Jerry Francis Costello (born September 25, 1949) is an American politician and former
U.S. Representative
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 c ...
for . He previously represented and served in the US House from 1988 to 2013. He is a member of the
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to:
*Democratic Party (United States)
Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to:
Active parties Africa
*Botswana Democratic Party
*Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea
*Gabonese Democratic Party
*Demo ...
and was the dean of Illinois's 21-member congressional delegation. In October 2011, Costello announced that he would not seek another term in Congress in 2012. He was succeeded by
William Enyart
William Lee Enyart, Jr. (; born September 22, 1949) is an American General and politician who served as the U.S. representative for Illinois's 12th congressional district. A member of the Democratic Party, Enyart was elected on November 6, 2012, ...
.
Early life, education, and early career
Costello was born in
East St. Louis, Illinois
East St. Louis is a city in St. Clair County, Illinois. It is directly across the Mississippi River from Downtown St. Louis, Missouri and the Gateway Arch National Park. East St. Louis is in the Metro-East region of Southern Illinois. Once a b ...
and attended Catholic schools, graduating from Assumption High School. He was later educated at
Maryville College of the Sacred Heart
Maryville University of St. Louis is a private university in Town and Country, Missouri. It was originally founded on April 6, 1872 by the Society of the Sacred Heart and offers more than 90 degrees at the undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral l ...
in
St. Louis
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
, from which he earned a bachelor's degree.
Costello worked in the law enforcement field. He served
St. Clair County, Illinois
St. Clair County is the oldest county in Illinois; its western border is formed by the Mississippi River, bordering Missouri. It is a part of the Metro East in southern Illinois. At the 2020 United States census, it had a population of 257,400 ...
as a court bailiff, deputy
sheriff
A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...
, and director of court services and probation. Costello later was chief investigator for the Illinois State Attorney’s office. In 1980, he was elected as chair of the St. Clair County Board. Costello served in this capacity as county executive until his election to the House.
U.S. House of Representatives
Elections
Costello took office on in August 1988, after winning a special election with 51% of the vote, to fill the seat of the deceased
Melvin Price
Charles Melvin Price (January 1, 1905 – April 22, 1988) was a member of the United States House of Representatives for over 40 years, from 1945 to his death. He represented Metro East, the Illinois portion of the St. Louis metropolitan area ...
. He was elected to a full term that November with 53% of the vote. After that, he received at least 60% of the vote in all of his re-election bids, until his retirement in 2012.
Costello was the most senior member of Illinois' House delegation during his final term in office. On October 4, 2011, he announced he would not seek reelection in 2012. Costello was succeeded by
William Enyart
William Lee Enyart, Jr. (; born September 22, 1949) is an American General and politician who served as the U.S. representative for Illinois's 12th congressional district. A member of the Democratic Party, Enyart was elected on November 6, 2012, ...
, who was elected on November 6, 2012.
Tenure
Costello served on the National Leadership Committee of then-Senator
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
's National Catholic Advisory Council during his 2008 election campaign.
Shortly after the election of Barack Obama as President of the United States, Costello was prominently mentioned as a possible cabinet choice for Secretary of Transportation; the nomination eventually went to fellow Illinois Representative
Ray LaHood
Raymond H. LaHood (born December 6, 1945) is an American politician who served as the 16th United States Secretary of Transportation from 2009 to 2013 under President Barack Obama. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served in the I ...
.
In 2011, Costello co-sponsored HR 3, the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act, which would strictly limit the situations in which abortion could be paid for by public funds.
Costello is a member of the Reformers Caucus of
Issue One
Issue One is an American nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that seeks to reduce the role of money in politics. It aims to increase public awareness of what it views as problems within the present campaign finance system, and to reduce the influ ...
.
;1997 ethics complaint
In 1996,
federal prosecutors alleged that Costello was an unindicted co-conspirator in a plan to build a
riverboat casino
A riverboat casino is a type of casino on a riverboat found in several states in the United States with frontage on the Mississippi River and its tributaries, or along the Gulf Coast. Several states authorized this type of casino in order to en ...
. At the end of an investigation and trial, a longtime friend of Costello's was sentenced to six years in prison for obstruction of justice. Costello testified before a grand jury in regard to the matter, but was not indicted or charged in the case. He denied any involvement. In 1997, the
Congressional Accountability Project The Congressional Accountability Project is an advocacy group "which is affiliated with Ralph Nader."
In 1997 they accused a member of congress of staying at the home of "a lobbyist ... who had formerly been his chief of staff for 22 years"
("which ...
filed an
ethics complaint requesting investigation of Costello which resulted in no action.
Committee assignments
*
Committee on Science, Space and Technology
The Committee on Science, Space, and Technology is a committee of the United States House of Representatives. It has jurisdiction over non-defense federal scientific research and development. More specifically, the committee has complete jurisdic ...
**
Subcommittee on Energy and Environment
*
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
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 ...
**
Subcommittee on Aviation (Ranking member)
**
Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials
**
Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment
Post-House
In
2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
, Costello was a
presidential elector
The United States Electoral College is the group of presidential electors required by the Constitution to form every four years for the sole purpose of appointing the president and vice president. Each state and the District of Columbia appo ...
from
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...
. Costello was originally intended to be an elector in the 2020 election as well; however, in the official vote he was replaced by Illinois House Speaker
Chris Welch
Chris Welch (born 12 November 1941) is an English music journalist, critic, and author who is best known for his work from the late 1960s as a reporter for ''Melody Maker'', ''Musicians Only'', and ''Kerrang!''. He is the author of over 40 mu ...
.
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Costello, Jerry
1949 births
2016 United States presidential electors
21st-century American politicians
American police officers
Catholics from Illinois
County executives in Illinois
Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois
Living people
Maryville University alumni
Members of Congress who became lobbyists
People from Belleville, Illinois
People from East St. Louis, Illinois