Tom Harkin
| Tom Harkin | |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 3, 1985 Serving with Chuck Grassley |
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| Preceded by | Roger Jepsen |
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Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office September 9, 2009 |
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| Preceded by | Ted Kennedy |
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Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry
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| In office January 4, 2007 – September 9, 2009 |
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| Preceded by | Saxby Chambliss |
| Succeeded by | Blanche Lincoln |
| In office June 6, 2001 – January 3, 2003 |
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| Preceded by | Richard Lugar |
| Succeeded by | Thad Cochran |
| In office January 3 – January 20, 2001 |
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| Preceded by | Richard Lugar |
| Succeeded by | Richard Lugar |
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| In office January 3, 1975 – January 3, 1985 |
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| Preceded by | William J. Scherle |
| Succeeded by | Jim Ross Lightfoot |
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| Born | November 19, 1939 Cumming, Iowa |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Ruth Harkin |
| Children | Amy Harkin Goodrich Jenny Harkin |
| Residence | Cumming, Iowa |
| Alma mater | Iowa State University (B.A.) |
| Occupation | Attorney |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Military service | |
| Service/branch | United States Navy/United States Navy Reserve |
| Years of service | 1962-1989 |
| Unit | Naval Air Facility Atsugi/Guantanamo Bay/Reserves |
Thomas Richard "Tom" Harkin (born November 19, 1939) is the junior United States Senator from Iowa and a member of the Democratic Party. Harkin is currently the most senior junior senator. First elected to the Senate in 1984, Harkin was a candidate for his party's presidential nomination in 1992, and is currently chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.
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[edit] Early life
Harkin was born in Cumming, Iowa. His father, Patrick Harkin, an Irish American[10] was a coal miner and his mother, Frances, was a Slovene immigrant who died when he was ten. He still maintains his childhood house, where he and his five siblings were raised without hot running water or a furnace.[1] He attended Dowling Catholic High School which is currently located in West Des Moines, Iowa.[2] Harkin attended Iowa State University on a Navy R.O.T.C. scholarship and was a member of Delta Sigma Phi fraternity. He graduated with a degree in government and economics in 1962, and served in the United States Navy as an active-duty jet pilot from 1962 to 1967. Harkin was stationed at Naval Air Facility Atsugi in Japan, where he ferried aircraft to and from the airbase that had been damaged in the Vietnam War and in operational and training accidents. He was also stationed for a time at Guantanamo Bay, where he flew missions in support of U-2 planes reconnoitering Cuba. After leaving active duty in 1967, he spent three years in the Ready Reserves, and transitioned into the Naval Reserves in 1970. He retired in 1989 with the rank of commander.
[edit] Early political career
In 1969, Harkin moved to Washington, D.C., and began work as an aide to Democratic Congressman Neal Smith. During his work for Smith, he accompanied a congressional delegation that went to South Vietnam in 1970. Harkin published photographs he took during the trip and a detailed account of the "tiger cages" at Con Son Island prison in Life Magazine on July 17, 1970. The account exposed shocking, inhumane conditions and treatment to which prisoners were subjected. He received his Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from The Catholic University of America's Columbus School of Law in 1972.
In 1972, the same year that he graduated from law school, Harkin returned to Iowa and immediately ran against an incumbent Republican Congressman, William J. Scherle. Scherle represented the southwestern portion of Iowa, which (with one brief exception) had not elected a Democrat to Congress since the end of the Great Depression. While winning a higher percentage of votes than any of Scherle's previous opponents, Harkin nevertheless lost the race.
After his 1972 defeat, Harkin practiced law in Ames before seeking a rematch against Scherle in 1974. In what was generally a bad year for Republicans due to the Watergate scandal, Harkin defeated Scherle by only 3,500 votes. He was reelected four more times from Iowa's 5th congressional district without serious difficulty.
