| Pete Visclosky | |
|---|---|
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Indiana's 1st district |
|
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 3, 1985 |
|
| Preceded by | Katie Hall |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 13, 1949 Gary, Indiana |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Joanne Royce |
| Residence | Merrillville, Indiana |
| Alma mater | Indiana University Northwest, Notre Dame University, Georgetown University |
| Occupation | attorney |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Peter John "Pete" Visclosky (born August 13, 1949) is the U.S. Representative for Indiana's 1st congressional district, serving since 1985. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district lies in Northwest Indiana and includes all of Lake, Newton, Jasper and Benton counties as well as a major portion of Porter County. Much of the population is based in the Chicago metropolitan area.
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Of Slovak descent,[1] Visclosky was educated at Andrean High School in Merrillville, Indiana. He earned a bachelor's degree at Indiana University Northwest in Gary, Indiana and went on to earn his juris doctor from Notre Dame Law School. At Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., Visclosky earned a master's degree in comparative law. He worked as a lawyer and staff member of United States Representative Adam Benjamin before entering the House. Hometown: Merrillville Birth: On August 13, 1949 in Gary, IN
In 1984, he ran for congress in Indiana's 1st congressional district. In the Democratic primary, he defeated incumbent U.S. Congresswoman Katie Hall, Jack Crawford, and Sandra Smith 34%-33%-31%-1%.[2] In the general election, he defeated Republican Joseph Grenchik 71%-29%.[3] In 1986, he won the Democratic primary again with 57%, defeating Hall and three other candidates.[4] He won the general election with 73% of the vote.[5] In 1988, he won the primary 84%-16% against Sandra Smith.[6] He won the general election with 77% of the vote.[7]
In 1990, Hall ran for a third rematch against Visclosky. He defeated her 51%-30%.[8] He won the general election with 66% of the vote.[9] In 1992, he won the Democratic primary with 72%[10] and the general election with 69%.[11] In 1994, he won the Democratic primary with 77% of the vote.[12] In the general election, he defeated Republican John Larson 56%-44%[13], the worst general election performance of his career.
For the rest of his career, he has never won a primary with less than 71%, and a general election with less than 59%.
Visclosky's parents were involved in Gary's once prominent but now declining steel industry. Reinstating the steel tariff and fighting to save American manufacturing jobs have long been listed as Visclosky's biggest goal while in Congress. As a result, he has received the chairmanship of the Congressional Steel Caucus since the Democrats took control of the House. He also received a position as chair of the Energy and Water Development Subcommittee, as the leader of which he has used his resources to study alternative energy. Visclosky is a strong advocate of labor and fair-trade.
Visclosky is one of the 126 Democrats who voted against the Iraq War Resolution. He also is a supporter of high tech solutions as a way to revive the American blue collar work force, and as a way to decrease crime.
The Washington Times reported in March 2009 that Visclosky had received, over ten years, $1.36 million in campaign donations from clients of the PMA Group. In 2007 and 2008, the United States House Committee on Appropriations, of which Visclosky is a member, directed $137 million in government purchasing to PMA's clients. The PMA Group is currently under investigation by the FBI.[14] In May 2009, Visclosky received subpoenas in the grand jury investigation into PMA Group, the first member of Congress to be subpoenaed in the investigation.[15] The Congressman was later cleared of all charges by the House Ethics Committee; who detailed in a 305 page report that "Simply because a member sponsors an earmark for an entity that also happens to be a campaign contributor does not, on these two facts alone, support a claim that a member's actions are being influenced by campaign contributions".[16] In 2009, Representative Visclosky was named one of the 15 Most Corrupt Members of Congress by government watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.[17]
Pete Visclosky has been very actively involved in many non-legislative groups:
Committees along with other caucuses these include:
Visclosky is married and has two sons.
| United States House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Katie B. Hall |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Indiana's 1st congressional district 1985–present |
Incumbent |
| United States order of precedence | ||
| Preceded by Howard Coble R-North Carolina |
United States Representatives by seniority 31st |
Succeeded by Peter DeFazio D-Oregon |