James Louis Oberstar (September 10, 1934 – May 3, 2014) was an American politician who served in 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 chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
from 1975 to 2011.
A member of the
Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party
The Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL) is the Minnesota affiliate of the U.S. Democratic Party. As of 2022, it controls four of Minnesota's eight U.S. House seats, both of its U.S. Senate seats, the Minnesota House of Repr ...
, he represented northeastern , which included the cities of
Duluth
, settlement_type = City
, nicknames = Twin Ports (with Superior), Zenith City
, motto =
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top: urban Duluth skyline; Minnesota ...
,
Brainerd,
Grand Rapids,
International Falls
International Falls (sometimes referred to as I-Falls) is a city in and the county seat of Koochiching County, Minnesota. The population was 5,802 at the time of the 2020 census.
International Falls is located on the Rainy River directly acro ...
, and
Hibbing
Hibbing is a city in Saint Louis County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 16,214 at the 2020 census. The city was built on mining the rich iron ore of the Mesabi Iron Range and still relies on that industrial activity today. At th ...
. He was chairman of the
House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
The U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives.
History
The Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure was formerly known as the Committee on Public Works a ...
from 2007 to 2011, and ranking minority member prior to that. In November 2010, he was defeated by a margin of 4,407 votes by
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 ...
Chip Cravaack
Raymond John "Chip" Cravaack (born December 29, 1959) is an American educator, former pilot and former politician who was the U.S. representative for northeastern from 2011 to 2013. In his first run for political office, he upset 18-term Democ ...
. He is the longest-serving member ever of the United States House of Representatives from the state of
Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
.
Early life, education and career
Oberstar was born in
Chisholm, Minnesota
Chisholm is a city in St. Louis County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 4,976 at the 2010 census. The city has been called "The Heart of the Iron Range" due to its location in the middle of the Mesabi Iron Range. History
The city ...
, and at his deathbed still owned his original family home in Chisholm. His father Louis, of German ancestry, was an iron ore miner and the first card-carrying member of the
USW on the
Iron Range
The term Iron Range refers collectively or individually to a number of elongated iron-ore mining districts around Lake Superior in the United States and Canada. Much of the ore-bearing region lies alongside the range of granite hills formed by ...
of Minnesota.
Oberstar also had some Slovenian ancestry.
Oberstar graduated from
Chisholm High School
Chisholm High School (founded in 1973) is the second largest high school in Enid, Oklahoma. Located in the northern part of the city, it has a student body of approximately 300 in grades 9–12 with a curriculum including normal and AP academic c ...
in 1952, and went on to the College of St. Thomas (now the
University of St. Thomas St. Thomas University or University of St. Thomas may refer to:
*Saint Thomas Aquinas University, Colombia
*Saint Thomas Aquinas University of the North, Tucumán province, Argentina
*St. Thomas University (Canada), Fredericton, New Brunswick
*St. ...
) in St. Paul, Minnesota where he received his B.A. degree in 1956.
He received a master's degree in European Studies from the
College of Europe
The College of Europe (french: Collège d'Europe) is a post-graduate institute of European studies with its main campus in Bruges, Belgium and a second campus in Warsaw, Poland. The College of Europe in Bruges was founded in 1949 by leading ...
in
Bruges, Belgium
Bruges ( , nl, Brugge ) is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium, in the northwest of the country, and the sixth-largest city of the country by population.
The area of the whole city a ...
in 1957,
with further study at
Université Laval
Université Laval is a public research university in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The university was founded by royal charter issued by Queen Victoria in 1852, with roots in the founding of the Séminaire de Québec in 1663 by François de Montm ...
in
Sainte-Foy, Quebec
)
, image_skyline = Complexe Jules Dallaire.jpg
, image_caption = Boulevard Laurier in Sainte-Foy
, image_flag =
, flag_size =
, image_seal =
, seal_size =
, image_shield ...
, Canada and
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...
in Washington, D.C.
He spent four years as a civilian language teacher in the
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...
, teaching English to
Haitian military personnel and French to American Marine officers and
noncommissioned officers.
He served on the staff of Minnesota's 8th District U.S. Representative
John Blatnik for 12 years, from 1963 to 1974,
rising to chief of staff. He was also administrator of the Committee on Public Works for the U.S. House of Representatives from 1971 to 1974.
U.S. House of Representatives
Oberstar was first elected as a Democrat to the 94th Congress and was reelected to 17 succeeding Congresses; serving from January 3, 1975, to January 3, 2011.