[edit] U.S. Senate tenure
[edit] Elections
In 1984, Harkin won the Democratic nomination for the United States Senate and defeated freshman Republican Roger Jepsen by a surprisingly wide 11-point margin. He was reelected in 1990, 1996, 2002 and 2008. He has served in the Senate longer than any Democrat in Iowa's history, and only Neal Smith has served in Congress longer among Iowa Democrats.
[edit] Committees
- Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
- Committee on Appropriations
- Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies
- Subcommittee on Defense
- Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development
- Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Chairman)
- Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs
- Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies
- Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (Chairman)
- As Chair of the full committee, Harkin may serve as an ex officio member of all subcommittees.
- Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship
[edit] 1992 presidential campaign
Harkin ran for President in 1992 as a populist with labor union support. He criticized George H.W. Bush for being out of touch with working class Americans.[3] Harkin was an early favorite in a small field of five candidates. Harkin won the Iowa caucus and those in Idaho and Minnesota (with help from Senator Paul Wellstone), but he ran poorly in New Hampshire and other primaries and ultimately lost the Democratic Party nomination to Governor Bill Clinton of Arkansas. Harkin was the first Democratic primary contender to drop out and throw his support behind Clinton — a favor that led to a close relationship throughout the Clinton presidency.
[edit] Endorsements
- Senator Paul Wellstone (D-Minnesota)[4]
- Commissioner of Agriculture Jim Hightower (D-Texas)[4]
- Representative Lane Evans (D-Illinois)[5]
[edit] Vice presidential speculation
In 1992 Harkin was on the short list of running mates for Bill Clinton, alongside Senator Al Gore, Congressman Lee Hamilton, Senators Bob Graham, Bob Kerrey, and Harris Wofford. Gore was ultimately chosen. In 2000, he was frequently mentioned as a candidate Gore was considering for his running-mate, alongside House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt, Senators Bob Graham, Evan Bayh, John Kerry, and John Edwards. Gore ultimately selected Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut.
In the 2004 election Harkin was not on Kerry's vice presidential consideration list, while Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack was.[citation needed] In 2008, there were reports that Harkin was vetted by Barack Obama to be a running mate.[citation needed] He neither confirmed nor denied the rumors.
[edit] Political positions
Along with California Senator Barbara Boxer, Harkin is one of only two Senate Democrats to come out in favor of Wisconsin Senator Russ Feingold's resolution to censure President George W. Bush.
Harkin (in addition to U.S. Senators Dick Lugar, Tim Johnson, Byron Dorgan, Joe Biden and Barack Obama), introduced the BioFuels Security Act (S. 2817/109th) on March 16, 2006.
Harkin came out in favor of the Fairness Doctrine during an interview with Bill Press. (February 11, 2009)[6]
Harkin has been influential in increasing research into alternative medicine. He was instrumental in the creation of the U.S. Office of Alternative Medicine in 1992, which later became the NCCAM. His influence and results, however, have been criticized.[7][8]
[edit] Social policy
Harkin is perhaps best known as an advocate for people with disabilities. In 1990, he wrote and was the chief sponsor of the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the nation's first comprehensive civil rights law for people with disabilities. Signed into law by President George H. W. Bush, the sweeping legislation prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in employment, in public services, and in public accommodations.
Harkin has been rated F by Gun Owners of America and the National Rifle Association. He was one of 16 senators who voted against the Vitter Amendment.
