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David Karnes | |
|---|---|
 | |
| United States Senator fromNebraska | |
| In office March 11, 1987 – January 3, 1989 | |
| Appointed by | Kay Orr |
| Preceded by | Edward Zorinsky |
| Succeeded by | Bob Kerrey |
| Personal details | |
| Born | David Kemp Karnes (1948-12-12)December 12, 1948 Omaha, Nebraska, U.S. |
| Died | October 25, 2020(2020-10-25) (aged 71) Boston,Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 6 |
| Education | University of Nebraska–Lincoln (BA,JD) |
David Kemp Karnes (December 12, 1948 – October 25, 2020) was an American politician, businessman, and attorney. He was a United States Senator fromNebraska from 1987 to 1989, and waspresident andchief executive officer of The Fairmont Group Incorporated, a merchant banking/consulting company with offices in Omaha and the District of Columbia. Karnes also served in an "of counsel" capacity to the nationallaw firm ofKutak Rock and practiced out of the firm'sOmaha, Nebraska andWashington, D.C. offices.[1] Karnes was also involved in numerous civic, educational, and charitable organizations both in Nebraska and nationally.
Karnes was born inOmaha, Nebraska. He attended Benson High School and theUniversity of Nebraska in Lincoln, where he was a member of the swimming team[2] and graduated in 1971. As an undergrad he joinedBeta Theta Pi fraternity, serving one term as chapter president. He remained in Lincoln to attend law school.
In 1981, Karnes was selected and served as aWhite House Fellow, only the second Nebraskan to achieve that honor.[2] Following his tenure at the White House, in 1982 Karnes became executive assistant to the UnderSecretary of Housing and Urban Development under PresidentRonald Reagan and subsequently served as special counsel for theFederal Home Loan Bank Board.
In 1983 he became chairman of theFederal Home Loan Bank of TopekaBoard of Directors, serving in that capacity from 1983 to 1987. During that time he also served as general counsel for anagribusiness and merchandising firm.[2]
On March 11, 1987, GovernorKay A. Orr appointed him as aRepublican to theUnited States Senate to fill the vacancy in the Senate term ending January 3, 1989, caused by the death ofEdward Zorinsky. The appointment shocked many observers as the 38-year old Karnes was virtually unknown in Nebraska political circles. He became known to Orr by working on her campaign for governor the previous year.[2]
While in the Senate, Karnes served on theBanking Committee, including itsSecurities and Consumer Credit subcommittees, as well as theAgriculture Committee andSmall Business Committees. Karnes's areas of principal activity included federal, state, and international relations,corporate law, real estate, and financial institutions.[citation needed]
His governmental and later business experience involved many areas which were germane to Kutak Rock's finance and structured transaction practices, as well as a very broad range of clients and special issues. He also was one of the principals of the firm's technology, venture capital, and emerging companies national practice group. He served in senior executive positions in federal executive, regulatory, and legislative bodies and had broad expertise and familiarity with state and federal agency operations, including theWhite House, theUnited States Department of Housing and Urban Development, and theFederal Home Loan Bank Board.[citation needed]
At the state level, Karnes served as the attorney in charge of the firm's engagement as special tax counsel to theNebraska Legislature as it revised the state's personalproperty tax system and, more recently, served as counsel to the State in the development and implementation of Nebraska's Section 529 College Savings Plan. He was a member of the board of directors of the $35 billionFederal Home Loan Bank ofTopeka, a principal secured credit source for saving and loans,savings banks,commercial banks,credit unions, andinsurance companies inNebraska,Colorado,Oklahoma, andKansas.[citation needed]
Running in his own right in1988, Karnes successfully captured the Republican nomination against CongressmanHal Daub, but lost to former governorBob Kerrey, a Democrat, in the general election. Kerrey won by a margin of 100,467 votes, taking 57% to Karnes's 42%. Karnes made a memorable faux pas when, during a campaign stop at theNebraska State Fair, he said, "What this nation needs is fewer farmers."[3]
Although PresidentGeorge W. Bush personally encouraged him to run for the Senate again in 2006, Karnes never again ran for public office.[2]
Karnes served on the boards of, or acted as an advisor to, publicly traded U.S. companies, includingFannie Mae, Data Transmission Network Corporation, and RJT Securities, Inc.
He served on the Omaha Airport Authority board,[2] and was adirector of several private companies, including Frontier Bank, FSB of Park City, Utah, El Paseo Bank ofPalm Desert, California, Orion Healthcare Corporation (healthcare technology), Waitt Media, Inc. (broadcasting, commercial advertising and entertainment), Tri Med Research, Inc. (medical technology), Farnam Group, Inc. (multifamily real estate development), Regency Court, L.L.C. (retail real estate), and Big Red Companies, Inc. (gaming and technology).[citation needed]
Karnes' additional affiliations included the Advisory Board of Financial Institutions Partners II ($100 million financial services hedge fund), the University of Nebraska Technology Park L.L.C.[4] (director and executive committee), eOne Group, Inc. (web development and systems integration) (director), and Solutionary, Inc. (data, internet and systems security) (director).
Karnes served as a member of the United States Advisory Committee on Trade Policy and Negotiations. This committee is appointed by the president and is composed of chief executive officers of 40 of America's largest corporations as well as presidents of key agriculture and labor organizations. The Committee, established by theU.S. Congress in 1974, is the principal trade advisory group representing America's private sector to the president and Congress on all trade issues such as the Uruguay Round of theGeneral Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), theWorld Trade Organization, and theNorth American Free Trade Agreement.[citation needed]
In January 2016, Karnes endorsedNew Jersey governorChris Christie for president inthat year's election.[5]
He was married to Elizabeth Karnes from 1971 to her death in 2003; they had four daughters.[6] On June 14, 2008, Karnes married Kristine Dorn, a partner at Kutak Rock and 1998 Graduate ofCreighton University School of Law. They had two children together.[7][8]
In 2019, Karnes was diagnosed withmetastaticsquamous cell skin cancer. He was part of a clinical trial inBoston,Massachusetts, but treatment was unsuccessful, and he died there on October 25, 2020, at age 71.[6]
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Jim Keck | Republican nominee forU.S. Senator fromNebraska (Class 1) 1988 | Succeeded by Jan Stoney |
| U.S. Senate | ||
| Preceded by | U.S. Senator (Class 1) from Nebraska 1987–1989 Served alongside:J. James Exon | Succeeded by |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded by | Baby of the United States Senate 1987–1989 | Succeeded by Don Nickles |
| Class 1 |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 2 | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
