House of Representatives. He is also the longest-currently-serving member of Congress, the longest to serve exclusively in the House ever, and the third longest-serving member of Congress ever.

Early life, education and career

Dingell was born in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and is of Polish and Scots-Irish descent. His father's original surname had been Dzieglewicz, meaning, roughly, 'blacksmith.' John D. Dingell, Sr. changed his name for his campaign for office with the slogan 'Ring (in) with Dingell.' Dingell's mother was Grace Bigler Dingell.

He is married to Deborah Insley Dingell. His father, John D. Dingell, Sr. (1894–1955), represented Michigan's 15th district from 1933 to 1955.

In Washington, D.C., John, Jr. attended Georgetown Preparatory School and then the House Page School when he served as a page for the U.S. House of Representatives from 1938 to 1943. In 1944, at the age of 18, Dingell joined the United States Army. He rose to the rank of Second Lieutenant and received orders to take part in the first wave of a planned invasion of Japan in November 1945; the Congressman has said President Truman's decision to use the atomic bomb to end the war saved his life.

He then attended Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., where he graduated with a law degree in 1952. He was a lawyer in private practice, a research assistant to U.S. Circuit Court judge Theodore Levin, a Congressional employee, a forest ranger, and assistant prosecuting attorney for Wayne County until 1955.

U.S. House of Representatives

Committee assignments

Committee on Energy and Commerce

*Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade

*Subcommittee on Communications and Technology (ex officio)

*Subcommittee on Energy and Power

*Subcommittee on Environment and Economy (ex officio)

*Subcommittee on Health

*Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations

Dingell was honored at the White House with a Presidential lunch for his 50th anniversary in Congress on December 13, 2005.

On December 15, 2005, on the floor of the House, Rep. Dingell read a poem that was sharply critical of, among other things, Fox News, Bill O'Reilly and the so-called "War on Christmas".

Along with John Conyers, in April 2006 Dingell brought an action against George W. Bush and others alleging violations of the Constitution in the passing of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005. The case (Conyers v. Bush) was ultimately dismissed due to lack of standing.

After winning re-election in 2008 for his 28th consecutive term, Dingell surpassed Whitten's record for having the longest tenure in the House on February 11, 2009. Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm declared February 11, 2009, to be John Dingell Day in honor of the record.

Energy and Commerce chairman

During his first stint as chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, Dingell was regarded by analysts as one of the four or five most powerful members of the House.

Dingell is well known, and often feared, for his vigorous approach to oversight. He has subpoenaed numerous high government officials to testify before the committee and grilled them for hours. Insisting that all who testify before his committee do so under oath, thus exposing them to perjury charges if they didn't tell the truth, he and his committee have uncovered numerous instances of corruption and waste, such as the use of $600 toilet seats at the Pentagon. He also claims that committee's work led to resignations of many Environmental Protection Agency officials, and for uncovering information that led to legal proceedings that sent many Food and Drug Administration officials to jail.

After serving as the committee's ranking Democrat for 12 years, Dingell regained the chairmanship in 2007. According to Newsweek, he had wanted to investigate the Bush Administration's handling of port security, the Medicare prescription drug program and Dick Cheney's energy task force. According to the LCV, Dingell voted "pro-environment" on twelve out of twelve issues the group deemed critical; they also praised him for introducing, along with representatives James Oberstar and Jim Leach, an amendment compelling the United States Environmental Protection Agency‎ (EPA) to rescind a directive issued in 2003 by the Bush Administration "requiring EPA staff to get permission from headquarters before protecting 'isolated' water bodies like vernal pools, prairie potholes, playa lakes and bogs," which provide "critical wildlife habitat, store flood water, and protect drinking water supplies." raising mandatory automobile fuel efficiency standards, which he helped to write in the 1970s. Instead he has indicated that he intends to pursue a regulatory structure that takes greenhouse gas emissions and oil consumption into account. In a July, 2007 interview with thehill.com, he said “I have made it very plain that I intend to see to it that CAFE is increased” and pointed out that his plan would have CAFE increases tantamount to those in the Senate bill recently passed. In November 2007, working with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Dingell helped draft an energy bill that would mandate 40% increase in fuel efficiency standards.

In July 2007, Dingell indicated he planned to introduce a new tax on carbon usage in order to curtail greenhouse gas emissions. The policy has been criticized by some, as polling numbers show voters may be unwilling to pay for the changes. A Wall Street Journal editorial claimed that vehicle emissions standards that he supports will not yield any substantial greenhouse gas emissions savings.

