Harold Volkmer
Harold L. Volkmer | |
---|---|
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Missouri's 9th district | |
In office January 3, 1977 – January 3, 1997 | |
Preceded by | William L. Hungate |
Succeeded by | Kenny Hulshof |
Member of the Missouri House of Representatives | |
In office 1967–1977 | |
Personal details | |
Born | Jefferson City, Missouri, U.S. | April 4, 1931
Died | April 16, 2011 Hannibal, Missouri, U.S. | (aged 80)
Political party | Democratic |
Spouses | Shirley Ruth Braskett
(m. 1955; died 1995)Dian Poole Sprenger (m. 1997) |
Children | 3 John Paul, Elizabeth Ann |
Alma mater | Saint Louis University University of Missouri School of Law |
Harold Lee Volkmer (April 4, 1931 – April 16, 2011) was an American politician from Missouri.[1] He was a Democrat who served 20 years in the United States House of Representatives.
Early life and career
Volkmer grew up in Jefferson City, Missouri, where he "got his start in politics helping his mother campaign in Jefferson City, Missouri, for the re-election of President
Prior to entering politics, Volkmer operated a private law practice in Hannibal, Missouri.
Political career
After graduating from law school, "Volkmer quickly entered public service, first as an Assistant Attorney General for the State, and then in the United States Army. He was elected Prosecuting Attorney for Marion County in 1960, and then State Representative in 1966."[2] Volkmer was re-elected to the Missouri House of Representatives four times. "During his ten years in the Missouri legislature, he earned the same reputation that he would have had in Congress. An 'energetic blunt-talking lawyer' and 'a maverick,' in the words of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Volkmer led the way on a major reorganization of the executive branch of state government. As the Republican minority leader later recalled, 'Volkmer was the brains for all of us. He understood the issue of reorganization better than anybody in the Legislature. We all looked to him for leadership, including me. I don’t like to say that, darn it, because he’s a Democrat. But it’s true.'"[2]
As Chairman of the Missouri House Judiciary Committee, Volkmer sought and obtained approval of the Equal Rights Amendment by the Missouri House of Representatives. In 1976, he was elected to the United States House of Representatives and was re-elected nine times.
In Congress, Volkmer represented a mostly rural 21-county area in northeastern Missouri. He served on the
He was one of the primary sponsors of the 1986 McClure-Volkmer Act that came to be known as the
For most of his tenure, Volkmer usually skated to reelection. From 1978 to 1990, he only faced one close race, in 1984.[3] In 1992, however, he was nearly defeated by Republican Rick Hardy, a political science professor at MU, surviving by only 5,800 votes.[4] He faced an equally close race in 1994, when Republican assistant attorney general Kenny Hulshof held him to 50.4 percent of the vote.[5] He lost a rematch to Hulshof in 1996 by just under 5,900 votes.[6] Since then, the Democrats have only once cracked the 40 percent barrier in the district, now numbered as the 3rd.
After leaving Congress, Volkmer served as chairman of the National Commission on Small Farms, and "the members of the National Rifle Association overwhelmingly elected him to their Board of Directors, on which he served for the next 12 years."[2] Volkmer resided in Hannibal, Missouri until his death at age 80 from pneumonia on April 16, 2011.[2]
References
External links
- United States Congress. "Harold Volkmer (id: V000112)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- Stennis Center Biography
- Volokh Conspiracy
- Harold Volkmer at Find a Grave