Steve Symms | |
|---|---|
 | |
| United States Senator fromIdaho | |
| In office January 3, 1981 – January 3, 1993 | |
| Preceded by | Frank Church |
| Succeeded by | Dirk Kempthorne |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromIdaho's1st district | |
| In office January 3, 1973 – January 3, 1981 | |
| Preceded by | Jim McClure |
| Succeeded by | Larry Craig |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Steven Douglas Symms (1938-04-23)April 23, 1938 Nampa, Idaho, U.S. |
| Died | August 8, 2024(2024-08-08) (aged 86) Leesburg, Virginia, U.S. |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 4 |
| Education | University of Idaho (BA) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Marine Corps |
| Years of service | 1960–1963 |
| Rank |  First Lieutenant |
Steven Douglas Symms (April 23, 1938 – August 8, 2024) was an American politician and lobbyist who served as a four-termcongressman (1973–1981) and two-termU.S. Senator (1981–1993), representingIdaho.[1] He later became a partner at Parry, Romani, DeConcini & Symms, alobbying firm inWashington, D.C.[2]
Symms was born inNampa, Idaho,[3][4] on April 23, 1938.[5] His family owned a fruit farm.[6] He attended public schools inCanyon County and graduated fromCaldwell High School in 1956. He studied horticulture[7] at theUniversity of Idaho inMoscow, where he was a reservecenter on thefootball team[8] and was a member ofSigma Nufraternity.[9] He graduated in 1960 with aB.S. in agriculture, then served in theUnited States Marine Corps for three years, after which he worked as a private pilot and apple farmer.[6] From 1969 to 1972, he was co-editor of the college newspaper,TheIdaho Compass.[10]
In1972, Symms ran forU. S. Congress, highlighting his career as an apple farmer by using the slogan "Take a bite out of big government!"[6] He was elected to the open seat in theUnited States House of Representatives at age 34 and was re-elected three times. He ran for theUnited States Senate in1980. Symms stated that he was encouraged to run byJames Angleton, a formerCIA officer who resented Church's criticism of the CIA.[11] Aided by national funding,[12][13] he unseated four-term incumbentDemocratFrank Church, winning by less than one percent.[14] Symms was re-elected in1986, defeating DemocraticGovernorJohn V. Evans in another hard-fought and close election.[15]
Symms was one of several Republican senators who, in 1981, called into theWhite House to express discontent over the nomination ofSandra Day O'Connor to theSupreme Court; the opposition hinged over the issue of O'Connor's presumed unwillingness to overturnRoe v. Wade.[16]
In 1985, Symms was one of four Republican Senators who voted against a resolution condemningapartheid.[17] The four "no" votes came from four Republican senators: Symms,Jesse Helms of North Carolina,Barry Goldwater of Arizona, andChic Hecht of Nevada.[18]
During the1988 U.S. presidential election, Symms claimed in a radio interview that a photograph existed from the 1960s showingKitty Dukakis, the wife ofDemocratic presidential candidateMichael Dukakis, burning anAmerican flag to protest theVietnam War. Kitty Dukakis angrily denied the accusation as "totally false and beneath contempt," and Symms later admitted that he could not substantiate it.[19][20] Nevertheless, the claim became national news, as media outlets began searching for the photograph Symms said he had "heard" about.[21] The flag-burning story was one of several false rumors about Dukakis that circulated during the 1988 campaign. "Mr. Symms's comment was the third time in a few days that prominent Republicans have publicly aired allegations that the Democrats have swiftly rebutted,"The New York Times reported.[19]
According toSalon magazine, during Symms's time in Washington, he "gained something of a sexual legend over his eight years in the House that grew larger once he was in the Senate; it was widely known among reporters that he was a big-time D.C. party animal and could be seen most evenings in the company of a woman other than his wife, Fran. She in fact was a kind, sweet woman who suffered terribly fromarthritis and couldn't socialize much. Most of the state's political reporters knew about the situation but figured it was no one's business unless Symms made it an issue. However, when Fran finally had enough and divorced him, the emergent details of hisphilandering – and the ensuing shelled-out poll numbers – persuaded him to not pursue reelection in 1992."[22]
Symms was also one of the six senators who voted against theAmericans With Disabilities Act of 1990.[23]