During his political career, Harkin has generally supported legalized abortion. He has opposed most efforts to place legal restrictions on abortion, including voting against a ban on late term abortion, while supporting contraception and education to reduce teen pregnancy. As of 2003[update], Harkin received a 100 percent rating from NARAL, the pro-choice advocacy organization.[9] He was very critical of the Stupak-Pitts Amendment, which places limits on taxpayer-funded abortions in the context of the November 2009 Affordable Health Care for America Act.[10]
Harkin has come out in favor of embryonic stem cell research. In July 2006, Harkin made a speech from the Senate floor in response to George W. Bush's veto of the embryonic stem cell research federal funding bill. His remarks were later criticized as "Catholic baiting" by the Catholic League.[11]
In May 2009, Harkin announced he opposed any effort to overturn an Iowa Supreme Court decision in April 2009 that legalized same-sex marriage in Iowa. “We all grow as we get older; we learn things, we become more sensitive to people and people’s lives,” said Harkin. “The more I’ve looked at that, I’ve grown to think differently about how we should live. I guess I’ve got to the point of live and let live.” [12]
Harkin has also been active in combating the worst forms of child labor. The Trade Development Act of 2000 "contains important child labor protections authored by Senator Harkin."[13] After reports of child trafficking and child slavery associated with cocoa plantations in West Africa surfaced in the media, Harkin, along with U.S. Representative Eliot Engel and with the support of U.S. Senator Herbert Kohl, sponsored a voluntary agreement by major players in the cocoa and chocolate industry signed in 2001 and often referred to as the Harkin-Engel Protocol. The purpose of this "Protocol for the growing and processing of cocoa beans and their derivative products" was to bring practices in West Africa into line with Convention 182 of the International Labor Organization concerning the prohibition and immediate action for the elimination of the worst forms of child labor. (Some difficulties in meeting the deadlines set in this Protocol have been encountered.) Harkin has worked in other ways to combat the import of child labor-made products.[14]
[edit] Israel
Harkin is also a staunch supporter of Israel. He is a member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Foreign Operations, which appropriates about $2 billion annually for military financing for Israel. In the Senate, he is the third-largest career recipient of pro-Israel Political Action Committee (PAC) contributions.[15]
[edit] Immigration
In May 2006 Harkin voted in favor of Senate Bill 2611, also known as the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act. Among the bill's many provisions, it would increase the number of H1B visas, increase security along the southern United States border with Mexico, allow long-time illegal immigrants to gain citizenship with some restrictions, and increase the number of guest workers over and above those already present in the U.S. through a new "blue card" visa program.[16]
[edit] Personal life
Senator Harkin married Minnesota native Ruth Raduenz in 1968 and has two daughters: Amy, born in 1976, and Jenny, born in 1981.
Ruth Harkin is an attorney and was one of the first women in the United States to be elected as a prosecutor when, in 1972, she was elected to the office of county attorney of Story County, Iowa. She served as a deputy counsel for the US Department of Agriculture before joining the Washington lobbying firm of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, LLP, in 1983. In 1993, President Bill Clinton named her chairman and chief executive officer of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC). Ruth Harkin left the government and became United Technologies' senior vice president for international affairs and government relations in April 1997, leading their Washington DC office. In 2002, Mrs. Harkin became a director of ConocoPhillips. Mrs. Harkin currently sits on the Iowa Board of Regents, the body responsible for overseeing the state's public universities.
Their daughter Amy appeared on the NBC daytime reality series Starting Over from 2003 to 2004. Although Harkin never appeared on the show, his voice was heard when his daughter spoke to him on the phone. She is currently a graduate student at the UCLA Anderson School of Management.
[edit] Vietnam controversy
While running for his Senate seat in 1984, and again while running for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1992, Harkin has faced criticism for claiming that he had flown combat missions over North Vietnam. In a 1979 round table discussion with other Congressional military veterans, Harkin said of his service as a Navy pilot: "One year was in Vietnam. I was flying F-4s and F-8s on combat air patrols and photo-reconnaissance support missions". These comments were later published in a 1981 book by David Broder. After subsequent inquiries by Barry Goldwater and The Wall Street Journal, Harkin clarified that he had been stationed in Japan and sometimes flew recently repaired aircraft on test missions over Vietnam. His service flying F-4s and F-8s was later, while he was stationed at U.S Naval Base Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.
[edit] Fictionalized portraits
The character of Senator and former Wisconsin Governor Bart Nilson in the novel and film Primary Colors is loosely based on Harkin and his '92 Presidential bid.
