John Chester Culver (August 8, 1932 – December 26, 2018) was an American politician, writer and lawyer who was elected to both 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 ...

(1965–1975) and

United States Senate 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 pow ...

(1975–1981) from

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to th ...

. 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 ...

, his son

Chet Culver Chester John Culver (born January 25, 1966) is an American politician who served one term as the 41st governor of Iowa, from 2007 to 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he had previously served as the 29th secretary of state of Iowa from 199 ...

served as the 41st

Governor of Iowa A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

(2007–2011).

Early life and education

Culver was born in

Rochester Rochester may refer to: Places Australia * Rochester, Victoria Canada * Rochester, Alberta United Kingdom *Rochester, Kent ** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area ** History of Rochester, Kent ** HM Prison ...

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 ...

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

. Culver graduated from both

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

and Harvard Law School. As an undergraduate, Culver played fullback on the Harvard football team with

Edward Kennedy Edward Moore Kennedy (February 22, 1932 – August 25, 2009) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States senator from Massachusetts for almost 47 years, from 1962 until his death in 2009. A member of the Democratic ...

, a future US Senator. He was drafted by the

Chicago Cardinals The professional American football team now known as the Arizona Cardinals previously played in Chicago, Illinois, as the Chicago Cardinals from 1898 to 1959 before relocating to St. Louis, Missouri, for the 1960 through 1987 seasons. Roots ...

in the 27th round of the

1954 NFL Draft The 1954 National Football League Draft was held on January 28, 1954, at The Bellevue-Stratford Hotel in Philadelphia. This was the eighth year that the first overall pick was a bonus pick determined by lottery. With the previous seven winners i ...

. Rather than try out for professional football after graduating, Culver attended Emmanuel College, Cambridge as the Lionel de Jersey Harvard Scholar. After his return to the US, he served in the military as a captain 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 ...

from 1955 to 1958. In 1978 Culver was inducted into the Harvard Football Hall of Fame.

Career

Culver became active in politics, working as a legislative assistant for Senator

in 1962. He began his law practice in Iowa a year later. In

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarc ...

, he ran against

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 ...

Rep.

James E. Bromwell James Edward Bromwell (March 26, 1920 – September 11, 2009) was a two-term Republican U.S. Representative from Iowa's 2nd congressional district. He was elected in 1960, re-elected in 1962, and defeated in 1964. Born and raised in Cedar Rapids ...

. With President Lyndon Johnson's landslide victory, many Democrats, including Culver, were carried to victory. In 1974, Culver ran for the U.S. Senate, narrowly defeating Davis Stanley with 50.02% of the vote, for the seat left open by the retirement of Harold E. Hughes. Culver served one term in the Senate, from 1975 until 1981. With Ronald Reagan's national victory as president, Culver was defeated in 1980 by Republican

Chuck Grassley Charles Ernest Grassley (born September 17, 1933) is an American politician serving as the president pro tempore emeritus of the United States Senate, and the senior United States senator from Iowa, having held the seat since 1981. In 2022, h ...

. 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 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. Until January 31, 2011, Culver was the interim director of the Institute of Politics at the

John F. Kennedy School of Government The Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), officially the John F. Kennedy School of Government, is the school of public policy and government of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school offers master's degrees in public policy, public ...

at Harvard University. He was succeeded by former

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

Secretary of State

Trey Grayson Charles Merwin "Trey" Grayson III (born April 18, 1972) is an American politician and attorney who is currently a member at Frost Brown Todd and a principal at CivicPoint. A former Secretary of State of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, Grayson als ...

. Culver remained on the board of advisers as director emeritus.

Personal life

Harkin and Culver at state fair (4885723391)

John Culver and his wife had five children, including Chet, who served as the

from 2007 to 2011. At the time of his death, Culver was recently retired at the firm of

Arent Fox Arent Fox Schiff LLP (formerly Arent, Fox, Kintner, Plotkin & Kahn) is a national white shoe law firm and lobbying firm. It represents global corporations, local and national politicians, and large non-profit organizations. The firm is ranked ...

in Washington, D.C., where he had established the government affairs practice. After leaving the Senate, he had lived and worked in the capital with his wife, Mary Jane Checchi. Culver died on December 26, 2018, in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

References

External links

* Th
John Culver Papers
are housed at the University of Iowa Special Collections & University Archives. , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Culver, John 1932 births 2018 deaths Candidates in the 1980 United States presidential election 20th-century American politicians Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Iowa American Presbyterians Democratic Party United States senators from Iowa Harvard Crimson football players Harvard Law School alumni Iowa lawyers Lawyers from Washington, D.C. Military personnel from Minnesota Politicians from Cedar Rapids, Iowa Politicians from Rochester, Minnesota United States Marine Corps officers Writers from Cedar Rapids, Iowa Burials at Arlington National Cemetery 20th-century American lawyers Military personnel from Iowa

Early life and education

Career

Personal life

See also

References

Further reading

External links