Dan Rostenkowski
Dan Rostenkowski | |
---|---|
Michael Patrick Flanagan | |
Constituency | 8th district (1959–1993) 5th district (1993–1995) |
Member of the Illinois Senate from the 33rd district | |
In office January 9, 1957 – January 3, 1959 | |
Preceded by | Morris E. Muhleman |
Succeeded by | Thad L. Kusibab |
Member of the Illinois Senate from the 27th district | |
In office January 12, 1955 – January 9, 1957 | |
Preceded by | Stanley J. Mondala |
Succeeded by | Robert E. Cherry |
Member of the Illinois House of Representatives from the 27th district | |
In office January 14, 1953 – January 12, 1955 Serving with John Touhy , Anthony C. Prusinski | |
Preceded by | John Kuklinski |
Succeeded by | Edward J. Shaw Louis Janczak |
Personal details | |
Born | Daniel David Rostenkowski January 2, 1928 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
Died | August 11, 2010 Genoa City, Wisconsin, U.S. | (aged 82)
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse |
LaVerne Pirkins (m. 1951) |
Education | Loyola University, Chicago |
Daniel David Rostenkowski (January 2, 1928 – August 11, 2010) was a United States Representative from Chicago, serving for 36 years, from 1959 to 1995. He became one of the most powerful legislators in Congress, especially in matters of taxation. He was imprisoned in 1996.[1] A Democrat and son of a Chicago alderman, Rostenkowski was for many years Democratic Committeeman of Chicago's 32nd Ward, retaining this position while also serving in Congress.[2]
In national politics, he rose by virtue of seniority to the rank of Chairman of the
Rostenkowski closed legislative deals between the toughest power brokers in the U.S., from union chiefs to corporate titans to president Reagan and to everyone in between. The book Chicago and the American Century credits Rostenkowski with securing billions of dollars in federal money for projects in Chicago and Illinois. The book named him the sixth most significant politician to come from Chicago in the entire twentieth century.[1]
Rostenkowski's political career, however, ended abruptly in 1994 when he was indicted on corruption charges relating to his role in the
Early life and political beginnings
Rostenkowski was born on January 2, 1928, into a political family in
The Rostenkowski home was on the second floor of 1349 Noble Street in Chicago, above the tavern owned by Priscilla and adjacent to the alderman's insurance agency and the headquarters of the regular Democratic 32nd ward organization. Near dawn on August 6, 1938, Joe heard shots. Two top precinct captains for the alderman were shot multiple times as they slept in a car parked in front of the Rostenkowski home. Joe took his family to the Rostenkowski summer home in Genoa City, Wisconsin. The killers were never caught.[6][7]
In 1941, at the age of 13, Rostenkowski accompanied his father to Washington to witness the inauguration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt for his third term.[8] In 1955 his father lost his aldermanic seat after supporting then-County Clerk Richard J. Daley for Mayor over a fellow Polish leader named Ben Adamowski.[citation needed]
Following his graduation from
Illinois General Assembly
In 1952, while still a student at Loyola, the twenty-four-year-old Rostenkowski was elected as one of three legislators from the 27th district to the
Connecting with the Kennedys
As a young and outgoing urban Democrat, new to Washington, Rostenkowski quickly found mentors and made friends with other Democrats. His relationship with Massachusetts Reps.
