Fred Upton
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Fred Upton | |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 6, 1987– |
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| Preceded by | Bob Carr |
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| Succeeded by | Incumbent |
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| Born | April 23, 1953 (age 53) St. Joseph, Michigan |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Amey Rulon-Miller |
| Religion | Congregationalist |
Frederick Stephen "Fred" Upton, (born April 23, 1953) is a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan. He is a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives, serving the state's 6th congressional district and as "Dean" of the state's Republican delegation. The district is based in Kalamazoo and stretches along the Michigan-Indiana border in the southwestern part of the state.
Born in St. Joseph, Michigan, Upton earned a B.A. in Journalism in 1975 from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. He served in the Office of Management and Budget under Ronald Reagan from 1981-85. A protege of OMB director and former congressman Dave Stockman, he ran in the 1986 Republican primary against Stockman's successor in what was then the 4th district, Mark D. Siljander. He won, and was handily elected in November. He has been reelected 10 times. His district became the 6th district after reapportionment following the 1990 census caused Michigan to lose two seats.
Upton has rarely missed a single vote in 20 years in Congress, a record which has earned him the nicknames "Ironman of the House" and "the Cal Ripken of Congress." A leading moderate Republican, he helped to guide a powerful bloc of moderate congressmen in unison, playing influential roles in a number of tax relief and budget matters.
Upton is well-known for his personable manner, often telling those who address him as "Congressman Upton" to "call me Fred." He personally reads all of the mail he receives from his constituents, and often calls them to discuss their concerns.
He has often bucked the right-leaning House leadership (e.g., Upton harshly criticized Newt Gingrich for his failure to compromise with Bill Clinton in the 1995 budget crisis).
In the 109th United States Congress, Upton served as a senior member on the House Energy and Commerce Committee. He, along with Edward Markey, is responsible for changing daylight saving time by adding the provision to the Energy Policy Act of 2005. He was chairman of the Telecommunications and the Internet Subcommittee, and also serves on the Health Subcommittee. Upton is a member of several moderate Republican groups such as the Republican Main Street Partnership Republicans for Environmental Protection and Christine Todd Whitman's IMP-PAC (Its My Party Too).
In 2002, he faced former State Senator Dale Shugars in a contested primary. Shugars ran well to Upton's right and harshly criticized Upton for not being strident enough in his opposition to abortion (even though he has consistently voted against abortion rights [1]) as well as for supporting stem cell research and some forms of gun control. However, Upton easily defeated Shugars in the primary, effectively clinching a 9th term.
On September 29, 2006, Upton introduced the Video Game Decency Act (H.R.6120) to the House.
Upton's grandfather, Stephen Upton, was co-founder of appliance giant Whirlpool, which is headquartered in Benton Harbor.
[edit] 2006 election
Upton had no opponent in the Republican primary. In the general election, Upton took 61 percent of the vote, defeating his Democratic challenger Kim Clark.
[edit] External links
- U.S. Congressman Fred Upton official House site
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Federal Election Commission - Frederick Stephen Upton campaign finance reports and data
- On the Issues - Fred Upton issue positions and quotes
- OpenSecrets.org - Fred Upton campaign contributions
- Project Vote Smart - Representative Frederick Stephen 'Fred' Upton (MI) profile
- SourceWatch Congresspedia - Fred Upton profile
- Washington Post - Congress Votes Database: Fred Upton voting record
- Fred Upton official campaign site
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Mark D. Siljander |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan's 4th congressional district 1987–1993 |
Succeeded by David Lee Camp |
| Preceded by Milton Robert Carr |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan's 6th congressional district 1993–Present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
| Video game controversy | |
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| Computer and video game law | Family Entertainment Protection Act - Truth in Video Game Rating Act - Video Game Decency Act |
| Organizations | Entertainment Software Rating Board - Pan European Game Information - Computer Entertainment Ratings Organization - Office of Film and Literature Classification - National Coalition Against Censorship - Videogame Rating Council (defunct) - Recreational Software Advisory Council (defunct) - 3DO Rating System (defunct) |
| People | Evan Bayh - Julia Boseman - Sam Brownback - Hillary Rodham Clinton - Herb Kohl - Joe Lieberman - Devin Moore - Cody Posey - Rick Santorum - Jack Thompson - Fred Upton |
| Games | Death Race - Doom - Grand Theft Auto series / Hot Coffee mod - Lethal Enforcers - Mortal Kombat series - Night Trap |
