John Melcher | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Official portrait, 1983 | |
| United States Senator fromMontana | |
| In office January 3, 1977 – January 3, 1989 | |
| Preceded by | Mike Mansfield |
| Succeeded by | Conrad Burns |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMontana's2nd district | |
| In office June 24, 1969 – January 3, 1977 | |
| Preceded by | James F. Battin |
| Succeeded by | Ron Marlenee |
| Personal details | |
| Born | John David Melcher (1924-09-06)September 6, 1924 Sioux City, Iowa, U.S. |
| Died | April 12, 2018(2018-04-12) (aged 93) Missoula, Montana, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Education | University of Minnesota, Twin Cities Iowa State University (BS,DVM) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Army |
| Years of service | 1943–1945 |
| Unit | 76th Infantry Division |
| Battles/wars | World War II Invasion of Normandy |
| Awards | Bronze Star Purple Heart Combat Infantry Badge |
John David Melcher (September 6, 1924 – April 12, 2018) was an American politician of theDemocratic Party who representedMontana for four terms as a member of theUnited States House of Representatives from 1969 to 1977 and as aUnited States senator for two terms from 1977 until 1989.
Melcher was born inSioux City, Iowa; his paternal grandparents were fromGermany.[1] He attended theUniversity of Minnesota before joining the military. He served in theUnited States Army duringWorld War II, and participated in theD-DayInvasion of Normandy with the76th Infantry Division in Europe during World War II.[2] He was wounded in action in Germany and awarded thePurple Heart,Combat Infantryman's Badge and theBronze Star.[3]
Melcher married Ruth Klein in 1945. They had six children.[3]
He graduated fromIowa State University in 1950. Later he moved toForsyth, Montana, and established aveterinary clinic.[3]
Melcher served on the Forsyth City Council. He then served as mayor of Forsyth in 1955, for three terms. In 1960, he was elected to theMontana House of Representatives forRosebud County.[3]
In 1962, he was elected to theMontana Senate.
He was elected to theUnited States House of Representatives by special election on June 24, 1969, to fill a vacancy created when the incumbent, RepublicanJames F. Battin, resigned to accept an appointment to the Federal bench. Melcher was re-elected to the three succeeding Congresses and served from June 24, 1969, to January 3, 1977.[4]
In1976, he was elected to the United States Senate to succeed retiring Democratic incumbentMike Mansfield.
Melcher was re-elected in1982 against RepublicanLarry R. Williams. Melcher had been targeted byNational Conservative Political Action Committee (NCPAC) as potentially vulnerable, and he was subjected to attack ads depicting him as "too liberal for Montana". Melcher's response became a classic of campaign advertising, featuring a shot of an "out-of-stater" carrying a briefcase full of money, followed by a conversation among several cows deploring their intervention in the race.[5][6]
His campaign for re-election in1988 was unsuccessful; he was defeated by RepublicanConrad Burns.[4] Melcher attributed the loss to a lack of time spent campaigning. A wilderness management bill he co-sponsored was vetoed by PresidentRonald Reagan only days before the 1988 election.[2]
Melcher was a candidate again for the same seat in the1994 Senate election for an attempted rematch with Burns, but lost to Jack Mudd in the primary, who in turn was also defeated by Burns by 62% to 38%.[7]
Melcher had generally liberal views on environmental issues, but was pro-life and supported prayer in public schools.[2] He was a co-sponsor of theSurface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977, which regulated coal strip mining.[3]
Melcher was responsible in 1984 for an amendment to theAnimal Welfare Act that required psychological well-being to be protected in primate research.[8] This legislation was praised byJane Goodall,[9] and in 1987 he was the presenter to her of the Schweitzer Medal of theAnimal Welfare Institute.[10]
After serving in the Senate, Melcher worked as a lobbyist for multiple organizations, including theAmerican Veterinary Medical Association.[2][11]
Melcher died on April 12, 2018, inMissoula, Montana, at the age of 93.[12][13]
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMontana's 2nd congressional district 1969–1977 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Response to the State of the Union address 1972 Served alongside:Carl Albert,Lloyd Bentsen,Hale Boggs,John Brademas,Frank Church,Thomas Eagleton,Martha Griffiths,Ralph Metcalfe,William Proxmire,Leonor Sullivan | Vacant Title next held by Mike Mansfield |
| Democratic nominee forU.S. Senator fromMontana (Class 1) 1976,1982,1988 | Succeeded by | |
| U.S. Senate | ||
| Preceded by | United States Senator (Class 1) from Montana 1977–1989 Served alongside:Lee Metcalf,Paul Hatfield,Max Baucus | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chair of theSenate Indian Affairs Committee 1979–1981 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chair of theSenate Aging Committee 1987–1989 | Succeeded by |
| Class 1 |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 2 | ||
Chairs of theUnited States Senate Committee on Indian Affairs | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full Committee (1820–1947) | | |
| Select Committee (1977–1993) | ||
| Full Committee (1993–) | ||
| Territorial (1865–1889) |
|  | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oneat-large seat (1889–1913) |
| ||||
| Two at-large seats (1913–1919) |
| ||||
| Districts (1919–1993) |
| ||||
| One at-large seat (1993–2023) |
| ||||
| Districts (2023–present) |
| ||||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