He was an internationally recognized expert on
aviation
Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' includes fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air craft such as hot a ...
and
aviation safety
Aviation safety is the study and practice of managing risks in aviation. This includes preventing aviation accidents and incidents through research, educating air travel personnel, passengers and the general public, as well as the design of airc ...
. He served on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee during his entire time in the House. (His predecessor Blatnik had chaired the committee during his last two terms in Congress when it was known as the Public Works Committee, with Oberstar as staff administrator). He was also a member of the
President's Commission on Aviation Security and Terrorism.
In 1965, Oberstar helped create the
Economic Development Administration
The U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) is an agency in the United States Department of Commerce that provides grants and technical assistance to economically distressed communities in order to generate new employment, help retain exist ...
, the only federal agency devoted to the creation and retention of jobs in economically distressed American communities.
Oberstar was a strong supporter of the Duluth-based aircraft manufacturer
Cirrus Aircraft, and even helped bring the company to Minnesota in 1994 from its first home in Baraboo, Wisconsin.
[ That same year, he assisted in passing the ]General Aviation Revitalization Act
The General Aviation Revitalization Act of 1994, also known by its initials GARA, is Public Law 103-298, an Act of Congress on Senate Bill S. 1458 (103rd Congress), amending the Federal Aviation Act of 1958.
It was intended to counteract the effe ...
, which was said to have reinvigorated the general aviation
General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations with the exception of commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services ...
industry nationwide.
An avid cyclist
Cycling, also, when on a two-wheeled bicycle, called bicycling or biking, is the use of cycles for transport, recreation, exercise or sport. People engaged in cycling are referred to as "cyclists", "bicyclists", or "bikers". Apart from two ...
, Oberstar championed the creation of trails for cycling and hiking to promote active lifestyles. In 2005 he authored, co-sponsored and helped to pass the SAFETEA-LU act, a $295 billion program that funds transportation infrastructure, including highways, bridges, and public transportation, such as subways, buses, and passenger ferries and which includes the Safe Routes to Schools program. At both the 2007 BikeWalk California conference and at other bicycling conferences, Oberstar advocated converting the U.S.'s transportation system "''from a hydrocarbon-based system to a carbohydrate-based system''."
Oberstar generally had a liberal voting record, but opposed abortion and gun control. The latter stand was fairly common among DFLers outside the Twin Cities
Twin cities are a special case of two neighboring cities or urban centres that grow into a single conurbation – or narrowly separated urban areas – over time. There are no formal criteria, but twin cities are generally comparable in sta ...
, as Minnesota is a "pioneer state" with a long hunting and fishing tradition. Oberstar was the co-chairman of the Congressional Pro-Life Caucus, along with Republican Chris Smith of New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
. In 2007, Oberstar was one of 16 Democrats who voted against federal funding for stem cell research.
He was rated the third most liberal member of the Minnesota delegation in the 109th Congress
The 109th 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, from January 3, 2005 to January 3, 2007, dur ...
, scoring 13% conservative by a conservative group and 86% progressive by a liberal group. Minnesota Congressional Districts
Minnesota is currently divided into eight congressional districts, each represented by a member of the United States House of Representatives. After the 2010 census, the number of Minnesota's seats remained unchanged.
Minnesota statutes do not ...
shows the scores for the entire delegation.
Along with John Conyers, in April 2006 Oberstar brought an action against George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
and others alleging violations of the U.S. Constitution
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, in 1789. Originally comprising seven articles, it delineates the nation ...
in the passing of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 The Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 is a United States Act of Congress concerning the federal budget that became law in 2006.
Legislative history
The Senate's version passed after a tie-breaking vote was cast by Vice President Dick Cheney. The bill ...
. The case, ('' Conyers v. Bush''), was ultimately dismissed.
Within days after the collapse of the I-35W Mississippi River bridge, Oberstar introduced and succeeded in passing legislation to appropriate $250 million to the Minnesota Department of Transportation to quickly build a replacement bridge.
In 2004 Oberstar led the opposition to the Commercial Space Launch Amendments Act of 2004, a bill that established a regulatory framework for private suborbital spaceflight, arguing that the bill did not sufficiently safeguard passenger and crew safety. "I do not want to see people dead from a space experiment, and then the federal government comes in to regulate".
