John Culver

John Culver
United States Senator from Iowa
In office January 3, 1975 – January 3, 1981
Preceded by	Harold E. Hughes
Succeeded by	Charles Grassley
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Iowa's 2nd district
In office January 3, 1965 – January 3, 1975
Preceded by	James E. Bromwell
Succeeded by	Michael T. Blouin
Personal details
Born	John Chester Culver August 8, 1932 Rochester, Minnesota
Political party	Democratic
Children	Chet Culver
Alma mater	Harvard University Emmanuel College, Cambridge
Profession	Lawyer
Religion	Presbyterian
Military service
Service/branch	United States Marine Corps
Years of service	1955–1958

John Chester Culver (born August 8, 1932) is an American politician of the Democratic Party who represented Iowa in both the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate.

Early life and education

Culver was born in Rochester, Minnesota, the son of Mary C. (Miller) and William C. Culver. He moved with his family to Cedar Rapids, Iowa as a child.

Culver is a graduate of both Harvard University and Harvard Law School. As an undergraduate, Culver played fullback on the Harvard football team with the future Senator Edward Kennedy. He served as a captain in the United States Marine Corps from 1955 to 1958 as well. Culver was inducted into the Harvard Football Hall of Fame in 1978. Culver was the Lionel de Jersey Harvard Scholar at Emmanuel College, Cambridge University, for a year following his tenure at Harvard College.

Career

Culver began practicing law in Cedar Rapids in 1963, but soon entered politics. He was elected to the United States House of Representatives from Iowa as a Democrat in 1964. He served in the House from 1965 until 1975.

In 1974, Culver was elected to the U.S. Senate, winning the seat left open by the retirement of Harold E. Hughes with 50.02% of the vote. Culver served one term in the Senate, from 1975 until 1981. Culver was defeated in a bid for reelection by Republican Chuck Grassley in 1980. Culver took 45.5% of the vote to Grassley's 53.5%.

In 2000, Culver co-authored American Dreamer, the first comprehensive biography of Henry A. Wallace.

Culver recently retired from the firm of Arent Fox in Washington, D.C., where he established the government affairs practice.^[1] He lives in Bethesda, Maryland with his wife, Mary Jane Checchi and his son, John Vincent Culver.

Culver was a featured speaker at the August 28, 2009 memorial service for Senator Edward M. Kennedy, speaking as his Harvard classmate and teammate, his colleague for a time in the Senate, and his longtime friend.^[2]

Until January 31, 2011, Culver was the interim director of the Institute of Politics (IOP) at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University,^[3] being replaced on that date by former Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson, with Culver remaining on the board of advisers as director emeritus.

Personal life

Culver's eldest son, Chet, is a former Governor of Iowa. His term began on January 12, 2007 after being elected on November 7, 2006 and ended January 14, 2011 after losing his re-election bid on November 2, 2010.

References

1. Culver's firm bio at Arent Fox
2. Culver's eulogy at Sen. Kennedy's memorial service on YouTube
3. John Culver Named Interim Director of Harvard Kennedy School’s Institute of Politics

External links

• United States Congress. "John Culver (id: C000979)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• The John Culver Papers are housed at the University of Iowa Special Collections & University Archives.