On September 26, 1960, Rostenkowski witnessed what many consider the turning point in Kennedy's battle with Richard Nixon. Kennedy invited Rostenkowski to the CBS studios in downtown Chicago to view in person, the first ever televised
In the aftermath of Kennedy's assassination Rostenkowski was one of a small group who made regular visits to
Early years, U.S. Congress
In his first decade in Congress, Rostenkowski gradually attained a position of influence in the House. In his freshman term he secured a position on the Interstate and Foreign Commerce Committee. After the death of Illinois congressional delegation leader Thomas J. O'Brien in 1964, Rostenkowski inherited O'Brien's seat on the Ways and Means Committee. In 1966 and again in 1968, he was elected chairman of the House Democratic Caucus. "His rough edges, Chicago syntax, and intimidating bulk made him a stereotype of Chicago machine Democrats who the Washington media enjoyed portraying as mere stooges of mayor Richard J. Daley".[citation needed]
During his early years in congress, Rostenkowski's record was typical of a northern Democrat with close ties to a powerful big city political organization. He made sure that Chicago received its full share of funds under programs like the Law Enforcement Assistance Act. And in the face of white backlash from his district, he supported
Rostenkowski supported the American effort in Vietnam until 1971, when he joined anti-war Congressmen in an attempt to force a quick withdrawal of American troops by voting against certain military appropriation bills.
A great admirer of Lyndon Johnson, he was tapped by the President to second the nomination of Hubert Humphrey as his vice president at the 1964 Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City. Four years later, at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Johnson would again ask Rostenkowski to take the podium, but this time the results proved costly to the young congressman's future in Washington.
1968 Democratic National Convention
Met by anti-war protesters, racial unrest, and rioting on the streets, the
Two years later, Rostenkowski was running for a third term as chairman of the Democratic Caucus and did not expect any opposition. But to his surprise, the Texas delegation nominated their colleague,
Political payback
A few weeks later, Albert was elected Speaker of the House, while Hale Boggs replaced him as majority leader. Boggs asked the new speaker three times to name Rostenkowski assistant majority leader and three times Albert refused.[15]
Albert instead picked Rostenkowski's close friend, Tip O'Neill, to become whip. This allowed O'Neill to leap over Rostenkowski on the leadership ladder, a ladder that led to O'Neill becoming speaker just six years later. "The events of that January shadowed the relationship between O'Neill and Rostenkowski from that point on" said former Representative James Shannon, "Every step of the way, Danny Rostenkowski looked at Tip O'Neill and, while he loved the guy felt, 'Man, that is where I should be'."[16]
Political comeback
In the early 1970s with his hopes of a leadership position lost, President Johnson out of office and Daley out of favor with the Republican administration, Rostenkowski began to rebuild his career. Though he rarely spoke on the floor, he was offering legislation on his own, such as anti-pollution bills, subsidies to local museums, and a proposal to grant renters the same tax breaks as homeowners.[17]
In 1974, Ways and Means chairman Al Ullman named Rostenkowski chairman of the committee's newly created subcommittee on health. In this role Rostenkowski obtained expertise in two critical areas of policy that would serve him well in his future: health care and taxes.
Late in 1976, Richard Daley died, leading to speculation that Rostenkowski would return home to Chicago and run for mayor. That same year, speaker Carl Albert announced he would not seek another term in Congress. Meaning Tip O'Neill would become speaker, this paved the way for Rostenkowski to begin the climb back up the leadership ladder.
He played a key role in the election of Jim Wright as the House Majority Leader. In return, O'Neill and Wright appointed Rostenkowski chief deputy to the new Democratic whip, John Brademas. The 1980 election was a disaster for the Democratic Party, but it opened up new opportunities for advancement to Rostenkowski.
