John Olver
Encyclopedia
John Walter Olver is the U.S. Representative
for , serving since 1991. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Early in his career, he was a chemistry professor and served in both chambers of the Massachusetts General Court
.
Raised on a farm in Pennsylvania, Olver graduated from college at the age of 18 and went on to earn a Doctor of Philosophy
in chemistry
from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
. After teaching at the University of Massachusetts Amherst
for eight years, he won a Massachusetts House of Representatives
election in 1968 and unseated an incumbent member of the Massachusetts Senate
in 1972.
Olver ran in a 1991 special election to succeed deceased 17-term incumbent Congressman Silvio O. Conte
. The district is a primarily rural district that makes up most of Western Massachusetts
, and Olver was the first Democrat to represent the district in nearly a century. He has since become a member of the House Committee on Appropriations
and the Congressional Progressive Caucus
. Olver has announced that he will not seek re-election in 2012, and will retire at the end of his eleventh term in Congress. His retirement makes it possible to avoid a contentious redistricting process in Massachusetts, as Massachusetts will lose one congressional district in the 2012 election.
. He grew up on a farm owned by his father, where they tended for two dozen cows, and his mother ran a boarding house
which served families from Philadelphia and New York
. Olver graduated from a schoolhouse when he was 15 and enrolled in Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
, where he earned a Bachelor of Science
in chemistry
at the age of 18. He went on to earn a Master of Science
in chemistry from Tufts University
in 1956, and a Doctor of Philosophy
in chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
in 1961. He was a chemistry professor at the Franklin Technical Institute in Boston, Massachusetts, at MIT and at the University of Massachusetts Amherst
for eight years before entering politics.
from January 1, 1969, to January 3, 1973. He won a Massachusetts Senate
race in 1972, when he defeated a Republican
incumbent. He served nine terms in the Massachusetts Senate
from January 3, 1973, until his resignation in 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 Steven Pierce
in a special election for the seat, becoming the first Democrat to win the seat since it changed from being the in 1893. He resigned from the state Senate on June 15 and was sworn in June 18.
Olver won election to a full term by 8 points in 1992. In 1994--a year that saw many historically Republican seats revert to form--Olver ran unopposed. In 1996, he defeated State Senator and future Acting Governor
Jane Swift by a 53% to 47% margin. Olver didn't face another contest nearly that close, and was reelected eight more times. He even ran unopposed in 2004 and only faced an independent in 2006. His district is now considered safely Democratic, with a Cook Partisan Voting Index
of D+14. On October 26, 2011, he announced he would not seek re-election in 2012.
's Politics in America
described Olver as "a staunch liberal who prefers to yield the spotlight to other similarly ideological members." He has consistently high rankings from the progressive
lobbying group Americans for Democratic Action
(ADA), and consistently low rankings from its conservative counterpart the American Conservative Union
(ACU).
Olver was a superdelegate to the 2008 Democratic National Convention
. He announced his commitment to Senator Barack Obama
on June 3, 2008.
Foreign policy
With regards to United States involvement in Iraq, Olver has consistently opposed a United States military presence in Iraq, and voted against the 2002 authorization for the use of force in Iraq at the beginning of U.S. military engagement with the country. Olver has since advocated for the quick removal of U.S. troops from the country, and has consistently voted no on proposals in the House to increase funding for U.S. military operations in Iraq and the deployment of more U.S. troops in Iraq. In a position paper written on the subject of the United States presence in Iraq, Olver stated that he believes that the United States should seek out a political solution in cooperation with the States neighboring Iraq, such as Iran and Syria, rather than pursuing a strategy based primarily on military means in order to create a stable and democratic Iraq.
Olver has been critical of the United States lack of involvement with the genocide in Darfur. Olver was one of five members of Congress arrested April 28, 2006 after protesting outside the Sudan
ese Embassy.
Domestic policy
He was one of the 31 who objected in the House to the counting of the electoral votes from Ohio
in the United States presidential election, 2004
.
Olver is one of the co-sponsors of , the US National Health Care Act, or Expanded & Improved Medicare for All, which introduces a universal health insurance program with single-payer financing. In addition to supporting different pieces of liberal healthcare reform legislation in the House, Olver has also strongly supported allowing federal funds related to health care programs to fund abortion operations. For example, Olver voted against a proposed amendment to House Resolution 3962 which prevented federal funds from being spent on abortion operations.