During his tenure in Congress, Oberstar held leadership positions on the House Transportation and Infrastructure committee, was House Democratic At-Large Whip, and a member of the Executive Committee of the Democratic Study Group. He also served on the International Relations Committee. He was co-chair of the Great Lakes Task Force and was a member of the Upper Mississippi Task Force and the Democratic Homeland Security Task Force. He co-chaired the Congressional Travel and Tourism Caucus and was a member of the following caucuses: the Bike Caucus; the Caucus for Sustainable Development; the Congressional Caucus on Global Road Safety
Congressional Caucus on Global Road Safety is a congressional caucus that aims to increase awareness of road safety issues within the House of Representatives. The caucus holds educational briefings to increase knowledge of the pressing matters of ...
; the Congressional Human Rights Caucus
The Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission (formerly known as the Congressional Human Rights Caucus) is a bipartisan caucus of the United States House of Representatives. Its stated mission is "to promote, defend and advocate internationally recogniz ...
; the Congressional Steel Caucus; the Medical Technology Caucus; the Mississippi River Caucus; the Native American Caucus and the Renewable Energy Caucus.
Awards and honors
In 2009, Oberstar received the Tony Jannus Award
The Tony Jannus Award recognizes outstanding individual achievement in scheduled commercial aviation by airline executives, inventors and manufacturers, and government leaders. The award is conferred annually by the Tony Jannus Distinguished Avia ...
for distinguished leadership in the field of commercial aviation.
In May 2011, a Great Lakes ore carrier, of the Interlake Steamship Company, which typically transports taconite pellets from Duluth
, settlement_type = City
, nicknames = Twin Ports (with Superior), Zenith City
, motto =
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top: urban Duluth skyline; Minnesota ...
, Silver Bay and Marquette to steel mills near Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...
, Cleveland
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
, and Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
, was renamed after him, dubbed the ''MV Honorable James L. Oberstar''.
On June 19, 2012, Oberstar was made Commander in the French ''Ordre national du Mérite
The Ordre national du Mérite (; en, National Order of Merit) is a French order of merit with membership awarded by the President of the French Republic, founded on 3 December 1963 by President Charles de Gaulle. The reason for the order's estab ...
''.
In October 2015, the new passenger terminal of the Duluth International Airport
: ''For the United States Air Force use of this facility, see Duluth Air National Guard Base.''
Duluth International Airport is a city-owned public-use joint civil-military airport located five nautical miles (9 km) northwest of the centra ...
was named in honor of Oberstar, who helped secure funding for the facility prior to its 2013 opening. A sculpture of him was also unveiled during the renamed terminal's introduction.
In 2016, he was posthumously inducted into the Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame
Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame, Inc. is a nonprofit corporation, recognized by the State of Minnesota as a means of honoring aviation pioneers (both living and deceased) within the state.
The Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame collects and maintains ...
.
Political positions
;Abortion
Oberstar was an anti-abortion Democrat. He showed his full support in 2005–2006 to the National Right to Life Committee
The National Right to Life Committee (NRLC) is the oldest and largest national anti-abortion organization in the United States with affiliates in all 50 states and more than 3,000 local chapters nationwide.
Since the 1980s, NRLC has influen ...
(NRLC). However, he believed abortion should be allowed if the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape or when the life of the woman is endangered.
;Education
Oberstar was a strong supporter of the Head Start Program
Head Start is a program of the United States Department of Health and Human Services that provides comprehensive early childhood education, health, nutrition, and parent involvement services to low-income children and families. The program's s ...
, which is a national program from the Department of Health and Human Services
The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is a cabinet-level executive branch department of the U.S. federal government created to protect the health of all Americans and providing essential human services. Its motto is ...
to promote school readiness by enhancing social and cognitive development of children through the provision of educational, health, nutritional, social, and other services. He considered it to be one of the most successful federal anti-poverty
Poverty reduction, poverty relief, or poverty alleviation, is a set of measures, both economic and humanitarian, that are intended to permanently lift people out of poverty.
Measures, like those promoted by Henry George in his economics clas ...
programs ever created. Oberstar also supported the American Association of University Women (AAUW), which has been a leading voice promoting education and equality for women and girls nationwide; he fully supported the AAUW in 2007 and 2008. Interest groups, like American Association of University Women (AAUW) and the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP), gave him 100 points support. In the early 1980s, Oberstar gave federal support to the establishment of the Natural Resources Research Institute
The Natural Resources Research Institute (NRRI) is a United States (U.S.) based research institute founded by the Minnesota state legislature within the University of Minnesota Duluth. NRRI is a non-profit, applied research organization, establi ...
at the University of Minnesota Duluth to provide applied research and technology development to Minnesota's natural resource based economy.
