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Cecil Heftel | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromHawaii's1st district | |
| In office January 3, 1977 – July 11, 1986 | |
| Preceded by | Spark Matsunaga |
| Succeeded by | Neil Abercrombie |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Cecil Landau Heftel (1924-09-30)September 30, 1924 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | February 4, 2010(2010-02-04) (aged 85) San Diego, California, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Edris GlasmannRebecca Glass |
| Children | 7 |
| Education | Arizona State University, Tempe (BS) University of Utah New York University |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Army |
| Years of service | 1943–1946 |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
Cecil Landau Heftel (September 30, 1924 – February 4, 2010) was an American politician and businessman fromHawai'i. A Democrat, He served in theUnited States House of Representatives from 1977 to 1986 for the First Congressional District, encompassing most of urbanHonolulu.
Heftel was born inChicago, Illinois; his maternal grandparents were fromRussia and his paternal grandparents fromPoland.[1] He attendedRoosevelt High School inAlbany Park, Chicago,[2] then obtained his bachelor's degree from theArizona State University in 1951.[3] Heftel then attended theUniversity of Utah andNew York University for graduate work.[3] Heftel was a Latter-day Saint.[4]
Heftel settled in Honolulu and established Heftel Broadcasting.[5] He ownedKGMB-AM-FM-TV and several other television and radio stations across the country. From 1943 to 1946, Heftel served in theUnited States Army.[3]
In 1957 Heftel was a pioneer for what was then called Top 30 programming, when he purchased KIMN in Denver.[5] In one of the nation's most competitive radio markets, KIMN became the dominant, #1 rated radio station. Heftel sold the station in 1960, returning to Hawaii, but once again in 1973 re-entered the mainland with the purchase of WHYI-FM, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, identifying the station as Y-100.[5] In 1974, Heftel hired consultant John Rook, who secured the services of Jackson, Mississippi programmer Bill Tanner, who crafted a Top 40 format described by Tanner as being "predictable unpredictability" that propelled the station to the top of the south Florida ratings, where it stayed for several years. The station was later sold by Heftel. Heftel also purchased WJAS in Pittsburgh which he later sold.
Heftel had a knack for getting in and out of station ownership in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. As broadcast revenues are tied to audience interest (ratings) and to advertising cycles, it can be a great business or a poor one. Heftel's mostly AM group of Top-40 stations was sold in the late 1970s. The next group of stations Heftel purchased consisted of FM stations which were coming into their own in the early seventies. These were sold off in the 1980s and included WZPL (move into Indianapolis) and WLLT (Cincinnati).
Heftel partnered with Scott Ginsburg for a time in 1986–1987 as H & G Communications. This group included WLUP-AM-FM Chicago, stations in Miami, and other cities.
The last Heftel Broadcasting accumulation of stations consisted of New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, and Miami. These were taken over by Clear Channel Communications in a 1996 tender offer. This in turn was merged with Mac Tichenor's Tichenor Media System into a new Heftel Broadcasting. That changed its name to Hispanic Broadcasting Corp (nowUnivision Radio).
Upon returning to his business in Honolulu, Heftel decided to run for political office.
In 1970, Heftel was the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, but lost narrowly to incumbent RepublicanHiram Fong. He became a delegate to the 1972 Hawai'i State Democratic Convention. There, he was elected in caucus to become a delegate to theDemocratic National Convention.
In 1976, Heftel was elected to Congress from the First District and was reelected four more times. While in office, Heftel was part of the U.S. fact-finding mission to the Philippines, largely responsible for the forced ouster of dictatorFerdinand Marcos.[citation needed]
Heftel voted for theEconomic Recovery Tax Act of 1981.[6] The Act aimed to stimulate economic growth by significantly reducingincome tax rates. It passed the House of Representatives in a 323–107 vote, the Senate via avoice vote, and it was signed into law by PresidentRonald Reagan on August 13, 1981.[6][7] However, Heftel voted against theOmnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981.[8] The Act decreased federal spending and increased military funding. Despite his vote against it, the bill passed the House of Representatives in a 232–193 vote, the Senate via a voice vote, and it was signed into law by President Ronald Reagan the same day.[9]
Heftel resigned on July 19, 1986, to run forgovernor, but lost the Democratic primary toJohn Waihee. Heftel blamed the loss on a smear campaign against him. Democrats have long asserted that the smear came from Republicans looking to run against Democrat John Waihee as an easier path to governor. Many in Hawaii political circles, however, believe the smear was orchestrated by a more powerful political machine that was afraid of Heftel's no-nonsense, honest approach.[citation needed]
In 1992, he was a supporter of thepresidential campaign ofRoss Perot.[10]
In 1998, he briefly returned to the political realm, authoring a book,End Legalized Bribery, in which he attempted to prove that the current state ofcampaign finance corrupts politicians, prevents qualified individuals from running for office, and costs citizens billions of dollars inpork barrel spending andcorporate welfare. The book also contained arguments in favor of a nationalClean Elections law and mandatory free commercial airtime for political candidates.
After 18 years out of the spotlight, the 80-year-old Heftel made a successful return to elective politics by being elected in November 2004 to thestate Board of Education for the Oahu-At Large seat.
Cecil Heftel died on February 4, 2010, fromnatural causes inSan Diego, California. He was 85. (Numerous websites claim he died February 5, but his widow says he died on February 4.[citation needed])On June 13, 2011, U.S. Rep.Colleen Hanabusa introduced legislation to designate the post office at 4354 Pahoa Avenue inHonolulu as the "Cecil L. Heftel Post Office Building".
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link){{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)| Party political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Democratic nominee forU.S. Senator fromHawaii (Class 1) 1970 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromHawaii's 1st congressional district 1977–1986 | Succeeded by |
| Territorial delegate (1899–1959) |  | ||||
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| One at-large seat (1959–1963) | |||||
| Two at-large seats (1963–1971) |
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| Districts (1971–present) |
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| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
