Jim Oberstar
Jim Oberstar | |
---|---|
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Minnesota's 8th district | |
In office January 3, 1975 – January 3, 2011 | |
Preceded by | John Blatnik |
Succeeded by | Chip Cravaack |
Chair of the House Transportation Committee | |
In office January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2011 | |
Preceded by | Don Young |
Succeeded by | John Mica |
Ranking Member of the House Transportation Committee | |
In office October 10, 1995 – January 3, 2007 | |
Preceded by | Norman Mineta |
Succeeded by | John Mica |
Personal details | |
Born | James Louis Oberstar September 10, 1934 Chisholm, Minnesota, U.S. |
Died | May 3, 2014 Potomac, Maryland, U.S. | (aged 79)
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse(s) | Jo Garlick (Deceased) Jean Kurth |
Children | 4 |
Education | University of St. Thomas, Minnesota (BA) College of Europe (MA) |
James Louis Oberstar (September 10, 1934 – May 3, 2014) was an American politician who served in the
Early life, education and career
Oberstar was born in Chisholm, Minnesota, and on his deathbed, he still owned his original family home in Chisholm. His father Louis, of German ancestry, was an iron ore miner and the first card-carrying member of the United Steelworkers (USW) on the Iron Range of Minnesota.[2] Oberstar also has Slovenian ancestry.[3]
Oberstar graduated from
He spent four years as a civilian language teacher in the
He served on the staff of Minnesota's 8th District U.S. Representative John Blatnik for 12 years, from 1963 to 1974,[1] rising to chief of staff. He was also the administrator of the Committee on Public Works for the U.S. House of Representatives from 1971 to 1974.[1]
U.S. House of Representatives
Oberstar was first elected as a Democrat to the 94th Congress and was reelected to 17 succeeding Congresses, serving from January 3, 1975, to January 3, 2011.[1]
He was an internationally recognized expert on
In 1965, Oberstar helped create the Economic Development Administration, the only federal agency devoted to the creation and retention of jobs in economically distressed American communities.[5]
Oberstar was a strong supporter of the Duluth-based aircraft manufacturer Cirrus Aircraft and even helped bring the company to Minnesota in 1994 from its first home in Baraboo, Wisconsin.[6][7] That same year, he assisted in passing the General Aviation Revitalization Act, which was said to have reinvigorated the general aviation industry nationwide.[7]
An avid
Oberstar generally had a liberal voting record but opposed abortion and
He was rated the third most liberal member of the Minnesota delegation in the
Along with
Within days after the collapse of the
In 2004, Oberstar led the opposition to the Commercial Space Launch Amendments Act of 2004, a bill that established a regulatory framework for private suborbital spaceflight, arguing that the bill did not sufficiently safeguard passenger and crew safety. "I do not want to see people dead from a space experiment, and then the federal government comes in to regulate".[15]
During his tenure in Congress, Oberstar held leadership positions on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, was House Democratic At-Large Whip, and was a member of the Executive Committee of the Democratic Study Group. He also served on the International Relations Committee. He was co-chair of the Great Lakes Task Force and was a member of the Upper Mississippi Task Force and the Democratic Homeland Security Task Force. He co-chaired the Congressional Travel and Tourism Caucus and was a member of the following caucuses: the Bike Caucus; the Caucus for Sustainable Development; the
Awards and honors
In 2009, Oberstar received the Tony Jannus Award for distinguished leadership in commercial aviation.[16]
In May 2011, a
On June 19, 2012, Oberstar was made Commander in the French Ordre national du Mérite.
In October 2015, the new passenger terminal of the Duluth International Airport was named in honor of Oberstar, who helped secure funding for the facility before its 2013 opening. A sculpture of him was also unveiled during the renamed terminal's introduction.[18]
In 2016, he was posthumously inducted into the Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame.[19]
Political positions
- Abortion
Oberstar was an
- Education
Oberstar was a strong supporter of the
- Environment
Oberstar was rated 100 by Environment America and the League of Conservation Voters in 2009.