;Environment
Oberstar was given a rating of 100 by the Environment America and the League of Conservation Voters in 2009.[-Representative James L. 'Jim' Oberstar - Interest Group Ratings.] The American Wind Energy Association also gave him a rating of 100 in 2006. He voted to pass the Energy and Environmental Law Amendments which had the goal of establishing a program to regulate greenhouse gas emissions in 2009. He also voted to pass a bill, Trade-in Vouchers for Fuel-Efficient Cars, in 2009 which granted a $3,500 voucher, or document that could be exchanged for services in the place of money, for trading in an old vehicle with at least 4 miles per gallon more, the purpose of which was to increase the purchasing of fuel efficient cars. However, Oberstar went against most Democrats and voted in favor of allowing drilling in ANWR
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR or Arctic Refuge) is a national wildlife refuge in northeastern Alaska, United States on traditional Gwich'in lands. It consists of in the Alaska North Slope region. It is the largest national wildli ...
.
;Labor
According to his voting record and interest group ratings, Oberstar was a supporter of labor. He was given a rating of 100 by the interest groups AFL-CIO, a voluntary group of labor-unions working to improve the lives of working families. Oberstar was also given a rating of 92 by the American Federation of Government in 2009 and a rating of 90 by the group, Federally Employed Women in 2009. He voted for three unemployment benefits extension bills in 2010 as well as three Employment Discrimination Law Amendments in 2009.
;Taxation
According to Minnesota Congressional Election 2008 Political Courage Test, Oberstar supported having taxes on corporate earnings, gasoline and cigarettes. In 2008, Americans For Fair Taxation (AFFT), gave Oberstar their lowest possible rating, and the National Taxpayers Union
The National Taxpayers Union (NTU) is a fiscally conservative taxpayer advocacy organization and taxpayers union in the United States, founded in 1977 by James Dale Davidson. NTU says that it is the oldest taxpayer advocacy organization in th ...
gave Oberstar an "F".
He supported a tax plan containing tax relief for working families, investment tax credits for small businesses, and support for the states including incentives for transportation construction projects that will immediately put people back to work.
;Trade
Oberstar did not support free trade agreement
A free-trade agreement (FTA) or treaty is an agreement according to international law to form a free-trade area between the cooperating states. There are two types of trade agreements: bilateral and multilateral. Bilateral trade agreements occ ...
s, such as North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the Central American Free Trade Agreement
Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object.
Central may also refer to:
Directions and generalised locations
* Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...
(CAFTA). He believed that the free trading offers little or no economic opportunity for American workers and producers due to inadequate provisions contained in the agreements.
Political campaigns
When John Blatnik opted not to run for a 15th term in 1974, he endorsed Oberstar as his successor. Oberstar won and was reelected 16 times without serious difficulty. Democrats Blatnik and Oberstar held the seat from 1947 until 2011. Oberstar's lowest winning percentage was 59 percent in 1992, but after that, and until 2010, he did not earn less than 60 percent of the vote. He is the longest-serving member of either house of Congress in Minnesota's history, having served in the 94th through the 111th Congresses; from January 3, 1975 to January 3, 2011.
During the 2008 electoral campaign, Oberstar appeared alongside other public officials in a TV ad supporting the reelection of Puerto Rico Governor Aníbal Acevedo Vilá
Aníbal Salvador Acevedo Vilá (born 13 February 1962) is a Puerto Rican politician and lawyer. He served as the governor of Puerto Rico from 2005 to 2009. He is a Harvard University alumnus (LL.M. 1987) and a graduate of the University of Puer ...
, a fellow Democrat.
During the 2006 elections, Oberstar's Republican opponent was former United States Senator
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and powe ...
Rod Grams
Rodney Dwight Grams (February 4, 1948 – October 8, 2013) was an American politician and television news anchor who served in both the United States House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. A local news anchor, Grams became well-known ...
, whose home is in the southwestern corner of the 8th. Grams was by far the strongest opponent Oberstar had ever faced, and the first reasonably well-funded Republican to run in the 8th in decades. Although some polls showed Oberstar only ahead by two points, in the end he won by over 30 points and did not lose a single county in his district.
