Ike Skelton
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Ike Skelton | |
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Chair of the House Armed Services Committee | |
In office January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2011 | |
Preceded by | Duncan Hunter |
Succeeded by | Buck McKeon |
Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee | |
In office February 6, 1998 – January 3, 2007 | |
Preceded by | Ron Dellums |
Succeeded by | Duncan Hunter |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Missouri's 4th district | |
In office January 3, 1977 – January 3, 2011 | |
Preceded by | William Randall |
Succeeded by | Vicky Hartzler |
Member of the Missouri Senate from the 28th district | |
In office 1971–1977 | |
Preceded by | John Ryan |
Succeeded by | David Doctorian |
Personal details | |
Born | Isaac Newton Skelton IV December 20, 1931 Arlington, Virginia, U.S. |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouses | Susan Anding
(m. 1961; died 2005)Patty Martin (m. 2009) |
Education | Wentworth Military Academy and College (AA) University of Missouri (AB, LLB) |
Isaac Newton Skelton IV (December 20, 1931 – October 28, 2013) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the
Early life and education
Skelton was born in Lexington, Missouri, a rural town with extensive Civil War history. He was the son of Carolyn Marie (Boone) and Isaac Newton Skelton III.[1]
In 1928, Skelton's father met
Skelton was an
Career
Skelton became a lawyer and entered private practice in
Skelton served as a member of the Missouri Senate, representing Lafayette County, from 1971 until 1977.[4]
U.S. House of Representatives
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3b/Ike_Skelton_in_1977.jpg/160px-Ike_Skelton_in_1977.jpg)
Committee assignments
- Committee on Armed Services (Chairman)
As chairman of the full committee, Skelton served as an
Skelton served as chair of the
Political positions
Skelton voted with Democratic leadership 94.6% of the time during the 111th Congress, meaning he broke with his party more frequently than 82% of the Democratic Caucus.[5] Vicky Hartzler, Skelton's 2010 Congressional opponent, stated on the campaign trail that Skelton has voted in line with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi 95% of the time during his tenure in the House.[6]
Before the 2006 election, Skelton told columnist
Fiscal issues
Skelton voted against the
Social issues
Skelton was fairly conservative on social issues. He opposed
Military issues
Skelton was a long-time proponent of the Missouri National Guard, in recognition for which the National Guard Training Center in Jefferson City is named in his honor. However, at times he has disagreed with other members of Missouri's congressional delegation over the state's defense installations. In 2005, for instance, he opposed Senator Kit Bond's efforts to keep open the 131st Air National Guard Fighter Wing in St. Louis County.
The wing was considered an "alert site" by the
Controversy
On October 8, 2009, Skelton, after addressing fellow Missouri Congressman Todd Akin, a Republican, on the House floor, said to Akin, "stick it up your ass." The comment was picked up by the microphone and could be heard on the C-SPAN broadcast. Skelton's spokeswoman, Jennifer Kohl, said the comment was not intended to be broadcast and was "said out of frustration in the heat of debate." Akin's spokesman, Steve Taylor, said the remark was "shocking and not characteristic of Skelton's behavior."[16]
Political campaigns
When William J. Randall retired after 17 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, Skelton won the Democratic nomination to succeed him with 40% of the vote in a crowded primary field of nine Democratic candidates.[17] He ran with the endorsement of Truman's widow, Bess, which he attributes to his own father's support for Harry S. Truman in the 1940 U.S. Senate primary.[18] He was reelected 16 times, usually by well over 60 percent of the vote. Before 2010, he only faced one truly serious challenge, in 1982. That year, Missouri lost a district, and Skelton's district was merged with the neighboring 8th District, represented by freshman Republican Wendell Bailey. Although Skelton retained almost 60 percent of his former territory, Bailey held him to 55 percent of the vote.
2010
Skelton seemed to have a fairly secure hold on his district, even though it had been trending Republican for some time. Historically, it had had a character similar to
In 2010, Skelton faced former Republican state Representative Vicky Hartzler of Harrisonville, who had been out of politics for more than a decade. Polls consistently showed a very competitive race, easily the most competitive the district had seen in decades. Many pundits rated it as a toss-up.
It was still a surprise when Skelton lost to Hartzler, 50 percent to 45 percent.[19] While Skelton ran evenly with Hartzler in the areas closer to Kansas City, he lost badly in the rural areas, including some that had supported him for many years. No Democrat has managed as much as 40 percent of the vote since Skelton left office.