Rostenkowski easily defeated future
In 1986, Rostenkowski was charged with drunk driving in Wisconsin and was charged $555.00 and had his license suspended in Illinois for one year.[18]
Chairman Rostenkowski
In 1980 the defeats of Chairman Al Ullman and Majority Whip
By 1984, Chairman Rostenkowski began to hit his stride. He was praised for his role in drafting the 1984 Deficit Reduction Act, a three-year, $50 billion tax hike. During his 13 years as chairman, Rostenkowski grew to become larger than life, especially to Ways and Means colleagues. "He ran the committee the old-fashioned way, with loyalty, trust, and his word" said former congressman Mike Andrews of Texas.[citation needed] He was a consensus builder who commanded through his political judgment and his ability to make a deal.[citation needed] Not as much of an expert on the tax code as was a previous chairman Wilbur Mills, or one to lead with a light hand, such as Ullman, Rostenkowski built a staff of dedicated experts who were given broad leeway to shape legislation, leaving for himself the political judgments, and actions that were required to pass the proposals. "Is it good law"? was his directive to his aides. "I want people to be able to say, that son of a gun, he had some guts, he had some fortitude, he realized what you had to be in order to be a national legislator."[19]
A profile of Rostenkowski in the July 1989 issue of National Journal said "The chairman is a man of action, not words; a doer, not a rhetorician; one who thrives at the negotiating table, not the speaker's lectern....he has nourished an image as a legislative strategist that is perhaps unsurpassed on Capitol Hill. He wants to make laws, and as a lobbyist put it, 'he doesn't like people throwing a lot of dust in the gears'."[citation needed]
"Write Rosty"
On May 28, 1985, he rose to national prominence when he delivered the televised Democratic response to an
Major legislation enacted during chairmanship
Under Rostenkowski's leadership, the Ways and Means committee passed several major pieces of legislation, including:
- Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981
- Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 1982
- Pub. L.98–21)
- Pub. L.98–67)
- Deficit Reduction Act of 1984
- Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985
- Pub. L.99–499)
- Tax Reform Act of 1986
- Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1987
- Pub. L.100–360)
- Pub. L.101–239)
- Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990
- Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993
Felony conviction
Rostenkowski's political career ended in 1994 after a two-year investigation by the Justice Department. In a case led by future U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, Rostenkowski was indicted on corruption charges for his role in the House Post Office scandal. He was forced to step down from all Congressional leadership positions. In elections later that year, after winning the Democratic primary, Rostenkowski lost his seat in a narrow election and retired from political life.
Charges against Rostenkowski included: keeping "ghost" employees on his payroll (paying salaries at taxpayer expense for no-show "jobs"); using Congressional funds to buy gifts such as chairs and ashtrays for friends; diverting taxpayer funds to pay for vehicles used for personal transportation; tampering with a
While the stamps-for-cash allegation received the most media coverage, those charges were dismissed on the recommendation of the prosecutor.
Changing times
Rostenkowski acknowledged breaking House rules regarding stationery-store purchases and employing individuals who did little or no work – practices that his supporters argued were common on the Hill. "He took the hit for the whole House for practices that were there since time immemorial", said Republican Congressman Bill Frenzel of Minnesota. Democratic Congressman Anthony Beilenson of California said "I can't believe he's venal or corrupt. He was inattentive and continued the old ways."[26]
Former President Gerald Ford, whose lone pardon letter in all his post-White House years was on behalf of Rostenkowski, told a biographer, "Danny's problem was he played precisely under the rules of the city of Chicago. Now, those aren't the same rules that any other place in the country lives by, but in Chicago they were totally legal, and Danny got a screwing".[27]
In his commentary titled: "The Rules Kept Changing; Dan Rostenkowski Didn't",[28] Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Mike Royko, a frequent Rostenkowski critic, wrote "Nobody should be taking pleasure from Rostenkowski's misfortune. Not unless you have never, ever, broken even a minor law and gotten away with it, fudged a bit on your taxes or violated any of the Ten Commandments.' "Only a few decades ago, none of this would have been happening. That's because the rules changed. Most of the things he was nailed for would have been legal and common or, at worst, nickel-dime offenses when he began his career in Congress." Royko also questioned the motives of federal prosecutors, "Rostenkowski was a big political fish-the kind of trophy that an ambitious federal prosecutor loves to stuff and hang on his wall…That's what did Rostenkowski in – a federal prosecutor's personal ambitions."
In a 1998 interview with
In the end, Rostenkowski once lamented to a friend, "I'm going to jail for sending a guy a rocking chair."[29]
External videos | |
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Booknotes interview with Richard E. Cohen on Rostenkowski: The Pursuit of Power and the End of the Old Politics, September 19, 1999, C-SPAN |
Rostenkowski's downfall in 1994 was portrayed by Republicans as emblematic of Democratic corruption. The scandal helped fuel the
In Chicago
Throughout his career in Washington, Rostenkowski returned to Chicago almost every weekend. In his early days he would drive to and from Washington with two other young Illinois Congressmen, Republicans
Rostenkowski gave up his position as Democratic Committeeman of the 32nd Ward in 1984, but retained local influence as he was able to essentially hand the position to his protégé, Alderman Terry Gabinski.