In addition to supporting the inclusion of coverage for abortions in healthcare legislation, Olver has consistently supported pro-choice legislation in the house and has received very favorable ratings from pro-choice interest groups such as the NARAL Pro-Choice America, which gave Olver a rating of 100.
With regards to immigration policy, Olver has stated that he supports efforts to reduce the number of immigrants entering the United States illegally, but that he believes that rather than simply increasing punishments for those who enter the country illegally and for those who employ illegal immigrants, the U.S. Government needs to reform immigration so as to allow qualified foreigners to easily acquire guest worker status in the U.S. Olver has consistently voted against legislation that would cut off public benefits to illegal and legal immigrants, has voted against legislation aimed at erecting physical barriers to stop illegal immigration, and has voted against legislation aimed at making English the official language of the U.S. Olver also believes that illegal immigrants currently residing in the United States need to be provided with a pathway to citizenship, and that these immigrants should not have to return to their countries of origin before obtaining citizenship.
Party leadership
. They have one daughter, Martha. The family has lived in Amherst, Massachusetts
since 1963. In October 2011, Olver announced that he will not be seeking re-election in 2012, in part due to his wife's cancer diagnosis.
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
for , serving since 1991. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Early in his career, he was a chemistry professor and served in both chambers of the Massachusetts General Court
Massachusetts General Court
The Massachusetts General Court is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "General Court" is a hold-over from the Colonial Era, when this body also sat in judgment of judicial appeals cases...
.
Raised on a farm in Pennsylvania, Olver graduated from college at the age of 18 and went on to earn a Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
. After teaching at the University of Massachusetts Amherst
University of Massachusetts Amherst
The University of Massachusetts Amherst is a public research and land-grant university in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States and the flagship of the University of Massachusetts system...
for eight years, he won a Massachusetts House of Representatives
Massachusetts House of Representatives
The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from single-member electoral districts across the Commonwealth. Representatives serve two-year terms...
election in 1968 and unseated an incumbent member of the Massachusetts Senate
Massachusetts Senate
The Massachusetts Senate is the upper house of the Massachusetts General Court, the bicameral state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Senate comprises 40 elected members from 40 single-member senatorial districts in the state...
in 1972.
Olver ran in a 1991 special election to succeed deceased 17-term incumbent Congressman Silvio O. Conte
Silvio O. Conte
Silvio Ottavio Conte was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives for 16 terms, from January 3, 1959, until his death.-Birth:...
. The district is a primarily rural district that makes up most of Western Massachusetts
Western Massachusetts
Western Massachusetts is a loosely defined geographical region of the U.S. state of Massachusetts which contains the Berkshires, the Pioneer Valley, and some or all of the Swift River Valley. The region is always considered to include Berkshire, Franklin, Hampshire, and Hampden counties, and the...
, and Olver was the first Democrat to represent the district in nearly a century. He has since become a member of the House Committee on Appropriations
United States House Committee on Appropriations
The Committee on Appropriations is a committee of the United States House of Representatives. It is in charge of setting the specific expenditures of money by the government of the United States...
and the Congressional Progressive Caucus
Congressional Progressive Caucus
The Congressional Progressive Caucus is the largest caucus within the Democratic caucus in the United States Congress with 83 declared members, and works to advance progressive issues and positions....
. Olver has announced that he will not seek re-election in 2012, and will retire at the end of his eleventh term in Congress. His retirement makes it possible to avoid a contentious redistricting process in Massachusetts, as Massachusetts will lose one congressional district in the 2012 election.
Early life, education and academic career
Olver was born September 3, 1936 in Honesdale, PennsylvaniaHonesdale, Pennsylvania
Honesdale is a borough in and the county seat of Wayne County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located northeast of Scranton. The population was 4,874 at the 2000 census....
. He grew up on a farm owned by his father, where they tended for two dozen cows, and his mother ran a boarding house
Boarding house
A boarding house, is a house in which lodgers rent one or more rooms for one or more nights, and sometimes for extended periods of weeks, months and years. The common parts of the house are maintained, and some services, such as laundry and cleaning, may be supplied. They normally provide "bed...
which served families from Philadelphia and New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. Olver graduated from a schoolhouse when he was 15 and enrolled in Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Stephen Van Rensselaer established the Rensselaer School on November 5, 1824 with a letter to the Rev. Dr. Samuel Blatchford, in which van Rensselaer asked Blatchford to serve as the first president. Within the letter he set down several orders of business. He appointed Amos Eaton as the school's...