- Labor
According to his voting record and interest group ratings, Oberstar supported labor. He was given an 100% rating by the interest group AFL-CIO, a voluntary group of labor-unions working to improve the lives of working families.[28] Oberstar was also rated 92 by the American Federation of Government in 2009 and 90 by Federally Employed Women in 2009.[28] He voted for three unemployment benefits extension bills in 2010 and three Employment Discrimination Law Amendments in 2009.[28]
- Taxation
According to the Minnesota Congressional Election 2008
He supported a tax plan containing tax relief for working families, investment tax credits for small businesses, and support for the states, including incentives for transportation construction projects that will immediately put people back to work.[33]
- Trade
Oberstar did not support
Political campaigns
When John Blatnik opted not to run for a 15th term in 1974, he endorsed Oberstar as his successor. Oberstar won and was reelected 16 times without serious difficulty. Democrats Blatnik and Oberstar held the seat from 1947 until 2011. Oberstar's lowest winning percentage was 59 percent in 1992, but after that, until 2010, he did not earn less than 60 percent of the vote. He is the longest-serving member of either house of Congress in Minnesota's history, having served in the 94th through the 111th Congresses from January 3, 1975 to January 3, 2011.
During the 2008 electoral campaign, Oberstar appeared alongside other public officials in a TV ad[35] supporting the reelection of Puerto Rico Governor Aníbal Acevedo Vilá, a fellow Democrat.
During the 2006 elections, Oberstar's Republican opponent was former United States Senator Rod Grams, whose home is in the southwestern corner of the 8th. Grams was the strongest opponent Oberstar had ever faced and the first reasonably well-funded Republican to run in the 8th in decades. Although some polls showed Oberstar only ahead by two points, in the end, he won by over 30 points and did not lose a single county in his district.
During the 2008 elections, Oberstar's Republican opponent was political neophyte and businessman Michael Cummins. Cummins campaigned throughout the district but did not drum up enough support to pose a serious challenge to the veteran Democratic incumbent. Oberstar won with more than 67 percent of the vote.
During the 2010 elections, Oberstar lost a close race to political newcomer and Tea Party favorite, Chip Cravaack, who won a plurality of 48 percent of the vote. The race was seen nationwide as a major upset for Democrats.
Electoral history
- 2010
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican
|
Chip Cravaack | 133,474 | 48.2 | |
Democratic (DFL) | James Oberstar
|
129,067 | 46.6 | |
Independence
|
Timothy Olson | 11,876 | 4.3 |
- 2008
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic (DFL) | James Oberstar
|
240,586 | 67.6 | |
Republican
|
Michael Cummins | 114,588 | 32.2 | |
others | 573 | 0.2 |
- 2006
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic (DFL) | James Oberstar
|
194,677 | 64 | |
Republican
|
Rod Grams | 101,744 | 34 | |
Unaffiliated | Harry Welty
|
6,535 | 2 |
- 2004
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic (DFL) | James Oberstar
|
228,509 | 65 | |
Republican
|
Mark Groettum | 112,657 | 32 | |
Green | Van Presley | 8,931 | 3 |
- 2002
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic (DFL) | James Oberstar
|
193,959 | 69 | |
Republican
|
Bob Lemen | 88,423 | 31 |
- 2000
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic (DFL) | James Oberstar
|
68 | ||
Republican
|
Bob Lemen | 26 | ||
Independent | Mike Darling | 5.7 |
- 1998
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic (DFL) | James Oberstar
|
66 | ||
Republican
|
Jerry Shuster | 26 | ||
Reform | Stan Estes | 5.7 |
- 1996
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic (DFL) | James Oberstar
|
67 | ||
Republican
|
Andy Larson | 25 | ||
Reform | Stan Estes | 6 |
- 1994
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic (DFL) | James Oberstar
|
66 | ||
Independent Republican | Phil Herwig | 34 |
- 1992
