Tom Kindness | |
|---|---|
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| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromOhio's8th district | |
| In office January 3, 1975 – January 3, 1987 | |
| Preceded by | Walter E. Powell |
| Succeeded by | Buz Lukens |
| Member of theOhio House of Representatives from the 58th district | |
| In office January 3, 1971 – December 31, 1974 | |
| Preceded by | Thomas Rentschler |
| Succeeded by | Michael A. Fox |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Thomas Norman Kindness (1929-08-26)August 26, 1929 Knoxville, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Died | January 8, 2004(2004-01-08) (aged 74) Exeter, Devonshire, England |
| Party | Republican |
| Alma mater | University of Maryland (BA) George Washington University (LLB) |
Thomas Norman Kindness (August 26, 1929 – January 8, 2004) was an American politician who served six terms as a member of theUnited States House of Representatives representingOhio from January 3, 1975, to January 3, 1987.
Born inKnoxville, Tennessee, Kindness graduated fromGlendale High School inGlendale, California, in 1947. Kindness received hisbachelor of arts degree from theUniversity of Maryland in 1951 and hisbachelor of laws degree fromGeorge Washington University in 1953. While a student at Maryland, Kindness became a member of theAlpha Tau Omega fraternity.[1]
He was assistant counsel for paper companyChampion International, inHamilton, Ohio, from 1957 to 1973, and was elected to thecity council of Hamilton in 1964, serving until 1969. He served asmayor of Hamilton from 1964 to 1967. He served in theOhio House of Representatives from 1971 to 1974, when he was elected to Congress from Ohio's eighth congressional district, defeating Democrat T. Edward Strinko.
Kindness was re-elected five times: defeating DemocratsJohn W. Griffin in 1976, Luella R. Schroeder in 1978, John W. Griffin again in 1980 and 1982, and John T. Francis in 1984.
In 1986, Kindness was one of theHouse impeachment managers who prosecuted the case in theimpeachment trial of JudgeHarry E. Claiborne. Claiborne was found guilty by theUnited States Senate and removed from his federal judgeship.[2]
In 1986, Kindness won the Republican nomination for theU.S. Senate, but he lost to incumbentJohn Glenn.
After this loss, Kindness stayed inWashington, D.C., and worked as alobbyist. WhenDonald "Buz" Lukens, who had replaced Kindness as the 8th district's representative, was caught in a sexscandal in 1989, Kindness attempted to win his old seat, opposing Lukens in the 1990 Republicanprimary.[citation needed]
He entered a Republican primary battle that included Lukens, state RepresentativeJohn Boehner (who would later be elected to the seat and becomeHouse Speaker during his tenure in Congress) and lesser-known candidates.
Early polls gave Kindness a 60-point lead over the relatively obscure Boehner. But Boehner attacked Kindness's ethics, citing Kindness's votes for congressional pay raises and against limits on fees for speeches by congressmen. Boehner also depicted Kindness as acarpetbagger who had abandoned his district for Washington. Despite Kindness's outspending him 5-1, Boehner won the nomination with 49 percent of the vote. Kindness finished with 32 percent and Lukens with 17 percent.[citation needed]
Kindness died inExeter,Devonshire,England at the age of 74.
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forU.S. Senator fromOhio (Class 3) 1986 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromOhio's 8th congressional district 1975–1987 | Succeeded by |
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