, where he earned a Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
in chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
at the age of 18. He went on to earn a Master of Science
Master of Science
A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...
in chemistry from Tufts University
Tufts University
Tufts University is a private research university located in Medford/Somerville, near Boston, Massachusetts. It is organized into ten schools, including two undergraduate programs and eight graduate divisions, on four campuses in Massachusetts and on the eastern border of France...
in 1956, and a Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
in 1961. He was a chemistry professor at the Franklin Technical Institute in Boston, Massachusetts, at MIT and at the University of Massachusetts Amherst
University of Massachusetts Amherst
The University of Massachusetts Amherst is a public research and land-grant university in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States and the flagship of the University of Massachusetts system...
for eight years before entering politics.
Massachusetts legislature
He served two terms as a member of the Massachusetts House of RepresentativesMassachusetts House of Representatives
The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from single-member electoral districts across the Commonwealth. Representatives serve two-year terms...
from January 1, 1969, to January 3, 1973. He won a Massachusetts Senate
Massachusetts Senate
The Massachusetts Senate is the upper house of the Massachusetts General Court, the bicameral state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Senate comprises 40 elected members from 40 single-member senatorial districts in the state...
race in 1972, when he defeated a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
incumbent. He served nine terms in the Massachusetts Senate
Massachusetts Senate
The Massachusetts Senate is the upper house of the Massachusetts General Court, the bicameral state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Senate comprises 40 elected members from 40 single-member senatorial districts in the state...
from January 3, 1973, until his resignation in 1991.
Elections
Steven Pierce
Steven D. Pierce is a Massachusetts jurist and politician who currently serves as Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Housing Court.A graduate of Union College and the Duke University School of Law, Pierce worked as an attorney before being elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1978...
in a special election for the seat, becoming the first Democrat to win the seat since it changed from being the in 1893. He resigned from the state Senate on June 15 and was sworn in June 18.
Olver won election to a full term by 8 points in 1992. In 1994--a year that saw many historically Republican seats revert to form--Olver ran unopposed. In 1996, he defeated State Senator and future Acting Governor
Acting governor
An acting governor is a constitutional position created in some U.S. states when the governor dies in office or resigns. In some states, the governor may also be declared to be incapacitated and unable to function for various reasons, including illness and absence from the state for more than a...
Jane Swift by a 53% to 47% margin. Olver didn't face another contest nearly that close, and was reelected eight more times. He even ran unopposed in 2004 and only faced an independent in 2006. His district is now considered safely Democratic, with a Cook Partisan Voting Index
Cook Partisan Voting Index
The Cook Partisan Voting Index , sometimes referred to as simply the Partisan Voting Index , is a measurement of how strongly an American congressional district or state leans toward one political party compared to the nation as a whole...
of D+14. On October 26, 2011, he announced he would not seek re-election in 2012.
Tenure
CQCongressional Quarterly
Congressional Quarterly, Inc., or CQ, is a privately owned publishing company that produces a number of publications reporting primarily on the United States Congress...
's Politics in America
CQ's Politics in America
Politics in America is a reference work comprising non-partisan profiles and assessments of every member of the United States Congress published by CQ Press. Compiled by a staff of more than three dozen Congressional Quarterly, Capitol Hill reporters and editors, Politics in America is published...
described Olver as "a staunch liberal who prefers to yield the spotlight to other similarly ideological members." He has consistently high rankings from the progressive
Progressivism in the United States
Progressivism in the United States is a broadly based reform movement that reached its height early in the 20th century and is generally considered to be middle class and reformist in nature. It arose as a response to the vast changes brought by modernization, such as the growth of large...
lobbying group Americans for Democratic Action
Americans for Democratic Action
Americans for Democratic Action is an American political organization advocating progressive policies. ADA works for social and economic justice through lobbying, grassroots organizing, research and supporting progressive candidates.-History:...
(ADA), and consistently low rankings from its conservative counterpart the American Conservative Union
American Conservative Union
The American Conservative Union is an American political organization advocating conservative policies, and is the oldest such conservative lobbying organization in the country.-Organization:...
(ACU).
Olver was a superdelegate to the 2008 Democratic National Convention
2008 Democratic National Convention
The United States 2008 Democratic National Convention was a quadrennial presidential nominating convention of the Democratic Party where it adopted its national platform and officially nominated its candidates for President and Vice President of the United States. The convention was held in Denver,...