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic (DFL) | James Oberstar
|
59 | ||
Independent Republican | Phil Herwig | 30 | ||
PCP | Harry Robb Welty | 8 |
- 1992 DFL Primary for U.S. Representative – 8th District
- Jim Oberstar (DFL) (inc.), 78%
- Leonard J. Richards (DFL), 22%
- 1990
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic (DFL) | James Oberstar
|
73 | ||
Independent Republican | Jerry Shuster | 27 |
- 1988
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic (DFL) | James Oberstar
|
74.5 | ||
Independent Republican | Jerry Shuster | 25.5 |
- 1986
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic (DFL) | James Oberstar
|
73 | ||
Independent Republican | David Rued | 27 |
- 1984
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic (DFL) | James Oberstar
|
67 | ||
Independent Republican | David Rued | 32 |
- 1984 DFL Primary for U.S. Representative – 8th District
- Jim Oberstar (DFL) (inc.), 65%
- Tom Dougherty (DFL), 33%
- 1982
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic (DFL) | James Oberstar
|
77 | ||
Independent Republican | Marjory L. Luce | 23 |
- 1982 DFL Primary for U.S. Representative – 8th District
- Jim Oberstar (DFL) (inc.), 87%
- Bernard Sydow (DFL), 13%
- 1980
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic (DFL) | James Oberstar
|
70 | ||
Independent Republican | Edward Fiore | 28 | ||
SW | Ilona Gersh | 2 |
- 1980 DFL Primary for U.S. Representative – 8th District
- Jim Oberstar (DFL) (inc.), 49%
- Thomas E. Dougherty (DFL), 39%
- 1978
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic (DFL) | James Oberstar
|
87 | ||
AM | John W. Hull | 13 |
- 1976
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic (DFL) | James Oberstar
|
100 |
- 1974
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic (DFL) | James Oberstar | 62 | ||
Republican
|
Jerome Arnold | 26 | ||
Economic Justice | William R. Ojala | 10 | ||
Independent | Robert C. Bester | 2 |
- 1974 DFL Primary for U.S. Representative – 8th District
- Jim Oberstar (DFL), 49%
- Tony Perpich (DFL), 29%
- Florian Chmielewski (DFL), 19.5%
Personal life
Oberstar and his first wife, the former Jo Garlick, had four children; she died in 1991. He later married Jean Kurth. The couple lived in Potomac, Maryland, and also maintained Oberstar's boyhood home in Chisholm, Minnesota. Oberstar died at his home in Potomac on May 3, 2014, at the age of 79.[36][37]
Papers
The Congressional Papers of James L. Oberstar are available for research use. They include photographs, sound and video recordings, legislative materials, campaign and political activities, committee work, and legislative staff topical files documenting Oberstar's service as a U. S. Representative from Minnesota's 8th Congressional District (1975-2011). The collection emphasizes Oberstar's activities on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, demonstrated by an extensive series of staff office topical files addressing various issues, projects, and legislation related to aviation, highways and bridges, railways, waterways, and bikeways. Additional significant content focuses on economic development in the Iron Range, travel and tourism, trade, and environmental protection of Minnesota's land and water resources.[38]
Boards and other affiliations
- Board Member, Board of Trustees, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 1995–2014
- Board Member, Mineta I.I.STPS Institute, San Jose State University, 1995–2014
References
- ^ a b c d e f "OBERSTAR, James Louis – Biographical Information". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved July 8, 2011.
- ^ a b "Ore Boat Renamed After Son Of Iron Ore Miner". Minnesota Progressive Project. May 25, 2011. Archived from the original on June 9, 2011. Retrieved July 4, 2011.
- ^ "Umrl nekdanji ameriški kongresnik slovenskih korenin Jim Oberstar". rtvslo.si. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
- ^ About Jim Oberstar Accessed August 12, 2006 Archived June 29, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ James L. Oberstar (June 20, 2011). "U.S. Senate Must Act to Continue Support for Agency That Creates Jobs". The Huffington Post. Retrieved July 7, 2011.