[edit] Books
- Harkin, Tom and Thomas, C. E. Five Minutes to Midnight: Why the Nuclear Threat Is Growing Faster Than Ever, Carol Publishing Corporation, 1990. ISBN 1-55972-042-5
[edit] Electoral history
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Tom Harkin electoral history |
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Iowa's 5th congressional district, 1972[17]
Iowa's 5th congressional district, 1974[18]
Iowa's 5th congressional district, 1976[19]
Iowa's 5th congressional district, 1978[20]
Iowa's 5th congressional district, 1980[21]
Iowa's 5th congressional district, 1982[22]
United States Senate election in Iowa, 1984[23]
United States Senate election in Iowa, 1990[24]
Democratic Iowa caucuses, 1992[25]
United States presidential election, 1992 (Democratic primaries)[4]
Iowa United States Senate election, 1996 (Democratic primary)[26]
United States Senate election in Iowa, 1996[27]
Iowa United States Senate election, 2002 (Democratic primary)[28]
United States Senate election in Iowa, 2002[29]
United States Senate election in Iowa, 2008[30]
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[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ [1]
- ^ Miller, Judith. "Tom Harkin's Old-Time Religion", The New York Times, February 9, 1992. Accessed November 6, 2007. "After his mother died, Harkin, an altar boy, went to Dowling Catholic High School in Des Moines and won a Navy R.O.T.C. scholarship to college."
- ^ Miller, Judith: "Tom Harkin's Old-Time Religion", New York Times Magazine, February 9, 1992
- ^ a b c Our Campaigns - US President - D Primaries Race - Feb 01, 1992
- ^ Our Campaigns - IL US President - D Primary Race - Mar 17, 1992
- ^ [2]
- ^ Budiansky S. (July 9, 1995). "Cures or `Quackery'?". U.S. News & World Reports. http://www.usnews.com/usnews/culture/articles/950717/archive_032434.htm. Retrieved 2009-03-03.
- ^ [3]
- ^ [4]
- ^ Harkin: Stupak’s abortion amendment is slippery slope
- ^ [5]
- ^ "Iowa Senator changes view, opposes banning same-sex marriage". Gay & Lesbian Times (1116). 14 May 2009. http://www.gaylesbiantimes.com/?id=14639. Retrieved 17 May 2009.
- ^ Bill Clinton, "Remarks on Signing the Trade and Development Act of 2000", May 8, 2000|http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2889/is_20_36/ai_63693089
- ^ [6]
- ^ [7]
- ^ [8]
- ^ Our Campaigns - IA District 5 Race - Nov 07, 1972
- ^ Our Campaigns - IA District 5 Race - Nov 04, 1974
- ^ Our Campaigns - IA District 5 Race - Nov 02, 1976
- ^ Our Campaigns - IA District 5 Race - Nov 07, 1978
- ^ Our Campaigns - IA District 5 Race - Nov 04, 1980
- ^ Our Campaigns - IA District 5 Race - Nov 02, 1982
- ^ Our Campaigns - IA US Senate Race - Nov 06, 1984
- ^ Our Campaigns - IA US Senate Race - Nov 06, 1990
- ^ Our Campaigns - IA US President - D Caucuses Race - Jan 21, 1992
- ^ Our Campaigns - IA US Senate- D Primary Race - Jun 04, 1996
- ^ Our Campaigns - IA US Senate Race - Nov 05, 1996
- ^ Our Campaigns - IA US Senate - D Primary Race - Jun 04, 2002
- ^ Our Campaigns - IA US Senate Race - Nov 05, 2002
- ^ [9]
[edit] External links
- Senator Tom Harkin official U.S. Senate site
- U.S. Senator Tom Harkin official campaign site
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
- Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
- Congressional profile at GovTrack.us
- Appearances on C-SPAN programs
- Issue positions and quotes at On The Issues
- Current Bills Sponsored at StateSurge.com
- Staff salaries, trips and personal finance at LegiStorm.com
- Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
- Campaign contributions at OpenSecrets.org
- Collected news and commentary at The New York Times
- Profile at SourceWatch
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