An unabashed supporter of Chicago interests, Rostenkowski paid attention to the needs of Chicago-based institutions –especially when they promised more jobs for Chicago area workers."I make no apology for my efforts to build a stronger Chicago."
Rostenkowski was also considered[
For Chicago
In his book
In January 1983 Plitt Theaters filed a lawsuit to obtain a permit to demolish the historic Chicago Theatre. Mayor Jane Byrne and other civic leaders appealed to Rostenkowski to assist them in obtaining a federal Urban Development Action Grant to save the theater. Grants of this kind were being frozen from Chicago by Samuel Pierce, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, in reprisal for Rostenkowski's opposition to the Reagan administration's Urban Enterprise Zone bill.[35] Rostenkowski considered these zones a Republican gimmick that would help businesses escape taxes without addressing chronic inner-city unemployment. Rostenkowski called his friend Vice President George H. W. Bush, "If I don't get that grant, you're going to have one very pissed off chairman of the Ways and Means Committee for your administration's pending tax bill".[36] Shortly thereafter, Pierce phoned Rostenkowski to ask if he could come up and see him. Sure, the congressman replied, just bring the papers for the theater project.[37]
In a move that was controversial at the time, Rostenkowski won tax breaks for local developers to build Presidential Towers, a large four-tower apartment complex in the middle of what was then a Skid Row neighborhood. The project spurred development of Chicago's West Loop and led to thousands of young professionals moving to downtown Chicago.[38] The once blighted area grew to attract restaurants and other industries, including Harpo Studios, where The Oprah Winfrey Show was taped.
Later life
After Congress
Following his political career, he operated Danross Associates, a Chicago-based legislative and government affairs firm. He also worked as a political commentator, as well as a guest lecturer at Northwestern University and a Senior Fellow at Loyola University Chicago. Rostenkowski received a federal pension of between US$97,000 and US$125,000 per year. Congressional pensions are based on years of service and Rostenkowski is one of the few Congressmen to have served 36 years in Congress.
Rostenkowski's papers are now held at the Congressional Archives at Loyola University Chicago.
Death
On August 11, 2010, Rostenkowski died at the age of 82 from the effects of lung cancer at his summer home in Genoa City, Wisconsin.[4][39]
A funeral was held on August 17, 2010, at the
See also
- List of American federal politicians convicted of crimes
- List of federal political scandals in the United States
- List of people pardoned or granted clemency by the president of the United States
- Charles Rangel
Further reading
- Ciccone, F. Richard (1999). Chicago and the American Century: The 100 Most Significant Chicagoans of the Twentieth Century. Chicago: Contemporary Books. OCLC 39307343.
- Cohen, Richard E. (2000). Rostenkowski : The Pursuit of Power and the End of the Old Politics. Chicago: Ivan R. Dee. OCLC 44391572.
- DeFrank, Thomas M. (2007). Write It When I'm Gone: Remarkable Off-the-Record Conversations with Gerald R. Ford. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons. OCLC 154675348.
- Farrell, John A. (2001). Tip O'Neill and the Democratic Century (1st ed.). Boston: Little, Brown. OCLC 44579015.
- Inglot, Tomasz; Pelissero, John P. (1993). "Ethnic Political Power in a Machine City Chicago's Poles at Rainbow's End". Urban Affairs Review. 28 (4): 526–543. S2CID 143952561.
- Merriner, James L. (1999). Mr. Chairman: Power in Dan Rostenkowski's America. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press. ISBN 0-8093-2473-3.
- O'Donnell, Helen (1998). A Common Good: The Friendship of Robert F. Kennedy and Kenneth P. O'Donnell (1st ed.). New York: William Morrow. OCLC 38989842.
