Tom Harkin
Tom Harkin | |
|---|---|
 | |
| United States Senator from Iowa | |
| Assumed office January 3, 1985– Serving with Chuck Grassley | |
| Preceded by | Roger William Jepson |
| Succeeded by | Incumbent (2009) |
| Personal details | |
| Nationality | american |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Ruth Harkin |
| Profession | Lawyer |
Thomas Richard "Tom" Harkin (born November 19, 1939) is the junior United States Senator from Iowa, serving in his fourth senate term. A Democrat, he is currently Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
Early life
Harkin was born in Cumming, Iowa. His father was a coal miner and his mother was a Slovenian immigrant who died when he was 10. Harkin attended Iowa State University and was a member of Delta Sigma Phi Fraternity. He graduated from there in 1962 and received his Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from The Catholic University of America's Columbus School of Law in 1972. He served in the United States Navy from 1962–1967. Harkin was stationed at Atsugi Naval Air Station in Japan, where he ferried damaged aircraft to and from the airbase. He was also stationed for a time at Guantanamo Bay, where he flew missions in support of U-2 planes reconnoitering Cuba.
Harkin was an aide to Democratic Congressman Neal Smith, when he accompanied a congressional delegation that went to South Vietnam in 1970. Harkin published photographs he took during the trip and a detailed account of "tiger cages" at Con Son Island prison in Life Magazine on July 17, 1970. The account exposed shocking, inhuman conditions which prisoners endured.
Career
Harkin was an attorney before being elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1974, and was reelected in 1976, 1978, 1980, and 1982. In 1984, Harkin was elected to the United States Senate from Iowa and was reelected in 1990, 1996 and 2002.
Harkin ran for President in 1992 as a populist with labor union support who railed against George H.W. Bush for being out of touch with working class Americans. Harkin was an early favorite in a small field of five candidates, but many felt that Harkin's liberalism was too shrill and old fashioned and that he would be a certain loser in the General Election. Harkin won the Iowa caucus and those in Idaho and Minnesota (with help from Senator Paul Wellstone), but he ran poorly in New Hampshire and other primaries and ultimately lost the Democratic Party nomination to Governor Bill Clinton of Arkansas. Harkin was the first Democratic primary contender to drop-out and throw his support behind Clinton—a favor that led to a close relationship throughout the Clinton presidency.
Harkin is perhaps best known as an advocate for people with disabilities. In 1990, he wrote and was the chief sponsor of the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the nation's first comprehensive civil rights law for people with disabilities. Signed into law by President George H. W. Bush, the sweeping legislation prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in employment, in public services, and in public accommodations.
During his political career, Harkin has generally supported legalized abortion. He has opposed most efforts to place legal restrictions on abortion, including voting against a ban on late term abortion, while supporting contraception and education to reduce teen pregnancy. As of 2003, Harkin received a 100% rating from NARAL, the pro-choice advocacy organization. [1]
Senator Harkin is also a staunch supporter of Israel. He is a member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Foreign Operations, which appropriates about $2 billion annually for military financing for Israel. In the Senate, he is the third-largest career recipient of pro-Israel Political Action Committee (PAC) contributions.[2]
Along with California Senator Barbara Boxer, Harkin is one of only two Senate Democrats to come out in favor of Wisconsin Senator Russ Feingold's resolution to censure President George W. Bush even though he voted in favor of the Iraq War Resolution.
Harkin has been rated F by Gun Owners of America and the National Rifle Association. He was one of 16 senators who voted against the Vitter Amendment.
In May 2006 Harkin voted in favor of Senate Bill 2611, also known as the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act. Among the bill's many provisions, it would increase the number of H1B visas, increase security along the southern United States border with Mexico, allow long-time illegal immigrants to gain citizenship with some restrictions, and increase the number of guest workers over and above those already present in the U.S. through a new "blue card" visa program. [3]
Harkin has come out in favor of stem cell research. In July of 2006, Harkin made a speech from the Senate floor in response to George W. Bush's veto of the embryonic stem cell research federal funding bill. His remarks were later criticized as "Catholic baiting" by the Catholic League. [4]
Personal life
Senator Harkin married Minnesota native Ruth Raduenz in 1968 and has two daughters: Amy, born in 1976, and Jenny, born in 1981.
