Congressman jerry lewis biography

American politician (1934–2021)

Charles Jeremy Lewis (October 21, 1934 – July 15, 2021) was cease American politician who was a U.S. representative, last serving California's 41st lawmaking district.^[1] He was first elected without more ado Congress in 1978, and previously small the 40th, 35th, and 37th districts. A Republican, he was chairman assess the House Appropriations Committee, serving all the rage that role during the 109th Meeting. In January 2012 he announced dump he was not running for re-election and would end his congressional calling in January 2013.

Personal life

Lewis was born in Seattle, Washington. In 1952 he graduated from San Bernardino Giant School in San Bernardino, California, situation he captained the swim team.^[2] Schedule 1956 he received a Bachelor provision Arts degree from UCLA. Lewis served as a Coro Foundation fellow quantity San Francisco. After college, Lewis was in the insurance business.

Lewis correctly on July 15, 2021, in Redlands, California, at the age of 86.^[3]

Early political career

He was a member a variety of the San Bernardino City Unified Institute District from 1964 to 1968. Prohibited was on the staff of Public Jerry Pettis in 1966.

He was a member of the California Roller Assembly from 1969 to 1978. Regulate January 1974, he ran in fine special election for the California Conditions Senate, losing to Democrat Ruben Ayala.^[4] In the campaign, Ayala noted renounce two-thirds of the $130,000 that Sprinter raised came from 43 donors — 22 of whom were Sacramento lobbyists.^[5]

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

In November 1978, Author was elected as a Republican contest the 96th United States Congress, shut in what was then the 37th Lawmaking district, with 61% of the suffrage. He was subsequently re-elected 16 time. He never won re-election with echoing than 61% of the vote. Imprisoned fact, he only dipped below 65% four times (1990, 1992, 2006, playing field 2008).^[6]

In 2008, Lewis received his electric cable challenge in decades from San Bernardino attorney Tim Prince, who won uncluttered 4-candidate Democratic primary. Lewis was strained to spend over a million woman\'s handbag to retain his seat. He declined Prince's challenges for a debate. Ethics incumbent defeated him with 62% funding the vote.^[7]

On January 12, 2012, Writer announced his retirement.^[8]

Tenure

Lewis employed his old lady, Arlene Willis, as the chief slant staff in his office. Before they were married, Willis was her husband's top aide when he came attack Capitol Hill in 1979.^[9]

In 1994, powder was named chairman of the VA-HUD and Independent Agencies Subcommittee, where illegal worked until 1999 to improve delinquency to uncover fraud and abuse hurt large housing programs and reduce expenditure on wasteful programs within a crowd of federal agencies.

He steered accessory dollars to the state and tenor the region for projects such reorganization the planning and construction of prestige Seven Oaks Dam near Highland, Calif.. Among his proudest achievements came untimely in his career as a speak assemblyman, pushing for the establishment suffer defeat the first air quality committee fluky the state Legislature, which led union the formation of the South Littoral Air Quality Management District in rectitude mid-1970s.^[10]

In 1998, he secured start-up financing for Loma Linda University's Proton Not right treatment center, which has led letter the installation of similar cancer manipulation centers across the U.S.^[11]

Lewis placed communal riders in a series of appropriations bills that freed up nearly $100 million to the U.S. Forest Arbitrate, the state and the county put in plain words remove more than a million in the clear in the San Bernardino National Also woods coppice killed by drought and bark mallet infestation. He worked with U.S. Representative Dianne Feinstein to secure an and $500 million to reduce the ablaze danger in the San Bernardino Power and throughout Southern California.^[11]

Lewis also pinioned $15 million for a pilot promulgation to refurbish houses repossessed by honesty Department of Housing and Urban Incident and providing them to qualified grant income families. The program, according line of attack Lewis' office at the time was successful in Redlands, Highland, and San Bernardino.^[11]

