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Michael Flanagan | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromIllinois's5th district | |
| In office January 3, 1995 – January 3, 1997 | |
| Preceded by | Dan Rostenkowski |
| Succeeded by | Rod Blagojevich |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Michael Patrick Flanagan (1962-11-09)November 9, 1962 (age 62) |
| Political party | Republican |
| Education | Loyola University Chicago (BA,JD) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Army |
| Years of service | 1984–1988 1991–1992 |
| Rank | Captain |
Michael Patrick Flanagan (born November 9, 1962) is a former captain in theUnited States Army, a practicing attorney, and aRepublican Party politician from Chicago, Illinois.
Flanagan is best known for his victory over eighteen-term CongressmanWays and Means Committee chairmanDan Rostenkowski in the 1994 United States midterm elections.[1] His was one of 58 Republican victories (for a net gain of 54 seats) in the House of Representatives that allowed the party to take control of both houses of Congress, as part of theRepublican Revolution.
Flanagan was born inChicago, Illinois on November 9, 1962, the second of five sons in a family of Irish-descent.[1][2] He graduated fromLane Technical High School, and he earned aB.A. fromLoyola University in 1984 and aJ.D. fromLoyola University School of Law in 1988.[2] He served in theUnited States Army as afield artillery officer from 1984 to 1988 (atFort Sill inOklahoma, and atFort Benning in Georgia[citation needed]), and from1991 to 1992 (during theGulf War), achieving the rank ofcaptain.[2]
Flanagan was admitted to theIllinois State Bar Association in 1991.[2]
Flanagan was elected to represent thefifth district of Illinois in theU.S. House of Representatives in 1994, defeating 18-term Congressman and formerWays and Means Committee chairmanDan Rostenkowski, becoming the first Republican to represent a significant portion of Chicago since 1975 and the first to represent this district since 1909. Rostenkowski was under indictment during the election.[3][4]
The election result was a considerable upset, considering that Flanagan was, according to theChicago Tribune, "a political neophyte who was underfunded, understaffed and unknown."[1] Due to his victory, Flanagan earned the nicknames of "the accidental congressman" and "the Rosty-slayer."[1]
During his tenure in Congress, Flanagan served on the House Judiciary Committee, the House Government Reform Committee, and the Joint Committee on Telecommunications. He had a conservative record in the House,[5] opposing abortion and gun control,[3] while supporting the death penalty.[3] He also condemned then-President Clinton's national healthcare plan for its government takeover of the healthcare system.[3]
While theChicago Sun-Times and theChicago Tribune both endorsed Flanagan for reelection in 1996[citation needed], he was regarded as a heavy underdog against the Democratic challenger,State RepresentativeRod Blagojevich, being a conservative Republican in a strongly Democratic district. Before Flanagan's election, the district and its predecessors had been in Democratic hands for all but one year since 1909. As expected, the district reverted to form; Blagojevich soundly defeated Flanagan, andBill Clinton easily carried the district. Flanagan's loss was one of the 12 seats first-term Republican candidates lost in the 1996 election. Proving just how Democratic this district was and still is, no Republican has tallied more than 35 percent of the vote since Flanagan left office. As of 2024, he is the last Republican to represent a significant part of Chicago in the U.S. House.
| ELECTORAL HISTORY | |||||||
| Year | Office | Winning Candidate | Party | Pct | Opponent | Party | Pct |
| 1994 | U.S. House | Michael Flanagan | Republican | 54% | Dan Rostenkowski (inc.) | Democrat | 46% |
| 1996 | U.S. House | Rod Blagojevich | Democrat | 64% | Michael Flanagan (inc.) | Republican | 36% |
Flanagan moved to Washington, D.C., in 1999 and is currently the president of Flanagan ConsultingLLC.[1][6] He has been active in IllinoisBoys State since 1979.[7] Flanagan worked inIraq for two years for theU.S. State Department, as part of a team sent to help set up democratic institutions in the country.[1]
This article incorporatespublic domain material fromBiographical Directory of the United States Congress.Federal government of the United States.
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromIllinois's 5th congressional district 1995–1997 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded byas Former U.S. Representative | Order of precedence of the United States as Former U.S. Representative | Succeeded byas Former U.S. Representative |
