Joe Schwarz | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMichigan's7th district | |
| In office January 3, 2005 – January 3, 2007 | |
| Preceded by | Nick Smith |
| Succeeded by | Tim Walberg |
| Member of theMichigan Senate | |
| In office January 1, 1987 – December 31, 2002 | |
| Preceded by | Harry A. DeMaso |
| Succeeded by | Patricia L. Birkholz |
| Constituency | 20th district (1987–1994) 24th district (1995–2002) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | John Joseph Henry Schwarz (1937-11-15)November 15, 1937 (age 88) Battle Creek, Michigan, U.S. |
| Party | Republican (before 2010) Independent (2010–present) |
| Education | University of Michigan (BA) Wayne State University (MD) |
John Joseph Henry Schwarz[1] (born November 15, 1937), is an American physician and independent politician fromMichigan,[2] who was elected to theUnited States House of Representatives in 2004 as a moderateRepublican. He representedMichigan's 7th congressional district from January 2005 to January 2007.
Dr. Schwarz was born and raised inBattle Creek, Michigan, after his family moved there in 1935 so his father could work as a physician in theVeterans Administration Hospital. He has two older siblings, Frank and Janet. He attended Fremont Elementary School, W.K. Kellogg Junior High School, and graduated from Battle Creek Central High School. He played on the baseball, swimming and football teams at B.C. Central. In 1959, he received aB.A. inHistory from theUniversity of Michigan,Ann Arbor, where he played on the 1956 reserve football team as a center.[3]
Dr. Schwarz graduated from Wayne State University Medical School in 1964 and interned at Los Angeles County Hospital before enlisting in the Navy.[4] For five years, Dr. Schwarz served in Southeast Asia, first with the U.S. Navy in Vietnam and as an assistant naval attaché in Indonesia.[5] He was then a member of the Defense Intelligence Agency, before serving with the Central Intelligence Agency for three years in Indonesia, Laos, and Vietnam.[6][7] During his time in Indonesia, Dr. Schwarz metSuharto on several occasions and, at then-U.S. Ambassador to IndonesiaMarshall Green’s direction, taught Suharto basic English phrases for about six weeks. Following Indonesia, Schwarz was stationed with the CIA in Laos during theLaotian Civil War[8][9] Schwarz left the CIA in 1970 to attend Harvard University, finishing his residency inotolaryngology in 1973.[10]
He returned, with his new family, to Battle Creek in 1974, and has been a practicingphysician in Battle Creek since that time. He currently sees patients at the Family Health Center in Battle Creek, a federally qualified health center. He is aFellow of the American College of Surgeons. His first wife, Anne, died in 1990, and he is divorced from his second wife. He has one daughter from his first marriage.[11]
In 1984, Schwarz was elected Mayor of Battle Creek. In 1986, he was elected to theMichigan State Senate. In 2002, he ran forGovernor of Michigan, but was defeated in the primary by a wide margin.
In 2006, Schwarz voted against theFederal Marriage Amendment,[12] which would have banned every state from legally recognizingsame-sex marriage. Schwarz is considered to be a moderate Republican who supports abortion rights and favors embryonicstem cell research.[13]
On the state level, Schwarz was appointed to Gov.Jennifer Granholm's Emergency Financial Advisory Panel, led by former Michigan governorsMilliken (R) andBlanchard (D). On the national level, Schwarz was appointed by Secretary of DefenseRobert Gates to serve on the independent panel to investigate the conditions atWalter Reed Army Hospital in suburban Washington, D.C. Schwarz was reappointed to the Altarum Institute Board of Trustees, a position he held prior to his congressional service, in February 2007. Altarum Institute is a nonprofit health policy research institute based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He also accepted a teaching position at the University of Michigan'sGerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, which began in fall 2007.[14]
In 2010, Schwarz considered running for governor of Michigan as an independent inthat year's election. However, on June 2, 2010, he announced he would not run due to fundraising issues.[2]
As of 2012[update], Schwarz is a member of theMichigan State Medical Society's board of directors.[15]
On June 16, 2014, Schwarz signed a brief in support of same-sex marriage.[16]
From 1991 to 2005 Schwarz served as a trustee forOlivet College. Schwarz also served as campaign chair for the college's previous capital campaign during 2007-2009 academic years for Olivet College.[17]
{{cite book}}:|work= ignored (help)| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMichigan's 7th congressional district 2005–2007 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded byas Former U.S. Representative | Order of precedence of the United States as Former U.S. Representative | Succeeded byas Former U.S. Representative |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