During the 2008 elections, Oberstar's Republican opponent was political neophyte and businessman Michael Cummins. Cummins campaigned throughout the district, but was unable to drum up enough support to pose a serious challenge to the veteran Democratic incumbent. Oberstar won with more than 67 percent of the vote.
During the 2010 elections, Oberstar lost a close race to political newcomer and Tea Party favorite, Chip Cravaack
Raymond John "Chip" Cravaack (born December 29, 1959) is an American educator, former pilot and former politician who was the U.S. representative for northeastern from 2011 to 2013. In his first run for political office, he upset 18-term Democ ...
, who won a plurality of 48 percent of the vote. The race was seen nationwide as a major upset for Democrats.
Electoral history
;2010
;2008
;2006
;2004
;2002
;2000
;1998
;1996
;1994
;1992
* 1992 DFL Primary for U.S. Representative – 8th District
** Jim Oberstar (DFL) (inc.), 78%
** Leonard J. Richards (DFL), 22%
;1990
;1988
;1986
;1984
* 1984 DFL Primary for U.S. Representative – 8th District
** Jim Oberstar (DFL) (inc.), 65%
** Tom Dougherty (DFL), 33%
;1982
* 1982 DFL Primary for U.S. Representative – 8th District
** Jim Oberstar (DFL) (inc.), 87%
** Bernard Sydow (DFL), 13%
;1980
* 1980 DFL Primary for U.S. Representative – 8th District
** Jim Oberstar (DFL) (inc.), 49%
** Thomas E. Dougherty (DFL), 39%
;1978
;1976
;1974
* 1974 DFL Primary for U.S. Representative – 8th District
** Jim Oberstar (DFL), 49%
** Tony Perpich (DFL), 29%
** Florian Chmielewski (DFL), 19.5%
Personal life
Oberstar resided with his wife, Jean, in Potomac, Maryland
Potomac () is a census-designated place (CDP) in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, named after the nearby Potomac River. Potomac is the seventh most educated small town in America, based on percentage of residents with postsecondary deg ...
, a suburb of Washington, D.C., and maintained his boyhood residence in Chisholm, Minnesota
Chisholm is a city in St. Louis County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 4,976 at the 2010 census. The city has been called "The Heart of the Iron Range" due to its location in the middle of the Mesabi Iron Range. History
The city ...
. He died in his sleep at his home in Potomac on May 3, 2014, four months before his 80th birthday. He was survived by 4 children and 8 grandchildren.
Papers
Th
Congressional Papers
of James L. Oberstar are available for research use. They include photographs, sound and video recordings, legislative materials, campaign and political activities, committee work, and legislative staff topical files documenting Oberstar's service as a U. S. Representative from Minnesota's 8th Congressional District (1975-2011). The collection emphasizes Oberstar's activities on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, demonstrated by a large series of staff office topical files, which address a wide range of issues, projects, and legislation related to aviation, highways and bridges, railways, waterways, and bike ways. Additional significant content focuses on economic development in the Iron Range, travel and tourism, trade, and environmental protection of Minnesota's land and water resources.
Boards and other affiliations
* Board Member, Board of Trustees, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potom ...
, 1995–2014
* Board Member, Mineta I.I.STPS Institute, San Jose State University
San José State University (San Jose State or SJSU) is a public university in San Jose, California. Established in 1857, SJSU is the oldest public university on the West Coast and the founding campus of the California State University (CSU) sy ...
, 1995–2014
References
External links
Official M/V Honorable James L. Oberstar Webpage
*
*
Profile
at SourceWatch
The Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) is a progressive nonprofit watchdog and advocacy organization based in Madison, Wisconsin. CMD publishes ExposedbyCMD.org, SourceWatch.org, and ALECexposed.org.
History
CMD was founded in 1993 by prog ...
Campaign 2006: Jim Oberstar
profile from ''Minnesota Public Radio
Minnesota Public Radio (MPR), is a public radio network for the state of Minnesota. With its three services, News & Information, YourClassical MPR and The Current, MPR operates a 46-station regional radio network in the upper Midwest.
MPR ha ...
''
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oberstar, James Louis
1934 births
2014 deaths
20th-century American politicians
21st-century American politicians
American people of German descent
American people of Slovenian descent
College of Europe alumni
Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Minnesota
Political chiefs of staff
People from Chisholm, Minnesota
United States congressional aides
University of St. Thomas (Minnesota) alumni
Université Laval alumni