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Jack Bergman

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For the American Olympic weightlifter, see John Bergman.

Jack Bergman
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Michigan's 1st district
Assumed office
January 3, 2017
Preceded byDan Benishek
Personal details
Born
John Warren Bergman

(1947-02-02) February 2, 1947 (age 77)
Shakopee, Minnesota, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseCindy Bergman
Children5
EducationGustavus Adolphus College (BA)
University of West Florida (MBA)
WebsiteHouse website
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service United States Marine Corps
Years of service1969–2009
Rank Lieutenant General
UnitRhode Island National Guard
HMM-261
HMM-164
HML-776
VMGR-234
CommandsVMGR-452
Mobilization Station, Chicago
II Marine Expeditionary Force Augmentation Command Element
4th Marine Aircraft Wing
4th Marine Logistics Group
United States Marine Corps Reserve
Marine Forces North

John Warren "Jack" Bergman (born February 2, 1947) is a retired United States Marine Corps lieutenant general and politician serving as the U.S. representative from Michigan's 1st congressional district since 2017.[1] He is a member of the Republican Party.[2] He served as commanding general of the Marine Forces Reserve and the Marine Forces North. He also served as a naval aviator, flying rotary-winged aircraft such as the CH-46 and UH-1, as well as fixed-wing aircraft such as the T-28 and KC-130.

Early life and education

Bergman was born on February 2, 1947, in Shakopee, Minnesota,[3] and received his undergraduate degree from Gustavus Adolphus College in 1969.[4] He subsequently earned an M.B.A. degree from the University of West Florida.[5] His formal military education includes Naval Aviation Flight Training, Amphibious Warfare School, Marine Corps Command & Staff College, Landing Force Staff Planning (Marine Expeditionary Brigade [MEB] and Air Command Element [ACE]), Reserve Component National Security and Naval War College Strategy & Policy, Syracuse University National Security Seminar, Combined Forces Air Component Command, LOGTECH, and CAPSTONE.

Military career

Bergman in uniform

After graduating from college, Bergman was a commissioned second lieutenant in the Marine Corps Reserve in 1969[6] under the Platoon Leader School program. He flew CH-46 helicopters with HMM-261 at Marine Corps Air Station, New River, North Carolina, and with HMM-164 in Okinawa, Japan, and the Republic of Vietnam. Assigned as a flight instructor, he flew the T-28 with VT-6, NAS Whiting Field, Florida. He left active duty in 1975 and flew UH-1 helicopters with the Rhode Island National Guard, Quonset Point, Rhode Island.

After a 1978 civilian employment transfer to Chicago, Bergman transferred from the Rhode Island National Guard back to the Marine Corps Reserve, where he served in several 4th Marine Aircraft Wing units at NAS Glenview, Illinois: HML-776, flying the UH-1; VMGR-234, flying the KC-130; and Mobilization Training Unit IL-1. He was selected to stand up the second KC-130 squadron in 4th MAW and in 1988 became the first commanding officer of VMGR-452, Stewart Air National Guard Base (ANGB), Newburgh, New York. From 1992 to 1994 he commanded Mobilization Station, Chicago.

In 1995, he was a special staff officer at Marine Corps Reserve Support Command, Overland Park, Kansas. In 1996, he became chief of staff/deputy commander of I Marine Expeditionary Force Augmentation Command Element, Camp Pendleton, California. In 1997, he transferred to the 4th Marine Aircraft Wing Headquarters, New Orleans, to serve as assistant chief of staff/G-1. Promoted to brigadier general, he became deputy commander of the 4th Marine Aircraft Wing.

Transferred in June 1998 to Headquarters, Marine Forces Europe, Stuttgart, Germany, Bergman served as deputy commander. Recalled to active duty from April to July 1999, he was dual-hatted as EUCOM, Deputy J-3A. He then commanded II Marine Expeditionary Force Augmentation Command Element, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, until assuming command of the 4th Marine Aircraft Wing, New Orleans, Louisiana in August 2000.

In September 2002, Bergman assumed command of the 4th Force Service Support Group, New Orleans, Louisiana. He also served as chairman of the Secretary of the Navy's Marine Corps Reserve Policy Board from 2001 to 2003. Returning to active duty in October 2003, he served as director of Reserve Affairs, Quantico, Virginia. He began his final assignment, command of the Marine Forces Reserve/Marine Forces North, on June 10, 2005. He relinquished that command in October 2009 and retired from active duty in December of that year.