Ruth Harkin is an attorney and was one of the first women in the United States to be elected as a prosecutor when, in 1972, she was elected to the office of county attorney of Story County, Iowa. She served as a deputy counsel for the US Department of Agriculture before joining the Washington lobbying firm of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, LLP in 1983. In 1993, President Bill Clinton named her chairman and chief executive officer of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC). Ruth Harkin left the government and became United Technologies' senior vice president for international affairs and government relations in April 1997, leading their Washington DC office. In 2002, Mrs. Harkin became a director of ConocoPhillips. Mrs. Harkin currently sits on the Iowa Board of Regents, the body responsible for overseeing the state's public universities.
Their daughter Amy appeared on the NBC daytime reality series Starting Over from 2003–2004. Although Harkin never appeared on the show, his voice was heard when his daughter spoke to him on the phone. She is currently a graduate student at the UCLA Anderson School of Management.
Controversies
In 2002, Senator Harkin gave a nationally televised and controversial eulogy for Senator Paul Wellstone, a close ally in the Senate who perished in a plane crash 11 days before his potential re-election. In the eulogy, Harkin urged the crowd to “stand up for Paul" and talked about “passing on Paul's legacy” and to win the 2002 Senate election “For Paul” — statements that drew loud cheers and were interpreted by some as overt political references and inappropriate for a funeral service.[citation needed] Others argued that the criticism of Harkin and others was invalid or intentionally overblown and was a ploy to generate sympathy for Wellstone's opponent, Norm Coleman, who was also in attendance.
While running for his Senate seat in 1984, and again while running for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1992, Harkin has faced criticism for claiming that he had flown combat missions over North Vietnam. In a 1979 round table discussion with other Congressional Veterans, Harkin said of his service as a Navy pilot: “One year was in Vietnam. I was flying F-4s and F-8s on combat air patrols and photo-reconnaissance support missions”. These comments were later published in a 1981 book by David Broder. After subsequent inquiries by Barry Goldwater and The Wall Street Journal, Harkin clarified that that he had been stationed in Japan and sometimes flew recently repaired aircraft on test missions over Vietnam. His service flying F-4s and F-8s was later, while he was stationed in Cuba.[5] [6]
In June 2001, the Des Moines Register reported that Senator Harkin had “inadvertently omitted” $200,000 in Conoco stock owned by his wife Ruth and some $15,000 owned by their daughter Amy on his Senate financial statement.[citation needed]
In 2003/2004 Harkin remained neutral in the race for the Democratic nomination for president, until 11 days before the Iowa caucus, when he endorsed Vermont Governor Howard Dean. Dean was then considered the front runner, but his support plummeted in the final week and he finished a weak third, twenty points behind the winner John Kerry. Harkin stood behind Dean as the Governor delivered his now infamous "Scream" speech on the night of his defeat. Some criticized Harkin for jumping on the Dean bandwagon, while he admitted to some that Missouri Congressman Richard Gephardt was actually his favorite candidate. Harkin soon distanced himself from Dean and urged him to drop out of the race. It was noted that Harkin was not on Kerry's vice presidential consideration list, while Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack was.
In September of 2006 Senator Harkin commented on Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's September 20th 2006 United Nations speech in which Chavez referred to President George Bush as the devil. Senator Harkin said that while Chavez's comments were “incendiary,” he could “… understand the frustration, ah, and the anger of certain people around the world because of George Bush's policies.”[7]
Books by Tom Harkin
- Harkin, Tom and Thomas, C. E. Five Minutes to Midnight: Why the Nuclear Threat Is Growing Faster Than Ever, Carol Publishing Corporation, 1990. ISBN 1-55972-042-5
External links
- United States Senator Tom Harkin official Senate site
- United States Congress. "Tom Harkin (id: h000206)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- Federal Election Commission - Thomas Richard Harkin campaign finance reports and data
- New York Times - Tom Harkin News collected news and commentary
- On the Issues - Tom Harkin issue positions and quotes
- OpenSecrets.org - Tom Harkin campaign contributions
- Project Vote Smart - Senator Thomas 'Tom' Harkin (IA) profile
- SourceWatch Congresspedia - Tom Harkin profile
- Washington Post - Congress Votes Database: Tom Harkin voting record
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