John Olver

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John Olver

Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts's 1st district
Incumbent
Assumed office June 4, 1991–
Preceded by	Silvio Conte
Succeeded by	Incumbent

Born	September 03, 1936 (age 70) Honesdale, Pennsylvania
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Rose Olver
Religion	Unspecified

John Walter Olver (born September 3, 1936), American politician, has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 1991, representing Massachusetts's 1st congressional district, a primarily rural district that makes up most of Western Massachusetts.

He was born in Honesdale, Pennsylvania, but has called Amherst, Massachusetts home since 1963. He earned a B.S. from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute at the age of 18, an M.S. from Tufts University, and a Ph.D. in chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He served as a chemistry professor at the Franklin Technical Institute in Joplin, Missouri, at MIT and at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

1 Political career
2 Personal life
3 Ideological ratings
4 Civil disobedience
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Political career

He served two terms as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1969 to 1973, and then nine terms in the Massachusetts Senate from 1973 to 1991.

On February 18, 1991, 1st District Congressman Silvio Conte died just one month after taking office for his 17th term. That June, Olver, who had just been sworn in for his 10th term in the state senate, narrowly defeated Republican Steve Pierce in a special election for the seat, becoming the first Democrat to win the seat since it changed from being the 13th district in 1895. He won election to a full term by 8 points in 1992 and has only faced one truly serious challenge since, from future Acting Governor Jane Swift in 1996 (the same year Governor William Weld gave Senator John Kerry the closest race a Democratic senator has faced in Massachusetts in almost two decades). The 1st District had long been considered the most Republican district in heavily Democratic Massachusetts, but rapidly swung into the Democratic column in the 1990s. For example, in 1994, a year in which district after district fell to the Republicans nationally, Olver ran unopposed.

Olver is the only member of the Appropriations Committee from Massachusetts, and serves as chair of the Appropriations Committee's Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies. He is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

John Olver has proved to be a strong supporter of the environment. Along with Republican Wayne Gilchrest of Maryland, is he the co-chairman of the Congressional Climate Change Caucus.

[edit] Personal life

John Olver is married to Rose Olver, a professor at Amherst College. They have one daughter, Martha. He favors gray overcoats and rarely speaks on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives.

[edit] Ideological ratings

American Civil Liberties Union, 95 percent in 2003-2004.[1]
American Conservative Union, Lifetime score of 2%.[2]
Americans for Democratic Action, Lifetime score of 97%.[3]
NARAL Pro-Choice America, 100% for 2000, 2001, 2003-2005.[4]
National Journal, Composite Liberal Score of 96% for 2003[5] and 2005.[6]
Republican Liberty Caucus, 40% for 2005.[7]

[edit] Civil disobedience

Olver was one of five members of Congress arrested April 28, 2006 after protesting outside the Sudanese Embassy over atrocities in the Darfur region.^[1]

[edit] References

^ Jim Doyle, Five members of Congress arrested over Sudan protest, San Francisco Chronicle, April 28, 2006. Accessed 25 September 2006.

[edit] External links

U.S. Congressman John Olver official House site
Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
Federal Election Commission - John W. Olver campaign finance reports and data
On the Issues - John Olver issue positions and quotes
OpenSecrets.org - John W. Olver campaign contributions
Project Vote Smart - Representative John W. Olver (MA) profile
SourceWatch Congresspedia - John Olver profile
Washington Post - Congress Votes Database: John Olver voting record
The Religious Affiliation of U.S. Congressman John Olver, Adherents.com: National & World Religion Statistics.

Preceded by Silvio O. Conte	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts's 1st congressional district June 4, 1991 – present	Incumbent