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

2016

Main article: United States House of Representatives elections in Michigan, 2016

Bergman won the Republican primary in Michigan's 1st congressional district in August 2016. He defeated Democratic nominee Lon Johnson and Libertarian nominee Diane Bostow in the November general election.[1] Bergman, who was elected to succeed retiring Republican Representative Dan Benishek, won 55% of the vote to Johnson's 40% and Bostow's 4%.[7][8]

The district covers all of Michigan's Upper Peninsula and the northern part of the Lower Peninsula.

Tenure

Bergman assumed office on January 3, 2017. He is a member of the Republican Study Committee, the Climate Solutions Caucus[9] and the U.S.-Japan Caucus.[10]

In June 2017, Bergman was one of the Republican congressmen who were practicing on an Alexandria, Virginia, baseball field for the annual Congressional Baseball Game when James Hodgkinson began shooting at them, harming four people, including Representative Steve Scalise.[11] Afterward, Bergman blamed the incident on anti-GOP rhetoric and the media.[12]

As of January 2022, Bergman has voted with President Biden's stated position roughly 6% of the time.[13]

Committee assignments[14]

Caucus memberships

Political positions

Spending and budget

In March 2016, Bergman said that cutting spending would be his top priority in Congress.[16]

In a July 2016 television interview, Bergman said his three top priorities were to "get Congress working together" instead of being preoccupied with partisan division, to "utilize the Constitution", and to pass a balanced budget amendment.[17]

In March 2021, all House Republicans including Bergman voted against the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, an economic stimulus bill aimed at speeding up the United States' recovery from the economic and health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing recession.[18]

Healthcare

Bergman opposes the Affordable Care Act and voted to repeal it in May 2017.[19]

Environment

In September 2017, Bergman became the 29th Republican to join the Climate Solutions Caucus.[20]

Bergman voted in favor of the Tribal Coastal Resiliency Act, which would allow the Department of Commerce to award grants to Native American tribes for historical preservation, environmental protection, and climate change mitigation in the Great Lakes.[21][22]

Marriage

Bergman voted against the "Respect for Marriage Act" codifying Loving v. Virginia and Obergefell v. Hodges, recognizing marriages across state lines regardless of "sex, race, ethnicity, or national origin of those individuals."[23]

Military

Bergman sided with President Trump on barring transgender individuals from the military.[24]

2020 presidential election

After Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election and Trump refused to concede, Bergman announced he would oppose the confirmation of the Electoral College's vote in Congress.[25]

In December 2020, Bergman was one of 126 Republican members of the House of Representatives to sign an amicus brief in support of Texas v. Pennsylvania, a lawsuit filed at the United States Supreme Court contesting the results of the 2020 presidential election, in which Biden defeated[26] Trump.[27]

In January 2021, Bergman announced his intention to object to the certification of the Electoral College results.[25][28]

Awards and decorations

Bergman's military awards include:

Medals and ribbons

Bronze star
Bronze star
Silver star
Bronze star
Bronze star
Bronze star
Bronze star
Bronze star
Bronze star
Naval Aviator Badge Office of the Secretary of Defense Identification Badge
Distinguished Service Medal (US Navy)[29] Defense Meritorious Service Medal Air Medal w/ Valor device and Strike/Flight numeral "1" Joint Meritorious Unit Award
Navy Unit Commendation Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation w/ 2 bronze service stars Selected Marine Corps Reserve Medal w/ 1 silver service star National Defense Service Medal w/ 2 bronze service stars
Vietnam Service Medal w/ 3 bronze campaign stars Global War on Terrorism Service Medal Navy & Marine Corps Overseas Service Ribbon w/ 1 bronze service star Armed Forces Reserve Medal w/ gold Hourglass Devices
Vietnam Gallantry Cross w/ bronze star Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation w/ bronze laurel leaf palm emblem Vietnam Civil Actions Unit Citation w/ bronze laurel leaf palm emblem Vietnam Campaign Medal w/ silver date bar

Personal life

Bergman lives in Watersmeet, on the western edge of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, with his wife Cindy.[30] They have ten grandchildren.