Private sector ties

Dingell has drawn criticism for his ties to the automotive industry. The three largest contributors to his campaign for the 2006 election cycle are political action committees, employees, or other affiliates of General Motors, Ford Motor Company and DaimlerChrysler; since 1989, intermediaries for these corporations have contributed more than $US 600,000 to his campaigns. Dingell also holds an unknown quantity, once more than $US 1 million, in assets through General Motors stock options and savings-stock purchase programs; his wife, Debbie Dingell, worked as a lobbyist for the corporation until they married, whereupon she moved to an administrative position there. As of June 2007, Mrs. Dingell was executive director of Global Community Relations and Government Relation at GM and vice chair of the General Motors Foundation.

Investigations of alleged scientific fraud

The Baltimore case

In the 1980s Dingell led a series of congressional hearings to pursue alleged scientific fraud by Thereza Imanishi-Kari and Nobel Prize-winner David Baltimore. Although the scientists were later exonerated, the hearings and negative publicity surrounding them forced David Baltimore to resign as president of Rockefeller University and caused Imanishi-Kari to lose a tenure-track position.

The story of the case is described in Daniel Kevles' 1998 book The Baltimore Case, in a chapter of Horace Freeland Judson's 2004 book , and in a 1993 study by Serge Lang, updated and reprinted in his book Challenges (New York: Springer-Verlag; 1997).

Robert Gallo and the controversy on who discovered the AIDS virus

In 1991–1995 Dingell's staff investigated claims that Robert Gallo had used samples supplied to him by Luc Montagnier to fraudulently claim to have discovered the AIDS virus. The report concluded that Gallo had engaged in fraud and that the NIH covered up his misappropriation of work by the French team at the Institut Pasteur. The report contended that:

The report was never formally published as a subcommittee report due to the 1995 change in control of the House from Democrats to Republicans. Other accusations against Gallo were dropped, and while Montagnier's group is considered to be the first to isolate the virus, Gallo's has been recognized as first to prove that this virus was the cause of AIDS.

Political campaigns

In 1955, John, Sr. died and John, Jr. won a special election to succeed him. He won a full term in 1956 and has been reelected 26 times, including a run in 2006 with no major opponent. Between them, he and his father have represented the southeastern Michigan area for more than 75 years.

His district was numbered as the 15th District from 1955 to 1965, when redistricting merged it into the Dearborn-based 16th District; in the primary that year, he defeated 16th District incumbent John Lesinski, Jr.

In 2002, redistricting merged Dingell's 16th District with the Washtenaw County and western Wayne County-based 13th District, represented by fellow Democrat Lynn Rivers, whom Dingell also bested in the Democratic primary. The current 15th District () includes Wayne County suburbs generally southwest of Detroit, the Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti areas in Washtenaw County, and all of Monroe County. For many years, Dingell represented much of western Detroit itself, though Detroit's declining population and the growth of its suburbs has pushed all of Detroit into the districts of fellow Democrats including John Conyers. Dingell has always won re-election by double-digit margins, although the increasing conservatism of the white suburbs of Detroit since the 1970s led to several serious Republican challenges in the 1990s. He has won his last two elections, however, with over 70 percent of the vote. With the retirement of Jamie L. Whitten, the death of William Natcher, and the defeat of Texas congressman Jack Brooks at the start of a new Congress in January 1995, he became the Dean of the United States House of Representatives even though fellow congressman Sidney Yates had served non-consecutive terms earlier than Dingell. He is one of three people to serve in the House for 50 years, the others being Whitten and Carl Vinson.

On February 20, 2010, Dingell announced that he would seek a 29th term in the November 2010 election, and won re-election.

Electoral history

References

External links

Dean of the House of Representatives John D. Dingell official U.S. House site

John D. Dingell for U.S. Congress official campaign site

Profile at SourceWatch

CD15 at Michigan Liberal

Dingell's account of his civil rights record

Category:1926 births Category:Living people Category:American military personnel of World War II Category:Georgetown University Law Center alumni Category:Members of the United States House of Representatives from Michigan Category:Michigan lawyers Category:American people of Scotch-Irish descent Category:People from Colorado Springs, Colorado Category:People from Detroit, Michigan Category:American people of Polish descent Category:United States Army officers Category:American Roman Catholics Category:American social democrats Category:Michigan Democrats