- ^ "Cirrus to be acquired by Chinese firm". Star Tribune. February 28, 2011. Retrieved May 5, 2014.
- ^ a b "Oberstar Legacy Soars with Twin Ports Aviation". May 5, 2014. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014.
- ^ Safe Routes to School National Partnership; see also [1]
- ^ "Final vote results for roll call 20". clerk.house.gov. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
- ^ "Congressional Voting Scorecard 2005" (PDF). SBE Council's Congressional Voting Scorecard 2005. Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council. June 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 29, 2006. Retrieved November 2, 2006.
- ^ "Leading with the Left". Progressive Punch. Retrieved November 2, 2006.
- ^ "11 House Members to Sue Over Budget Bill". ABC News. Associated Press. April 27, 2006. Archived from the original on February 5, 2009. Retrieved February 20, 2007.
- ^ "Judge Dismisses Budget Bill Lawsuit". ABC News. Associated Press. November 6, 2006. Archived from the original on February 3, 2009. Retrieved November 28, 2006.
- ^ "Oberstar proposes trust fund for aging bridges". mprnews.com. August 8, 2007. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
- ^ Alan Boyle (November 21, 2004). "Space tourism legislation makes comeback". NBC News.
- ^ Jackovics, Ted (May 7, 2009). "Tony Jannus aviation award goes to Minnesota congressman". The Tampa Tribune.
- ^ "Hon. James L. Oberstar". Retrieved May 4, 2014./
- ^ "news". Duluth News Tribune. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
- ^ "Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame". Archived from the original on October 1, 2016. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
- ^ "Congressman James L Oberstar – ADDITIONAL ISSUES". Oberstar.house.gov. Archived from the original on July 7, 2010. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
- ^ "Project Vote Smart – Representative James L. 'Jim' Oberstar – Interest Group Ratings". Votesmart.org. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
- ^ "Project Vote Smart – Representative James L. 'Jim' Oberstar – Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)". Votesmart.org. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
- ^ "About the Office of Head Start". Acf.hhs.gov. Archived from the original on July 23, 2010. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
- ^ "Congressman James L Oberstar – EDUCATION". Oberstar.house.gov. Archived from the original on July 7, 2010. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
- ^ "About". AAUW. Archived from the original on July 21, 2010. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
- ^ a b c "Project Vote Smart – Representative James L. 'Jim' Oberstar – Interest Group Ratings". Votesmart.org. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
- ^ "Project Vote Smart – Representative James L. 'Jim' Oberstar – Interest Group Ratings". Votesmart.org. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g -Representative James L. 'Jim' Oberstar - Interest Group Ratings.
- ^ "Final vote results for roll call 317". clerk.house.gov. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
- ^ "Project Vote Smart – Representative James L. 'Jim' Oberstar – Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)". Votesmart.org. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
- ^ "Americans For Fair Taxation". Fairtax.org. Archived from the original on July 12, 2010. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
- ^ "About NTU". www.ntu.org. Archived from the original on April 24, 2009.
- ^ a b "Congressman James L Oberstar – ECONOMY & JOBS". Oberstar.house.gov. Archived from the original on July 7, 2010. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
- ^ "Project Vote Smart – Representative James L. 'Jim' Oberstar – Voting Record". Votesmart.org. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
- ^ "¿A quién recomiendan los congresistas?" (Video) (in Spanish). YouTube. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
- ^ "Former U.S. Rep. Jim Oberstar dies at 79". usatoday.com. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
- ^ Southall, Ashley (May 4, 2014). "James Oberstar, 79, Congressman Ousted in Tea Party Tide, Dies". The New York Times. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
- ^ "James L. Oberstar Congressional Papers". mnhs.org. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
External links
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- Profile at SourceWatch
- Campaign 2006: Jim Oberstar profile from Minnesota Public Radio