John D. Dingell Jr., a Michigan Democrat who, as the longest-serving member of Congress in U.S. history, used his considerable power in the House of Representatives to uncover government fraud and defend the interests of his home state’s automobile industry, died Feb. 7 at his home in Dearborn. He was 92.
The office of Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) announced the death. Mr. Dingell had complications from prostate cancer.
Mr. Dingell announced in February 2014 that he would not seek a 30th full term in Congress, and he was succeeded by his wife, Debbie Dingell. That November, President Barack Obama awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the country's highest civilian honor.
Mr. Dingell had served as the representative from Michigan’s 15th Congressional District since 1955, when he won a special election to replace his father, John D. Dingell Sr., a New Deal Democrat who died of tuberculosis while in office.
Known as “Big John” and “The Truck” for his forceful nature and his hulking 6-foot-3-inch frame, the younger Dingell rose to become chairman in 1981 of the Energy and Commerce Committee, which handled nearly half of the bills in the House and covered a sprawling policy realm including transportation, consumer affairs and public health.
When asked to define the jurisdiction of his committee, Mr. Dingell liked to point at a photograph of the Earth taken from space
This Dingell quotation sums up much of the simulation:
"If I let you write substance and you let me write procedure, I'll screw you every time."
No comments:
Post a Comment