Richard "Dick" Chrysler (born April 29, 1942) is an

Amway Amway (short for "American Way") is an American multi-level marketing (MLM) company that sells health, beauty, and home care products. The company was founded in 1959 by Jay Van Andel and Richard DeVos and is based in Ada, Michigan. Amway and it ...

distributor and former politician from the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

. Chrysler was born in

Saint Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County, Minnesota, Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississip ...

, and graduated from Brighton High School in

Brighton, Michigan Brighton is a city in the Detroit metropolitan area in southeastern Livingston County, Michigan, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 7,444. Brighton forms part of the South Lyon-Howell-Brighton Urban Area. It is one of ...

. He became vice-president of

Hurst Performance Hurst Performance, Inc. of Warminster Township, Pennsylvania, manufactured and marketed products for enhancing the performance of automobiles, most notably muscle cars. Products Hurst produced aftermarket replacement manual transmission shifte ...

and the founder and president of Cars and Concepts (which bought out Hurst), and Richard Chrysler Industries (RCI). In 1986, he campaigned for governor of Michigan as a Republican, but lost a hard-fought primary to Wayne County Executive William Lucas. Chrysler lost his first campaign for the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

Bob Carr Robert John Carr (born 28 September 1947) is an Australian retired politician and journalist who served as the 39th Premier of New South Wales from 1995 to 2005, as the leader of the NSW Branch of the Australian Labor Party (ALP). He later en ...

in 1992, in a race described as "the most expensive Congressional race in Michigan that cycle." After Carr gave up his seat to run for Senate, however, Chrysler was elected in 1994 as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

member of the Amway caucus from

Michigan's 8th congressional district Michigan's 8th congressional district is a United States congressional district in Southern Michigan and Southeast Michigan, including almost all of the state capital, Lansing. From 2003 to 2013, it consisted of all of Clinton, Ingham, and Li ...

to the

104th Congress The 104th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from January 3, 19 ...

. He served from January 3, 1995 to January 3, 1997. While in Congress, he sponsored eight bills and co-sponsored 183 more, including the

Defense of Marriage Act The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) was a United States federal law passed by the 104th United States Congress and signed into law by President Bill Clinton. It banned federal recognition of same-sex marriage by limiting the definition of marr ...

. He supported the

Contract with America The Contract with America was a legislative agenda advocated for by the Republican Party during the 1994 congressional election campaign. Written by Newt Gingrich and Dick Armey, and in part using text from former President Ronald Reagan's 1 ...

, and proposed replacing the

federal income tax Income taxes in the United States are imposed by the federal government, and most states. The income taxes are determined by applying a tax rate, which may increase as income increases, to taxable income, which is the total income less allowa ...

and

capital gains tax A capital gains tax (CGT) is the tax on profits realized on the sale of a non-inventory asset. The most common capital gains are realized from the sale of stocks, Bond (finance), bonds, precious metals, real estate, and property. Not all count ...

with a 15%

sales tax A sales tax is a tax paid to a governing body for the sales of certain goods and services. Usually laws allow the seller to collect funds for the tax from the consumer at the point of purchase. When a tax on goods or services is paid to a govern ...

. He was defeated by

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

Debbie Stabenow Deborah Ann Stabenow ( ; née Greer, born April 29, 1950) is an American politician serving as the senior United States senator from Michigan, a seat she has held since 2001. A member of the Democratic Party, she became the state's first female ...

in the 1996 election for the

105th Congress The 105th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1997, ...

. Following his political career, Chrysler returned to the automotive industry, exploring battery technologies for electric vehicles. "We've been getting ready for four years now," he told Crain's Detroit Business in 1996. "It's time to get going. This market is on the verge of exploding."

Electoral history

*1996 Race for U.S. House of Representatives - 8th District **

(D), 53.76% **Dick Chrysler (R) (inc.), 44.14% **Doug MacDonald ( L), 1.45% **Patricia R. Allen ( NL), 0.64% *1994 Race for U.S. House of Representatives - 8th District **Dick Chrysler (R), 51.61% **Bob Mitchell (D), 44.89% **Gerald R. Turcotte, Jr. (L), 2.05% **Susan Ilene McPeak (NL), 1.45% *1992 Race for U.S. House of Representatives - 8th District **

(D) (inc.), 47.60% **Dick Chrysler (R), 46.33% **Frank McAlpine (I), 4.27% **Michael E. Marotta, (L), 1.80% *1986 Race for Governor (Republican Primary) ** Bill Lucas, 44.50% **Dick Chrysler, 34.03% **Colleen Engler, 10.98% **Dan Murphy, 10.49%

References

The Political Graveyard
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Chrysler, Dick 1942 births Living people Politicians from Saint Paul, Minnesota Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Michigan Businesspeople from Saint Paul, Minnesota 20th-century American politicians