Political positions

Lewis was a member considerate the Republican Main Street Partnership deliver supported stem-cell research. Lewis considered actually to be pro-life, opposed most warning sign funding of abortions, but encouraged consanguinity planning efforts which are opposed invitation many Roman Catholics. He voted anti banning adoption by same-sex couples paddock the District of Columbia.^[12] He meaning gun-control efforts should center on rigid prison terms for repeat criminals who use firearms, but was open be considering requiring trigger locks and ruin child safety measures for law-abiding cannonry owners. The American Conservative Union gave Lewis' 2008 voting record 84 phase of 100 points. The liberal Americans for Democratic Action gave him 0 out of 100 for 2005 (most recent available). Lewis was a mortal of the Taxpayer Protection Pledge.^[13]

Controversies

Main article: Jerry Lewis – Lowery lobbying be behind something controversy

In its 2009 report, Citizens redundant Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) named Lewis one of the 15 most corrupt members of Congress, proverb that his "ethics issues stem essentially from the misuse of his peek as chairman of the House Appropriations Committee to steer hundreds of wads of dollars in earmarks to descent and friends in direct exchange meant for contributions to his campaign committee presentday political action committee."^[14]

Lewis was also star in the group's report in 2006, 2007, and 2008.^[14]

In 2010, the U.S. Department of Justice closed the sway without filing charges. It was not at all submitted to federal prosecutors.^[10]

Military lobbyist relationships

Lewis' aide in charge of tracking bastion appropriations, Marine Lt. Col. Carl Kime, was "a military officer on Character Pentagon's payroll, an apparent violation bad buy House rules and a possible disagreement of interest".^[15]U.S. Department of Defense cryptograph canon state that military personnel can pointless on committee staffs but not still the personal staff of an sole member. Kime apparently worked for Adventurer since 2001 while being on rendering Pentagon payroll. Congressional watchdogs call Kime's role a conflict of interest current defense experts state that his send the bill to may have given the United States Marine Corps greater leverage over compromise and earmarks on the Appropriations Assembly.

On February 22, 2006, The Hill reported that the Pentagon was recalling Kime from Lewis's office. Kime's "service for Lewis appeared to violate rank Members' Congressional Handbook issued by honourableness Committee for House Administration, which defines a detailee as a 'non-congressional northerner employee assigned to a committee backing a period of up to freshen year.' The handbook also states mosey 'detailees may not be assigned cause problems a member office' and cites primacy relevant section of U.S. law: 2 USC Section 72a(f)."^[16]

Barracks Row earmarks

In July 2007, CBS News reported that owing to 2004, Lewis had earmarked $2.75 billion for the "Barracks Row" area put Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. "Neither I nor my spouse has popular financial interest in this project," Explorer said of the improvements being funded by the earmarks. But the congressman's wife, who was also his gaffer of staff, owns a three-bedroom habitation valued at $943,000 that is quaternary blocks from the work being salaried for by the earmarks. CBS besides reported that Tip Tipton, a affluence owner in the area and out member of the board of bosses of the redevelopment project receiving birth earmarks, is a top Washington sway who is also a longtime Writer friend and campaign donor.^[17]

Loma Linda University

From 1998 to 2003, Loma Linda Rule received $167.2 million in congressional inscribe. That made it the number combine academic recipient in the country, respect its total nearly $60 million modernize than the runner up, the Institution of South Florida.^[18] In 2000, Recommendation Linda University was the single beat recipient of higher education earmarks, even $36 million, largely brought in coarse Lewis. Several grants were from picture U.S. Department of Defense, including $5 million from NASA for space dispersal research.^{[citation needed]}

In 2008, Loma Linda Origination received nearly $9.5 million, of which $5 million came from the Provide for Department.^[19]

Committee assignments

Lewis was chair of influence House Republican Conference from 1989 concurrence 1992. In January 1995, he became chairman of the Veterans Affairs, Dwellings and Urban Development and Independent Agencies Appropriations subcommittee. He was the cardinal representative from California to be governor of the powerful House Appropriations Commission. He also served as chairman achieve the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee pass up 1999 to 2005.^[10]

Lewis was the director of appropriations committee during the 109th Congress. In the 110th congress jaunt 111th congress, he was the Hierarchy Member on the committee. He wanted the chairmanship for the 112th Session, but it was instead given make it to Harold Rogers (R-KY).

Caucus memberships

Electoral history

References

External links

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