Symms chose not to seek a third term in1992 and was succeeded by the Republican mayor ofBoise,Dirk Kempthorne, a future two-term Idahogovernor andUnited States Secretary of the Interior.[24]
After leaving the U.S. Senate in 1993,[25] Symms founded Symms, Lehn Associates, Inc., aconsulting firm.[26] In January 1999, he partnered with John Haddow and formed Symms & Haddow Associates, alobbying firm. In January 2001, the firm joined forces with Romano Romani and former SenatorDennis DeConcini of Parry, Romani & DeConcini to form Parry, Romani, DeConcini & Symms.[2]
Prior to his senior year at theUniversity of Idaho, Symms married Frances E. "Fran" Stockdale ofHelena, Montana,[27] in August 1959.[28] They had four children, a son and three daughters. Following his re-election in 1986, the couple separated,[29] and their divorce was finalized in 1990.[30] Although Symms declined to comment on the reason for the divorce,[31] he was dogged by rumors of infidelity during his 1980s campaigns, claims which were eventually substantiated by his former wife.[32][33] Symms married Loretta Mathes Fuller in 1992,[34] a former aide and later the Deputy Sergeant of Arms of the U.S. Senate.[35]
Symms was a cousin of formerOregon congressmanDenny Smith.[36]
Symms died at his home inLeesburg, Virginia, on August 8, 2024, at the age of 86.[6][37][38]
| Year | Democrat | Votes | Pct | Republican | Votes | Pct | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | [39] | Ed Williams | 68,106 | 44% | Steve Symms | 85,270 | 56% | |
| 1974 | [40] | J. Ray Cox | 54,001 | 42% | Steve Symms (inc.) | 75,404 | 58% | |
| 1976 | [41] | Ken Pursley | 79,662 | 45% | Steve Symms (inc.) | 95,833 | 55% | |
| 1978 | [42] | Roy Truby | 57,972 | 40% | Steve Symms (inc.) | 86,680 | 60% |
| Year | Democrat | Votes | Pct | Republican | Votes | Pct | 3rd Party | Party | Votes | Pct | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | [43] | Frank Church (inc.) | 214,439 | 49% | Steve Symms | 218,701 | 50% | Larry Fullmer | Libertarian | 6,507 | 1% | |||
| 1986 | [44] | John V. Evans | 185,066 | 48% | Steve Symms (inc.) | 196,958 | 52% |
This article incorporatespublic domain material fromBiographical Directory of the United States Congress.Federal government of the United States.
Michael Dukakis's Presidential campaign, responding to comments by Senator Steve Symms, an Idaho Republican, issued a statement Wednesday saying any suggestion that Kitty Dukakis had ever burned an American flag wastotally false and beneath contempt.
Or how about the one about Kitty Dukakis burning a flag at an anti-war demonstration, another out-and-out lie, which the Bush campaign denied having anything to do with, except that it turned out to have come from a United States senator via the Republican National Committee? Atwater later apologized to me for that, too, on his deathbed.
This campaign got very rough very early, and Kirk O'Donnell, a senior adviser to Mr. Dukakis, said it was shaping up to be among the most negative recent presidential contests. Pointing a finger at the Bush campaign, he said, 'There's no question that rumor has developed into a new art form in this campaign. He was referring to a recent statement by Senator Steve Symms, Republican of Idaho, who said that he understood there were pictures showing that Kitty Dukakis, the candidate's wife, had burned an American flag. Mrs. Dukakis angrily denied the accusation, and Mr. Symms later acknowledged that he had no proof. But it was on television before he drew back.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link){{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by | United States House of Representatives,Idaho First Congressional District January 3, 1973 – January 3, 1981 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Republican Party nominee,U.S. Senator (Class 3) from Idaho 1980 (won),1986 (won) | Succeeded by |
| U.S. Senate | ||
| Preceded by | U.S. senator (Class 3) from Idaho January 3, 1981 – January 5, 1993 Served alongside:Jim McClure,Larry Craig | Succeeded by |
| Class 2 |  | |
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| Class 3 | ||
| Territorial (1863–1890) |
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| Oneat-large seat (1890–1913) |
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| Two at-large seats (1913–1919) |
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| Districts (1919–present) |
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| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
