Guy Vander Jagt
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Guy Vander Jagt is a former Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan. He is of Dutch ancestry.
He was born in Cadillac, Michigan, on August 26, 1931. He began preaching at the Tustin Presbyterian Church while a high school student. He graduated from Hope College in Holland, in 1953, and won several state and national public speaking competitions. He next attended Yale Divinity School, graduating in 1957. He also studied for a year at the University of Bonn, Germany on a Rotary Foundation Fellowship. Vander Jagt next went back to school to study law at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. but soon transferred to the law school at the University of Michigan, where he received his J.D. in 1960. He began practicing law in Grand Rapids.
In 1964, he was elected to the Michigan State Senate. However, he almost immediately began considering a run for the United States Senate against 9th District Congressman Robert Griffin in 1966. Unable to raise the money for a Senate run, in 1966, he ran instead to fill his opponent's House seat and won. He was sworn in as soon as the results were certified, as Griffin had been appointed to the Senate. He was reelected 12 times, never facing truly serious opposition in a district widely considered to be the most Republican district in Michigan.
VanderJagt was described by President Nixon as "the best public speaker in America," a sentiment echoed by the producer of the Homebuilder's Convention: "I've been doing this for 26 years and have worked with Colin Powell, Margaret Thatcher and George Bush and many other greats and VanderJagt was by far the best speaker we ever had" (Inter-Speak biography).
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[edit] Congressional career
[edit] Committees
One of his earliest appointments was to the House Committee on Science and Astronautics during the development of the U.S. space program and leading to the moon landing. On the Conservation and National Resources Subcommittee, he worked to establish Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore near his home, although he later had cause to note that park mismanagement illustrated "one of the most reprehensible aspects of the land acquisition process." As a member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, President Richard Nixon sent him on trade missions to Africa and Asia. Vander Jagt was appointed to the Ways and Means Committee in 1974 where he served on the Trade and Select Revenue Measures Subcommittees. He continued to serve on this committee throughout his House career. He also served on the Joint Tax Committee of the U.S. House and U.S. Senate.
[edit] National leadership
In 1980, Vander Jagt was chosen by Ronald Reagan to deliver the keynote address at the Republican National Convention in Detroit. He delivered the address without notes, relying entirely on memory. He was being considered as a potential Vice Presidential candidate. Using momentum from the convention speech, Vander Jagt ran for House Minority Leader after John J. Rhodes of Arizona decided not to run for the post again, but lost to Bob Michel of Illinois. Vander Jagt served as Chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee from 1975 until he left the House. Vander Jagt made a young Newt Gingrich the chairman of a Republican long-range planning committee before Gingrich was even sworn in, catapulting him ahead of sitting committee members.
[edit] Repeal of the Twenty-Second Constitutional Amendment
In the late 1980's, Vander Jagt helped lead an effort to repeal the Twenty-second Amendment to the United States Constitution, which limits a President to serve two terms. "Ronald Reagan is one of the greatest American Presidents of all time, and I want to keep him on the job," he explained in 1986, in a fundraising letter to raise funds for such a campaign. [1]. In 1986, and again in 1987, 1989, and 1991, he was a sponsor of such an amendment in the US House.
[edit] Post-government career
In 1992, Vander Jagt lost the Republican primary to challenger Pete Hoekstra for Michigan's 2nd congressional district. He went back into private law practice and work as a public speaker. Reagan was quoted as saying "some call me the great communicator but if there was one thing I dreaded during my eight years in Washington it was having to follow Guy Vander Jagt to the podium."
[edit] Quote
- You know, there is a difference between Republicans and Democrats. By and large Democrats really do believe in more spending so government can do more good things for people. Republicans really do believe in less spending so the taxpayer can keep more. --In an interview with the PBS show, Frontline
[edit] References
- Hope College Joint Archives [1], holder of most of his papers, others are held by Grand Valley State University
- Frontline interview "The Long March of Newt Gingrich" [2]
- ^ "Promoting Reagan for a 3d Term", New York Times, July 22, 1986.
| Preceded by Robert P. Griffin |
United States Representative for the 9th Congressional District of Michigan 1935 – 1951 |
Succeeded by Dale Kildee |