Awards and honors
In 2005 the U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation awarded Skelton its Naval Heritage award for his support of the U S Navy and military during his years in Congress. In 2010, Skelton was recognized by then, Commandant of the Marine Corps, General James F. Amos, as an Honorary Marine, the first U.S. congressman to be awarded the title.[20] In 2012, the United States Military Academy recognized Skelton with the Sylvanus Thayer Award. In the same year, the USAF Air University presented Skelton with an honorary Doctor of Law degree for his work in the advancement of military education.
Personal life
His wife of 44 years, Susan Anding Skelton, died on August 23, 2005. Later that year, on November 26, Skelton was injured when a van carrying him and fellow
On August 29, 2009, Skelton married Patty Martin, a longtime friend and widowed middle school counselor from his home town.[21]
Skelton was a member of the
Death
Skelton died of pneumonia at Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, Virginia on October 28, 2013, at the age of 81.[23] According to Skelton's colleague, Russell Orban, Skelton had been admitted to the hospital a week earlier with a bad cough.[24]
Skelton's memoir, Achieve the Honorable, had been published just two weeks before his death.
References
- ^ "skelton". freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com. Archived from the original on 30 October 2013. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
- ^ "Ike Skelton (D-Mo.)". Who Runs Gov. Archived from the original on 2009-04-12. Retrieved 2009-02-04.
- ^ "Distinguished Eagle Scouts" (PDF). Scouting.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-12. Retrieved 2010-11-04.
- ^ IT, Missouri Secretary of State -. "Missouri Legislators S". www.sos.mo.gov. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
- ^ "House voting with party scores | 111th Congress | Congressional votes database | washingtonpost.com". Projects.washingtonpost.com. Archived from the original on 2010-09-14. Retrieved 2010-09-13.
- ^ Tiron, Roxana (2010-09-04). "GOP targets vulnerable Armed Services panel chairman Skelton". The Hill. Retrieved 2010-09-07.
Hartzler has repeatedly criticized Skelton for voting with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) 95 percent of the time and is trying to make in-roads on issues such as climate change, which Skelton supported in 2009.
- ^ Will, George F. (2006-08-02). "A Species Yet Not Extinct". Newsweek. Retrieved 2010-09-15.
Today some people say more—perhaps 50,000 more—troops should be sent to Iraq. Skelton says: "Oh, we have the troops. But are they ready? No." Two months ago he wrote to the president that "two thirds of the [Army's] brigade combat teams in our operating force are unready." He says 40 percent of the Army and Marine Corps ground equipment is in Afghanistan or Iraq; so, many troops outside those theaters cannot train properly.
[dead link] - ^ "Final vote results for roll call 149". clerk.house.gov. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
- ^ "The Nevada Daily Mail - Google News Archive Search". Google News. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
- ^ "Ike Skelton, former Representative for Missouri's 4th Congressional District - GovTrack.us". GovTrack.us. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
- ^ "The 9/11 Commission Report" (PDF). Retrieved 2017-09-18.
- ^ "Senator Kit Bond". Archived from the original on 2010-11-05. Retrieved 2010-09-23.
- ^ "U.S. House of Representatives, House Armed Services Committee". Archived from the original on 2010-11-03. Retrieved 2010-09-23.
- ^ "Final vote results for roll call 548". clerk.house.gov. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
- ^ Pike, John. "131st Fighter Wing [131st FW]". www.globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
- ^ Google Newspaper Archive[dead link]
- ISBN 0-940702-01-0.
- ^ Konieczko, Jill (October 26, 2006). "Rep. Ike Skelton (Missouri)–Armed Services Committee". U.S. News & World Report. U.S. News & World Report, L.P. Archived from the original on January 23, 2011. Retrieved November 25, 2016.
- ^ "Longtime Mo. Rep. Skelton loses to GOP opponent". The Washington Post. Associated Press. November 2, 2010.
- ^ "Honorary Marine". www.marines.mil. Archived from the original on 2016-06-15.
- ^ Rothstein, Betsy (February 11, 2009). "Rep. Skelton: Engaged, full of wisdom on love". The Hill. Retrieved 2009-07-07.[dead link]
- Almanac of American Politics, p.958
- ^ "Funeral home: Ike Skelton Died of Pneumonia, Arrangements Announced - OzarksFirst.com". Archived from the original on 2013-11-01. Retrieved 2013-10-31.
- ^ Fields, Dana. "Former Rep. Ike Skelton Dead at 81." ABC News. N.p., 28 Oct. 2013. Web. 28 Oct. 2013. <https://abcnews.go.com/m/story?id=20709728>.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- "Congressman Ike Skelton's National Security Book List With Reviews" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-12-15. Retrieved 2009-07-07.
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Profile at Vote Smart
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- Profile at SourceWatch
- Ike Skelton at Find a Grave