References

  1. ^ a b Gibbons, Lauren (August 2, 2016). "Jack Bergman victorious in 1st Congressional District Republican primary". MLive. Retrieved August 3, 2016.
  2. ^ Livengood, Chad (January 14, 2016). "Retired U.P. Marine files for GOP congressional primary". Detroitnews.com. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
  3. ^ "Guide to the New Congress" (PDF). Roll Call. Retrieved January 3, 2017.
  4. ^ "Roll Call Member Profile - Rep. Jack Bergman, R-Mich". Roll Call. Retrieved March 11, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. ^ "Jack Bergman". Ballotpedia. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  6. ^ Bergman, Jack (November 3, 2019). "Service Is Always Greater Than Self". Rippon Society. Retrieved March 11, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. ^ "Michigan U.S. House 1st District Results: Jack Bergman Wins". The New York Times. November 15, 2016. Retrieved November 15, 2016.
  8. ^ Bennett, John (November 9, 2016). "New Member: GOP's Jack Bergman Claims Michigan's 1st District". Roll Call. Retrieved November 15, 2016.
  9. ^ "90 Current Climate Solutions Caucus Members". Citizen´s Climate Lobby. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
  10. ^ a b "Members". U.S. - Japan Caucus. Retrieved December 1, 2018.
  11. ^ Meloni, Rod (June 14, 2017). "Rep. Jack Bergman describes shooting at baseball practice: 'I just basically went into a low crawl'". ClickOnDetroit.
  12. ^ Trunko, Matthew (June 14, 2017). "Rep. Jack Bergman: Media 'complicit' in spread of hateful rhetoric that led to congressional baseball shooting". The Washington Examiner.
  13. ^ Bycoffe, Aaron; Wiederkehr, Anna (April 22, 2021). "Does Your Member Of Congress Vote With Or Against Biden?". FiveThirtyEight. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  14. ^ "Committees". Congressman Jack Bergman. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
  15. ^ "Membership". Republican Study Committee. December 6, 2017. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
  16. ^ Cassleman, David (March 23, 2016). "Running for First: Marine Corps general shakes up race in 1st Congressional". www.interlochenpublicradio.org. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  17. ^ "Interview with Jack Bergman, 1st Congressional Dist. Republican Candidate". WPBN. July 26, 2016. Retrieved February 19, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  18. ^ "House Democrats pass $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill, handing Biden major victory". ABC News. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  19. ^ "See how your Michigan U.S. Representative voted on Obamacare repeal". mlive. May 5, 2017. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  20. ^ Winchester, Flannery (September 29, 2017). "Rep. Jack Bergman: A Congressman for climate-conscious youth". Citizens' Climate Lobby. Retrieved February 18, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  21. ^ Kilmer, Derek (December 12, 2019). "H.R.729 - 116th Congress (2019-2020): Coastal and Great Lakes Communities Enhancement Act". congress.gov. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
  22. ^ "Jack Bergman, Representative for Michigan's 1st Congressional District". GovTrack.us. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
  23. ^ Bobic, Igor (July 19, 2022). "These 157 House Republicans Voted Against Protections For Same-Sex Marriage". Huffington Post. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
  24. ^ Magid, Aaron (August 8, 2017). "Meet Jack Bergman: The Former Pilot Now in Congress". Jewish Insider. Retrieved February 19, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  25. ^ a b "Two Michigan Republicans will object to Electoral College vote". mlive. January 4, 2021. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  26. ^ Blood, Michael R.; Riccardi, Nicholas (December 5, 2020). "Biden officially secures enough electors to become president". AP News. Archived from the original on December 8, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  27. ^ Diaz, Daniella. "Brief from 126 Republicans supporting Texas lawsuit in Supreme Court". CNN. Archived from the original on December 12, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  28. ^ "Rep. Jack Bergman objects Electoral College certification process". ABC 10/CW5. January 4, 2021. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  29. ^ "Valor Awards for John W. Bergman". Military Times. Retrieved March 16, 2015.
  30. ^ "Biography - U.S. Representative Jack Bergman". bergman.house.gov.

External links

U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Michigan's 1st congressional district
2017–present 		Incumbent
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by United States representatives by seniority
242nd 		Succeeded by
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