| H. John Heinz III | |
|---|---|
| United States Senator from Pennsylvania |
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| In office January 3, 1977 – April 4, 1991 |
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| Preceded by | Hugh Scott |
| Succeeded by | Harris Wofford |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 18th district |
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| In office November 2, 1971 – January 3, 1977 |
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| Preceded by | Robert Corbett |
| Succeeded by | Doug Walgren |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 23, 1938 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Died | April 4, 1991 (aged 52) Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Teresa Heinz |
Henry John Heinz III (October 23, 1938 – April 4, 1991) was an American politician from Pennsylvania, a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives (1971–1977) and the United States Senate (1977–1991).
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Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Heinz was the son of H. J. Heinz II (heir to the H. J. Heinz Company) and Joan Diehl. His parents divorced, and Heinz moved to San Francisco, California with his mother and his stepfather, U.S. Navy Captain Clayton C. McCauley. He graduated from the Town School, Phillips Exeter Academy, in 1956, and Yale University, where he was a member of Manuscript Society, in 1960. He then earned an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1963.[1] In 1963, Heinz enlisted in the United States Air Force and served on active duty from June to December of that year at Lackland Air Force Base. He then served with the 911th Troop Carrier Group, based at the Greater Pittsburgh Airport, as a member of the United States Air Force Reserve. In 1969 his rank was staff sergeant.
From 1970 to 1971, Heinz was a member of the faculty at the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University. His career as a businessman included positions as an analyst in the controller's division, and numerous positions in the marketing division of the H. J. Heinz Company.
In 1971, he was elected by special election to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Robert J. Corbett during the 92nd Congress.[2] He defeated Gateway Clipper Fleet creator John E. Connelly. He was reelected to the 93rd and 94th Congresses.
Heinz was elected to the Senate in 1976,[1] aided by the U.S. Supreme Court's decision, Buckley v. Valeo, issued mid-campaign, which invalidated statutory restrictions on the spending of one's own personal funds in a political campaign. Heinz spent millions of dollars attacking Democratic nominee Bill Green, a seven-term congressman from Philadelphia and future mayor of that city, as being "soft" on military issues because he had voted against various Defense appropriation bills in the Vietnam War era.
In the early 1990s, Heinz was one of the leaders within the Senate on the issue of US economic competitiveness. Heinz's position was in direct contradiction to the much-publicized platform of the Republican Party and in direct opposition to the Bush White House. Heinz maintained that the US economic health and competitiveness was in a state of rapid decline and that the Bush administration, in contrast to the Reagan administration, both denied the problem and continued to execute policies that were not just neutral to the problem but rather accelerated the decline.
As the US decline accelerated, Heinz quietly assembled a "lunch meeting" group of Republican senators who were like-minded in their concern for US competitiveness but knew that their concern was in direct opposition to the White House and Republican Party. One of the group's initiatives was to back the reinstatement or refocusing of several of the Reagan administration’s key programs for rebuild US competitiveness (e.g., the Defense Manufacturing Board, the US intelligence community's Project Socrates) With the untimely death of Heinz, the group ceased to meet.
Heinz and six other people were killed on April 4, 1991,[3] when a Bell 412 helicopter collided with the Senator's Piper Aerostar plane over Merion Elementary School in Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania. All aboard the two aircraft and two first-grade girls playing outside the school were killed. The helicopter had been dispatched to check out a problem with the landing gear of Heinz's plane. While moving in for a closer look, the helicopter's rotor blades struck the bottom of the plane, causing both aircraft to lose control and crash.
Senator Heinz was interred in the Heinz family mausoleum in Homewood Cemetery, located in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh, PA.
The John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum was renamed following his death. The 1,200 acre (4.9 km²) refuge includes the largest remaining freshwater tidal marsh in Pennsylvania as well as other habitats that are home to a variety of plants and animals native to Southeastern Pennsylvania.
Several institutions bear his name, including:
| United States House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Robert Corbett |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 18th congressional district 1971–1977 |
Succeeded by Doug Walgren |
| United States Senate | ||
| Preceded by Hugh Scott |
United States Senator (Class 1) from Pennsylvania 1977–1991 Served alongside: Richard S. Schweiker and Arlen Specter |
Succeeded by Harris Wofford |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by Robert Packwood Oregon |
Chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee 1979–1981 |
Succeeded by Robert Packwood Oregon |
| Preceded by Richard Lugar Indiana |
Chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee 1985–1987 |
Succeeded by Rudy Boschwitz Minnesota |
| Preceded by Hugh Scott |
Republican nominee for United States Senator (Class 1) from Pennsylvania 1976, 1982, 1988 |
Succeeded by Dick Thornburgh |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Lawton Chiles Florida |
Chairman of the Senate Aging Committee 1981–1987 |
Succeeded by John Melcher Montana |
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