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Guy Vander Jagt | |
|---|---|
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| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMichigan's9th district | |
| In office November 8, 1966 – January 3, 1993 | |
| Preceded by | Robert P. Griffin |
| Succeeded by | Pete Hoekstra(redistricting) |
| Member of theMichigan Senate from the36th district | |
| In office January 1, 1965 – November 1966 | |
| Preceded by | District created |
| Succeeded by | John Toepp |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Guy Adrian Vander Jagt (1931-08-26)August 26, 1931 Cadillac, Michigan, U.S. |
| Died | June 22, 2007(2007-06-22) (aged 75) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | |
| Education | Hope College (BA) Yale University (BDiv) University of Michigan (JD) |
Vander Jagt speaks on the problems withincumbency advantage Recorded May 24, 1988 | |
Guy Adrian Vander Jagt (/ˌvændərˈdʒæk/VAN-dərJAK; August 26, 1931 – June 22, 2007) was aRepublican politician fromMichigan. He was a member of theU.S. House of Representatives and Chairman of theNational Republican Congressional Committee.
Vander Jagt was described byPresident Nixon as "the best public speaker in America," a sentiment echoed by the producer of the Homebuilder's Convention: "I've been doing this for 26 years and have worked withColin Powell,Margaret Thatcher andGeorge Bush and many other greats and Vander Jagt was by far the best speaker we ever had."Ronald Reagan was quoted as saying "some call me the great communicator but if there was one thing I dreaded during my eight years in Washington it was having to follow Guy Vander Jagt to the podium."[1]
Vander Jagt was born inCadillac, Michigan, to Marie and HarryVander Jagt, aDutch immigrant. Harry was a rancher, and as a youth, Guy worked on the family's 120-acre (0.49 km2) farm near Cadillac. His talent for public speaking emerged as he began preaching at theTustinPresbyterian Church while a student atCadillac High School. He graduated fromHope College inHolland in 1953. While a student at Hope College, he was the state debate champion of Michigan for three years and won the National Oratorical Championship during his senior year. He was also the student body president during his senior year and worked as a radio disc jockey atWHTC.
Vander Jagt went on to attendYale Divinity School, graduating in 1955 with aB.D. In 1956, he received aRotary Foundation Fellowship to study for a year at theUniversity of Bonn,Germany.[2]
When he returned to West Michigan, Vander Jagt served as an interim pastor of the CadillacCongregational Church for a short time, before working at theWWTV TV station as a newscaster and news director. He reportedly memorized the text of each broadcast.[3]
Vander Jagt next returned to school to study law atGeorgetown University inWashington, D.C., but soon transferred to theUniversity of Michigan Law School, where he received hisJ.D. in 1960. He began practicing law inGrand Rapids.
In 1964, he was elected to theMichigan State Senate.
Following the death ofU.S. SenatorPatrick V. McNamara in April 1966, Vander Jagt, along with fellow RepublicansRobert P. Griffin andLeroy Augenstein, was a leading contender for appointment to the vacant US Senate seat. Michigan GovernorGeorge Romney set guidelines for determining a consensus candidate, including a minimum of 65% support. When it became clear that neither man would meet that threshold, Vander Jagt withdrew and threw his support behind Griffin, who was appointed to the Senate in May. In turn, Vander Jagt entered the race to succeed Griffin inMichigan's 9th congressional district, which stretched from his home in Cadillac along theLake Michigan shoreline toMuskegon and the suburbs ofGrand Rapids.
Vander Jagt ran in two elections on November 8, 1966–a special election for the balance of Griffin's fifth term, and a regular election for a full two-year term. He won both handily and was reelected 12 times, never facing serious opposition in a district widely considered to be the most Republican district in Michigan.
One of his earliest appointments was to theHouse Committee on Science and Astronautics during the development of the U.S. space program and leading to theMoon landing. On theConservation and National Resources Subcommittee, he worked to establishSleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore near his home, although he later had cause to note that park mismanagement illustrated "one of the most reprehensible aspects of the land acquisition process." As a member of theCommittee on Foreign Affairs, PresidentRichard Nixon sent him on trade missions to Africa and Asia. Vander Jagt was appointed to theWays and Means Committee in 1974 where he served on the Trade and Select Revenue Measures Subcommittees. He continued to serve on this committee throughout his House career. He also served on the Joint Tax Committee of the U.S. House and U.S. Senate.
In 1980, Vander Jagt was chosen by presidential nomineeRonald Reagan to deliver the keynote address at theRepublican National Convention inDetroit. He delivered the address on Wednesday July 16 without notes, relying entirely on memory. He was being considered as a potentialvice presidential candidate. Using momentum from the convention speech, Vander Jagt ran forHouse Minority Leader afterJohn J. Rhodes ofArizona decided not to run for the post again, but lost toBob Michel ofIllinois. Vander Jagt served as Chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee from 1975 until he left the House. Vander Jagt made a youngNewt Gingrich the chairman of a Republican long-range planning committee before Gingrich was even sworn in, catapulting him ahead of sitting committee members.
In the late 1980s, Vander Jagt helped lead an effort to repeal theTwenty-second Amendment to the United States Constitution, which limits a President to serve two terms. "Ronald Reagan is one of the greatest American Presidents of all time, and I want to keep him on the job," he explained in 1986, in a fundraising letter to raise funds for such a campaign.[4] In 1986, and again in 1987, 1989, and 1991, he sponsored such an amendment in the House.
In 1992, Vander Jagt's district was renumbered as the2nd district. For the first time since his initial run in 1966, he faced a serious primary opponent inHerman Miller executive and fellowDutch-AmericanPete Hoekstra. While Hoekstra had never run for office before, he made a name for himself by riding his bicycle across the district. Hoekstra also claimed that Vander Jagt had been in Congress for too long; Vander Jagt had won his first election when Hoekstra was 13 years old.
Hoekstra scored a major upset, winning by over six points. He dominated his base in the district's more populated southern portion, including Muskegon and the Grand Rapids suburbs. Vander Jagt's margins in the northern portion weren't enough to close the gap.[5]
Vander Jagt returned to private law practice with theCleveland-based law firmBakerHostetler. He died frompancreatic cancer at a hospice facility in Washington on June 22, 2007, at the age of 75.[6]
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMichigan's 9th congressional district 1966–1993 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Chair of theNational Republican Congressional Committee 1975–1993 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Keynote Speaker of theRepublican National Convention 1980 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
