John Blatnik

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John Anton Blatnik

Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Minnesota's 8th district
In office 1947 – 1975
Preceded by	William Pittenger
Succeeded by	Jim Oberstar

Died	December 17, 1991 (aged 80) Forest Heights, Maryland
Born	August 17, 1911(1911-08-17) Chisholm, Minnesota
Political party	Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party

John Anton Blatnik (August 17, 1911 – December 17, 1991) was a United States Congressman from Minnesota. He was a member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL), which is affiliated with the Democratic Party.

Blatnik was born in Chisholm, Minnesota to parents of Slovene descent.[1] He graduated from Winona State Teachers College (today Winona State University) and worked as a chemistry teacher in Chisholm.

From 1940 to 1944 he served in the Minnesota State Senate and volunteered to serve in the United States Army Air Corps in 1942. While in the Army Air Corps (the predecessor to the Air Force), he was chief of the Office of Strategic Services's mission with Tito's Yugoslav partisans for almost a year. [2]

In 1946, Blatnik was elected to Congress representing Minnesota's 8th District in the northeastern part of the state, running on the newly-unified ticket of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. He was reelected 13 times without much difficulty. He served in the 80th, 81st, 82nd, 83rd, 84th, 85th, 86th, 87th, 88th, 89th, 90th, 91st, 92nd, and 93rd congresses, (January 3, 1947 – January 3, 1975).

In 1955, Blatnik married the former Gisela Hager.

Blatnik was an early supporter of the Saint Lawrence Seaway and helped develop the original legislation to build it. He served as chairman of the Public Works Committee (now known as the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee) during his last two terms in Congress. As chairman, he shepherded the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, better known as the Clean Water Act, to passage in 1972.

Upon retirement, Blatnik endorsed his long-time administrative assistant, Jim Oberstar, to replace him in Congress; Oberstar won easily in the 1974 election, and still served in Congress as of 2008.

The bridge for Interstate 535 crossing Superior Bay and Saint Louis Bay between Wisconsin and Minnesota was renamed the John A. Blatnik Bridge in his honor on September 24, 1971.[3]