Al Ullman | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Chair of theHouse Ways and Means Committee | |
| In office December 10, 1974 – January 3, 1981 | |
| Preceded by | Wilbur Mills |
| Succeeded by | Dan Rostenkowski |
| Chair of theHouse Budget Committee | |
| In office July 12, 1974 – January 3, 1975 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Brock Adams |
| Co-Chair of the Joint Budget Control Committee | |
| In office October 27, 1972 – April 18, 1973 Serving with Jamie Whitten | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromOregon's2nd district | |
| In office January 3, 1957 – January 3, 1981 | |
| Preceded by | Sam Coon |
| Succeeded by | Denny Smith |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Albert Conrad Ullman (1914-03-09)March 9, 1914 Great Falls, Montana, U.S. |
| Died | October 11, 1986(1986-10-11) (aged 72) Bethesda, Maryland, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Audrey Ullman |
| Education | Whitman College (BA) Columbia University (MA) |
Albert Conrad Ullman (March 9, 1914 – October 11, 1986) was an American politician in theDemocratic Party who representedOregon's 2nd congressional district in theUnited States House of Representatives from 1957 to 1981. One of the most influential Oregonians ever to be elected to Congress, along with SenatorWayne Morse, Ullman presided over the powerfulHouse Committee on Ways and Means during a period of time in which he was deeply involved in shaping national policy on issues relating totaxation, budget reform, federalentitlement programs,international trade, and energy.
Ullman was born inGreat Falls, Montana, and raised initially at Gildford, Montana, after which the family moved to Cathcart, nearSnohomish, Washington, where his father ran a small country grocery store. Two of his grandparents wereGerman immigrants, and the other two had emigrated from Bohemia, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.[1] In 1935, he graduated fromWhitman College inWalla Walla, Washington (where he playedfootball as a running end) with a degree inpolitical science. After teachingAmerican history and government at Port Angeles High School inWashington for two years, Ullman earned amaster's degree inpublic law fromColumbia University in 1939.
Later, from 1942 to 1945, he served as a communications officer with theUnited States Navy in theSouth Pacific duringWorld War II. After the war, Ullman settled inBaker, Oregon (now known as Baker City) where, having taught himself how to design and build houses, he worked as a builder and real estate developer in the early 1950s.
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Ullman first ran for Congress inOregon's 2nd congressional district in 1954. In a year that was generally good for Democrats – especially in Oregon – he lost to RepublicanSam Coon, following the resurrection of a two-year-old charge of a violation of the Real Estate Code. Even the Republican-leaningOregonian considered the allegations to be politically motivated.[2] Ullman ran successfully for the seat in 1956, defeating Coon. Ullman won by waging apopulist campaign focused on issues regardingpublic power, of which Ullman was a fierce proponent, and whether thehydroelectric development ofHells Canyon on theSnake River should be turned over to private interests, which Ullman opposed.[3]
Ullman represented one of the largest districts in the nation that did not cover an entire state. His district stretched from the state capital ofSalem all the way to theIdaho border. It encompassed roughly 70,000 square miles (180,000 km2), an area larger than any state east of the Mississippi River – and includedalpine forest,rangeland, anddesert. While inWashington, he devoted himself to the development of Oregon's water resources and the improved management of public lands and national forests.
Committees Ullman served on:
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For most of his Congressional career, Ullman was viewed as a moderate Democrat. Among other things, Ullman is regarded by many as the father of the present-dayUnited States budget process. In 1973, he initiated and later co-chaired the Joint Study Committee on Budget Control, leading to major budget reforms which, for the first time, required Congress to reconcile spending with revenues in order to address mounting federaldeficits. He also served as chairman of the new House Budget Committee in 1974.
In 1975, Ullman ascended to the chairmanship of the House's powerfulWays and Means Committee, on which he had served since 1961 (and as acting chairman since 1973). As chairman, he oversaw the drafting and enactment of numerous major tax reform bills. For example, asThe New York Times noted, "Among Mr. Ullman's most important actions as committee chairman was his sponsorship of sweeping legislation to cut taxes in an effort to help shore up the United States economy. His bill, which gave more than $20 billion in income tax rebates to Americans in the spring of 1975, brought the Oregon Democrat national recognition after almost two decades of relatively quiet Congressional service." Ullman also played a central role with respect to other key legislation, including theWindfall Profits Tax Act of 1980 (P.L. 96-223), which redirected an estimated $79 billion (according to theCongressional Research Service) of oil companies' profits resulting from price deregulation toward support for mass transit, oil price relief for poor families, and the development of alternative energy sources.
On many regional issues, Ullman was a de facto leader of thePacific Northwest's Congressional delegation, along with SenatorHenry "Scoop" Jackson (D-Wash.) and congressman (later to be House Speaker)Tom Foley (D-Wash.). In addition, Ullman was well known for his longstanding advocacy on behalf ofAmerican Indian tribes inEastern Oregon, which he felt had historically been treated unjustly by the federal government with respect to treaty, land and other issues.[4]
In the midst of the "Reagan landslide" – which also led to the defeat of PresidentJimmy Carter and the Republican takeover of theUnited States Senate – Ullman narrowly lost his bid for a thirteenth term from the Second District to Republican challengerDenny Smith. Ullman's electoral defeat was widely attributed to the nationally prevalent anti-incumbent and anti-government mindset; the presence in his House race of an independent candidate; the increasing conservatism of the Second District; to his advocacy for avalue-added tax similar to that now used in theEuropean Union and other nations as a partial alternative to what he viewed as inequities in the existing Federalincome tax system; and to the decision of PresidentJimmy Carter to concede defeat in the 1980 presidential election before the polls in Oregon were closed, an act which Ullman and others believed discouraged many people from voting.[5]
After leaving office in 1981, Ullman remained inWashington, D.C., and established Ullman Consultants, Inc., a consulting firm inGeorgetown, with his wife Audrey and former members of hisCapitol Hill staff. In 1981, Ullman gave his extensiveCongressional papers to theUniversity of Oregon.[6]
He lived inArlington, Virginia, andFalls Church, Virginia, until his death due to prostate cancer on October 11, 1986.[7]
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromOregon's 2nd congressional district 1957–1981 | Succeeded by |
| New office | Co-Chair of the Joint Budget Control Committee 1972–1973 Served alongside:Jamie Whitten | Position abolished |
| Chair of theHouse Budget Committee 1974–1975 | Succeeded by | |
| Preceded by | Chair of theHouse Ways and Means Committee 1974–1981 | Succeeded by |
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