- Politics in America: 1992. Congressional Quarterly. 1991. pp. 439–43.
- Rangel, Charles B.; Wynter, Leon (2007). And I Haven't Had a Bad Day Since: From the Streets of Harlem to the Halls of Congress. New York: St. Martin's Press. (Served on Ways and Means)
- Remini, Robert V. (2006). The House: The History of the House of Representatives. New York: Smithsonian Books in association with HarperCollins. OCLC 67347513.
Notes
- ^ a b "Booknotes". Booknotes. 1999-09-19. Archived from the original on 2010-11-16. Retrieved 2010-08-11.
- ^ Madigan, Charles M. (February 26, 1994). "New era means trouble for old-style pol". The Wichita Eagle. Chicago Tribune. p. World Focus-2. Retrieved May 12, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Clymer, Adam (February 10, 1993). "For Rostenkowski, Maybe Glory, Maybe Disgrace". The New York Times. Retrieved April 30, 2010.
- ^ a b c d "Rostenkowski, Daniel David". History, Art & Archives. United States House of Representatives. Retrieved 2021-06-12.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-615-61057-3.
- ^ "Clew to Killing of 2 Hunted in Maze of Terror; Alderman's Aids Shot at His Front Door". Chicago Daily Tribune. 1938-08-07. p. 1.
- ^ Kass, John (August 13, 2010). "Rosty had good reason to know politics is a blood sport". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
- ^ Merriner, p. 33
- ^ Illinois Blue Book 1953-1954. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
- ^ Cohen, p. 24
- ^ Merriner, p. 76
- ^ Cohen, p. 48
- ^ O'Donnell, p. 339
- ^ Ciccone
- ^ a b Remini, p. 429
- ^ Farrell, p. 290
- ^ Merriner, p. 117
- ^ Judge fines Rosty $555 // License suspended in Wisconsin drunken driving case Chicago Sun-Times, June 10, 1986
- ^ Cohen, p. 288
- ^ The Washington Post. 30 May 1985.
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(help) - ^ Congressional Quarterly, July 6, 1985.
- ^ Johnston, David (June 2, 1994). "INDICTMENT OF A CONGRESSMAN: THE OVERVIEW; Rostenkowski and His Lawyer May Part". The New York Times.
- ^ "Rostenkowski Hopes To Set Forth On the Road to Redemption". CNN. Retrieved April 30, 2010.
- ^ Cohen, p. 68
- ISBN 0-375-41457-6.
- ^ Cohen, p. 267
- ^ DeFrank, p. 138
- ^ Royko, Mike (April 12, 1996). "The Rules Kept Changing; Dan Rostenkowski Didn't". The Seattle Times. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
- ^ Ciccone, p. 35
- ^ a b Cohen, p. 7.
- ^ Cohen, p. 174
- ^ Merriner, p. 186.
- ^ Simon, Roger (March 4, 1994). "In Chicago, he's Mr. Money and that's all that counts". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
- ^ Cohen, p. 176
- ^ Merriner, p. 187
- ^ Merriner, 188
- ^ Merriner, 189
- ^ Corfman, Thomas A. (2007-03-05). "Pritzker family to sell Presidential Towers". Crain's Chicago Business. Retrieved 2010-08-11.
- ^ Brown, Emma (August 12, 2010). "Dan Rostenkowski, 82; powerful committee chairman in U.S. House". The Washington Post.
- ^ "Former Ways and Means Chairman Dan Rostenkowski Dead at 82". Politics Daily. 11 August 2010. Archived from the original on 15 August 2010. Retrieved 14 August 2010.
External links
- United States Congress. "Dan Rostenkowski (id: R000458)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- Public Affairs Report, Cal Berkeley
- Indictment of a Congressman; A Giant Void in Congress
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- FBI Records: The Vault – Daniel David "Dan" Rostenkowski at fbi.gov
- Dan Rostenkowski at Find a Grave