Paul B. Henry
Encyclopedia
Paul Brentwood Henry was a professor
of political science
and politician
from the U.S. state
of Michigan
.
, in 1959. His father Carl F. H. Henry
, a noted theologian, was one of the founders of Fuller Theological Seminary
and the founding editor of Christianity Today
.
Henry received a B.A.
from Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois
in 1963, and then was a Peace Corps
volunteer in Liberia
and Ethiopia
from 1963 to 1965. Upon returning to the United States, he attended graduate school at Duke University
, Durham, North Carolina
, earning a M.A.
in 1968, and a Ph.D.
in 1970. His mother author Helga Bender Henry, was born in Cameroon
, West Africa
, the daughter of German
born American
missionaries.
Henry was professor of political science at Calvin College
in Grand Rapids, Michigan
from 1970 to 1978.
(R
-IL
). During 1968 and 1969, while Anderson was the third-ranking Republican in Congress, Henry's job involved promoting good communication within the party caucus.
In 1974, after Henry had been at Calvin College for several years, a Democrat (Richard Vander Veen) won the congressional seat centered on Grand Rapids, long held by Gerald Ford
, in the wake of the Watergate scandal
. Henry was subsequently asked to provide new direction to the Kent County
Republican Party as its new chairman. The following year, Henry was appointed by Governor William Milliken
to the Michigan State Board of Education, on which he served from 1975 to 1978.
Henry ran for an open seat in the Michigan State House of Representatives
in 1978, and served in that body from 1979 to 1982, then moving up to serve one term in the Michigan State Senate. In 1984, Henry was elected as a Republican from Michigan's 5th District to the U.S. House of Representatives, winning the open seat being vacated by Republican Congressman Harold S. Sawyer
. He was re-elected four times. After redistricting due to the United States 1990 Census, he was elected from Michigan's 3rd District in 1992. Henry served in Congress for 8½ years, from 3 January 1985 until his death.
Paul Henry died in Grand Rapids on 31 July 1993, at age 51, after a nine-month battle with brain cancer. He was interred at Woodlawn Cemetery in Grand Rapids.
Grand Valley State University
is home to Henry Hall. The building, named after Paul B. Henry, houses the Biology department, three lecture halls, and several computer labs.
M-6
, a highway on the south side of Grand Rapids connecting Interstate 96
and Interstate 196
, was named the Paul B. Henry Freeway. Construction on the highway began in 1997 and was completed in 2004, four years ahead of schedule.
Calvin College established The Paul B. Henry Institute for the Study of Christianity and Politics in 1997 to continue the work of integrating Christian faith and politics advanced by its namesake,
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
and politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
from the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
.
Early life and career
Henry was born in Chicago, Illinois and graduated from Pasadena High School, Pasadena, CaliforniaPasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
, in 1959. His father Carl F. H. Henry
Carl F. H. Henry
Carl Ferdinand Howard Henry was an American evangelical Christian theologian who served as the first editor-in-chief of the magazine Christianity Today, established to serve as a scholarly voice for evangelical Christianity and a challenge to the liberal Christian Century.-Early Years and...
, a noted theologian, was one of the founders of Fuller Theological Seminary
Fuller Theological Seminary
Fuller Theological Seminary is an accredited Christian educational institute with its main campus in Pasadena, California and several satellite campuses in the western United States...
and the founding editor of Christianity Today
Christianity Today
Christianity Today is an Evangelical Christian periodical based in Carol Stream, Illinois. It is the flagship publication of its parent company Christianity Today International, claiming circulation figures of 140,000 and readership of 290,000...
.
Henry received a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
from Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois
Wheaton, Illinois
Wheaton is an affluent community located in DuPage County, Illinois, approximately west of Chicago and Lake Michigan. Wheaton is the county seat of DuPage County...
in 1963, and then was a Peace Corps
Peace Corps
The Peace Corps is an American volunteer program run by the United States Government, as well as a government agency of the same name. The mission of the Peace Corps includes three goals: providing technical assistance, helping people outside the United States to understand US culture, and helping...
volunteer in Liberia
Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
and Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
from 1963 to 1965. Upon returning to the United States, he attended graduate school at Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
, Durham, North Carolina
Durham, North Carolina
Durham is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the county seat of Durham County and also extends into Wake County. It is the fifth-largest city in the state, and the 85th-largest in the United States by population, with 228,330 residents as of the 2010 United States census...
, earning a M.A.
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
in 1968, and a Ph.D.
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 1970. His mother author Helga Bender Henry, was born in Cameroon
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
, West Africa
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
, the daughter of German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
born American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
missionaries.
Henry was professor of political science at Calvin College
Calvin College
Calvin College is a comprehensive liberal arts college located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Founded in 1876, Calvin College is an educational institution of the Christian Reformed Church and stands in the Reformed tradition of Protestantism...
in Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located on the Grand River about 40 miles east of Lake Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 188,040. In 2010, the Grand Rapids metropolitan area had a population of 774,160 and a combined statistical area, Grand...
from 1970 to 1978.
