John M. Spratt, Jr.
| John Spratt | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Chairman of the House Committee on the Budget | |
| In office January 4, 2007 – January 3, 2011 |
|
| Preceded by | Jim Nussle |
| Succeeded by | Paul Ryan |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from South Carolina's 5th district |
|
| In office January 3, 1983 – January 3, 2011 |
|
| Preceded by | Ken Holland |
| Succeeded by | Mick Mulvaney |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 1, 1942 Charlotte, North Carolina |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Jane Stacy Spratt |
| Residence | York, South Carolina |
| Alma mater | Davidson College, Oxford University, Yale University |
| Occupation | attorney |
| Religion | Presbyterian |
| Military service | |
| Service/branch | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1969-1971 |
| Awards | Meritorious Service Medal |
John McKee Spratt, Jr. (born November 1, 1942) is the former U.S. Representative for South Carolina's 5th congressional district, serving from 1983 until 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Spratt was the dean of the South Carolina congressional delegation, chairman of the U.S. House Committee on the Budget, and the second ranking Democrat on the U.S. House Committee on Armed Services, where he served on three subcommittees: Oversight and Investigations, Strategic Forces, and Air and Land Forces. In addition to his committee work, he co-chaired the Textile Caucus, the Bearing Caucus, and the Nuclear Energy Caucus. The 5th Congressional District covers all or part of 14 counties in north-central South Carolina. The largest cities are Rock Hill and Sumter. On November 2, 2010, he lost to Republican challenger Mick Mulvaney.
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[edit] Early life, education and career
Spratt was born in Charlotte, North Carolina and raised in York, South Carolina, where he still resides. He is the son of John McKee Spratt, Sr. and Jane Love Bratton. His father founded the Bank of Fort Mill and the York law firm where Spratt would eventually practice. Spratt's only sibling is Jane Bratton Spratt McColl, wife of Hugh McColl, former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Bank of America Corporation who retired in 2001.[1]
After graduating from York High School, he earned a BA degree in history from Davidson College in 1964. He served as student body president at both schools. Spratt then earned an MA degree in philosophy, politics, and economics from Oxford University (Corpus Christi College) in 1966 while studying on a Marshall Scholarship, and an LLB degree from Yale Law School in 1969.
Spratt was a captain in the Army from 1969 to 1971, serving in the Operations Analysis Group in the office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) at the Pentagon, and was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal.[2]
Spratt returned to York in 1971 to practice at the law firm of Spratt, McKeown, and Spratt. He was county attorney and school board attorney, and president of the Bank of Fort Mill. He also ran a small insurance agency and owned a farm in Fort Mill.
[edit] U.S. House of Representatives
[edit] Committee assignments in 111th Congress
For his work in Congress, Spratt won praise from Columbia's newspaper The State, which called him "one of his party's most reliable 'bridges' to the Republican side."[3] National Journal featured him on its cover as "a stand-out" in Congress, comparing his legislative skills to the "best infielders in baseball."[4] In a Washingtonian magazine survey, Congressional staff voted him a "Workhorse" and "House Member I'd Like to See Win the Presidency in 2008."[5]
One of Spratt's proudest accomplishments was the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, which he co-authored, putting the federal budget in surplus for the first time in 30 years.[6]
In the 111th Congress, Spratt supported legislation such as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, extension of unemployment benefits, increased infrastructure and labor workforce funding, increased federal financial aid packages, increased home foreclosure and small business assistance, reduction in estate taxes for 99.8 percent of estates, clean water legislation, health insurance reform, expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Program, reforming of medicare payment plans, clean energy legislation, pay as you go legislation, defense authorization for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, increased VA hospital investment.[7] Spratt's voting records are available at Project Vote Smart.
On March 21, 2010, Spratt joined a majority of his House colleagues in approving H.R. 3590, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the Senate version of the health care reform bill. As Chairman of the House Budget Committee, he made the floor motion which led to the vote on the bill. "I was where the action was when the bill had to be called from the clerk's desk," he told The Herald, a Rock Hill, South Carolina newspaper. "It was like sharing a moment in history." [8]
On March 24, 2010, Spratt was appointed to the President's National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform. In reporting on the appointment, Dow Jones Newswires called Spratt "one of the staunchest fiscal conservatives among House Democrats."[9]
[edit] Political campaigns
Spratt became active in Democratic politics at an early age, and was elected delegate to the 1964 Democratic National Convention. Spratt was first elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1982, and was re-elected every two years until 2010.
[edit] Personal life
Spratt married Jane Stacy of Filbert, South Carolina. They have three daughters and five grandchildren.
Spratt is a member of First Presbyterian Church in York, South Carolina. He has been active in the United Way and other civic and charity organizations.
[edit] References
- ^ "Memory Hold the Door: John McKee Spratt, 1907-1973," University of South Carolina School of Law, law.sc.edu, 12 June 2008.
- ^ Biography of Congressman John Spratt, U.S. House of Representatives, Washington,DC
- ^ "Spratt Finds Bridge Over Party Divide," The State, Columbia, SC, 1 April 1996.
- ^ "Congress's Designated Hitters," National Journal, 28 January 1989, No. 4, p.174.
- ^ "Best and Worst of Congress," Washingtonian, 01 September 2006, Vol. 41, No. 12.
- ^ "Joint Statement of Lawrence H. Summers, Secretary of the Treasury, and Jacob J. Lew, Director of the Office of Management and Budget, on Budget Results for Fiscal Year 2000," U.S. Department of the Treasury, 24 October 2000.
- ^ Roll Call Votes, Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives.
- ^ Final Vote Results For Roll Call 165 Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives, 21 March 2010.
- ^ Corey Boles, Dow Jones Newswires, in NASDAQ.com, 24 March 2010.
[edit] External links
- Biography at WhoRunsGov.com at The Washington Post
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
- Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
- Congressional profile at GovTrack
- Congressional profile at OpenCongress
- Issue positions and quotes at On The Issues
- Financial information at OpenSecrets.org
- Staff salaries, trips and personal finance at LegiStorm.com
- Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
- Appearances on C-SPAN programs
- Collected news and commentary at The New York Times
| United States House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Kenneth Lamar Holland |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from South Carolina's 5th congressional district 1983–2011 |
Succeeded by Mick Mulvaney |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Jim Nussle Iowa |
Chairman of House Budget Committee 2007–2011 |
Succeeded by Paul Ryan Wisconsin |
- 1942 births
- Living people
- People from Charlotte, North Carolina
- American Presbyterians
- South Carolina Democrats
- Members of the United States House of Representatives from South Carolina
- Davidson College alumni
- United States Army officers
- Yale Law School alumni
- Marshall Scholars
- Alumni of Corpus Christi College, Oxford