. He announced his commitment to Senator Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
on June 3, 2008.
Foreign policy
With regards to United States involvement in Iraq, Olver has consistently opposed a United States military presence in Iraq, and voted against the 2002 authorization for the use of force in Iraq at the beginning of U.S. military engagement with the country. Olver has since advocated for the quick removal of U.S. troops from the country, and has consistently voted no on proposals in the House to increase funding for U.S. military operations in Iraq and the deployment of more U.S. troops in Iraq. In a position paper written on the subject of the United States presence in Iraq, Olver stated that he believes that the United States should seek out a political solution in cooperation with the States neighboring Iraq, such as Iran and Syria, rather than pursuing a strategy based primarily on military means in order to create a stable and democratic Iraq.
Olver has been critical of the United States lack of involvement with the genocide in Darfur. Olver was one of five members of Congress arrested April 28, 2006 after protesting outside the Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
ese Embassy.
Domestic policy
He was one of the 31 who objected in the House to the counting of the electoral votes from Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
in the United States presidential election, 2004
United States presidential election, 2004
The United States presidential election of 2004 was the United States' 55th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on Tuesday, November 2, 2004. Republican Party candidate and incumbent President George W. Bush defeated Democratic Party candidate John Kerry, the then-junior U.S. Senator...
.
Olver is one of the co-sponsors of , the US National Health Care Act, or Expanded & Improved Medicare for All, which introduces a universal health insurance program with single-payer financing. In addition to supporting different pieces of liberal healthcare reform legislation in the House, Olver has also strongly supported allowing federal funds related to health care programs to fund abortion operations. For example, Olver voted against a proposed amendment to House Resolution 3962 which prevented federal funds from being spent on abortion operations.
In addition to supporting the inclusion of coverage for abortions in healthcare legislation, Olver has consistently supported pro-choice legislation in the house and has received very favorable ratings from pro-choice interest groups such as the NARAL Pro-Choice America, which gave Olver a rating of 100.
With regards to immigration policy, Olver has stated that he supports efforts to reduce the number of immigrants entering the United States illegally, but that he believes that rather than simply increasing punishments for those who enter the country illegally and for those who employ illegal immigrants, the U.S. Government needs to reform immigration so as to allow qualified foreigners to easily acquire guest worker status in the U.S. Olver has consistently voted against legislation that would cut off public benefits to illegal and legal immigrants, has voted against legislation aimed at erecting physical barriers to stop illegal immigration, and has voted against legislation aimed at making English the official language of the U.S. Olver also believes that illegal immigrants currently residing in the United States need to be provided with a pathway to citizenship, and that these immigrants should not have to return to their countries of origin before obtaining citizenship.
Committee assignments
- Committee on AppropriationsUnited States House Committee on AppropriationsThe Committee on Appropriations is a committee of the United States House of Representatives. It is in charge of setting the specific expenditures of money by the government of the United States...
- Subcommittee on Energy and Water DevelopmentUnited States House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water DevelopmentThe House Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies is a standing subcommittee within the House Appropriations Committee.-Members, 112th Congress:-External links:* Official page...
- Subcommittee on Homeland SecurityUnited States House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland SecurityThe House Subcommittee on Homeland Security is a standing subcommittee within the House Appropriations Committee.-Members, 112th Congress:-External links:**...
- Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (Ranking Member)
- Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development
Party leadership
- Congressional Progressive Caucus
- Senior Whip of the Democratic Caucus
Personal life
John Olver is married to Rose Olver, a Professor of Psychology and Women's and Gender Studies at Amherst CollegeAmherst College
Amherst College is a private liberal arts college located in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Amherst is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution and enrolled 1,744 students in the fall of 2009...
. They have one daughter, Martha. The family has lived in Amherst, Massachusetts
Amherst, Massachusetts
Amherst is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States in the Connecticut River valley. As of the 2010 census, the population was 37,819, making it the largest community in Hampshire County . The town is home to Amherst College, Hampshire College, and the University of Massachusetts...
since 1963. In October 2011, Olver announced that he will not be seeking re-election in 2012, in part due to his wife's cancer diagnosis.
External links
- Congressman John Olver official U.S. House site
- Citizens for John Olver for Congress official campaign site
- Profile at SourceWatchSourceWatchSourceWatch is an internet wiki site that is a collaborative project of the liberal Center for Media and Democracy...
- First campaign ad on YouTube