Political career
From 1965 to 1970, while he was a graduate student at Duke, Henry served two stints as a staffer for Congressman John B. AndersonJohn B. Anderson
John Bayard Anderson is a former United States Congressman and Presidential candidate from Illinois. He was a U.S. Representative from the 16th Congressional District of Illinois for ten terms from 1961 through 1981 and an Independent candidate in the 1980 presidential election. He was previously...
(R
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...
-IL
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
). During 1968 and 1969, while Anderson was the third-ranking Republican in Congress, Henry's job involved promoting good communication within the party caucus.
In 1974, after Henry had been at Calvin College for several years, a Democrat (Richard Vander Veen) won the congressional seat centered on Grand Rapids, long held by Gerald Ford
Gerald Ford
Gerald Rudolph "Jerry" Ford, Jr. was the 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the 40th Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974...
, in the wake of the Watergate scandal
Watergate scandal
The Watergate scandal was a political scandal during the 1970s in the United States resulting from the break-in of the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C., and the Nixon administration's attempted cover-up of its involvement...
. Henry was subsequently asked to provide new direction to the Kent County
Kent County, Michigan
-Air Service:*Commercial air service to Grand Rapids is provided by Gerald R. Ford International Airport . Previously named Kent County International Airport, it holds Grand Rapids' mark in modern history with the United States' first regularly scheduled airline service, beginning July 31, 1926,...
Republican Party as its new chairman. The following year, Henry was appointed by Governor William Milliken
William Milliken
William Grawn Milliken , is an American politician and served as the 44th Governor of Michigan from January 1969 to January 1983.-Biography:...
to the Michigan State Board of Education, on which he served from 1975 to 1978.
Henry ran for an open seat in the Michigan State House of Representatives
Michigan State House of Representatives
The Michigan House of Representatives is the lower house of the Michigan Legislature. There are 110 members, each of whom is elected from constituencies having approximately 77,000 to 91,000 residents, based on population figures from the 2000 federal U.S. Census.Members are elected in...
in 1978, and served in that body from 1979 to 1982, then moving up to serve one term in the Michigan State Senate. In 1984, Henry was elected as a Republican from Michigan's 5th District to the U.S. House of Representatives, winning the open seat being vacated by Republican Congressman Harold S. Sawyer
Harold S. Sawyer
Harold Samuel Sawyer was a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan.Sawyer was born in San Francisco, California, and attended the public schools of the San Francisco Bay area. He graduated from Marin Junior College , Kentfield, California and from the University of California, Berkeley in 1940....
. He was re-elected four times. After redistricting due to the United States 1990 Census, he was elected from Michigan's 3rd District in 1992. Henry served in Congress for 8½ years, from 3 January 1985 until his death.
Death
In October 1992, two weeks before election day, Henry was diagnosed with a brain tumor. He underwent surgery a few days before he was re-elected to his fifth term in Congress. He regained strength briefly and was able to attend his swearing-in to the 103rd Congress on 3 January 1993, but then began to decline again.Paul Henry died in Grand Rapids on 31 July 1993, at age 51, after a nine-month battle with brain cancer. He was interred at Woodlawn Cemetery in Grand Rapids.
Legacy
He was succeeded in Congress by Vernon James Ehlers, a fellow faculty member at Calvin College.Grand Valley State University
Grand Valley State University
Grand Valley State University is a public liberal arts university located in Allendale, Michigan, United States. The university was established in 1960, and its main campus is situated on approximately west of Grand Rapids...
is home to Henry Hall. The building, named after Paul B. Henry, houses the Biology department, three lecture halls, and several computer labs.
M-6
M-6 (Michigan highway)
M-6, or the Paul B. Henry Freeway, is a freeway and state trunkline highway in the United States that serves portions of southern Kent and eastern Ottawa counties south of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although the freeway is named for Paul B. Henry, local residents and the press continue to use the...
, a highway on the south side of Grand Rapids connecting Interstate 96
Interstate 96
Interstate 96 is an intrastate Interstate Highway that is entirely within the US state of Michigan. Its western terminus is at an interchange with US Highway 31 and Business US Highway 31 , on the western boundary of Norton Shores southeast of Muskegon. Its eastern terminus is at I-75 near the...
and Interstate 196
Interstate 196
Interstate 196 is a long freeway spur route in the US state of Michigan linking Grand Rapids, Holland, South Haven, and Benton Harbor. I-196 is known as the Gerald R. Ford Freeway, or simply the Ford Freeway, in Kent, Ottawa, and Allegan Counties, after the 38th President of the United States,...
, was named the Paul B. Henry Freeway. Construction on the highway began in 1997 and was completed in 2004, four years ahead of schedule.
Calvin College established The Paul B. Henry Institute for the Study of Christianity and Politics in 1997 to continue the work of integrating Christian faith and politics advanced by its namesake,
External links
- The Henry Institute at Calvin College
- Paul B. Henry Freeway
- Serving the Claims of Justice: The Thoughts of Paul B. Henry, published 2001. Introduction by Doug Koopman available online.