Martin R. Hoke (born May 18, 1952)Biographical Guide of the United States Congress
/ref> is an American

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 ...

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

, former member of the

Ohio Casino Control Commission The Ohio Casino Control Commission (OCCC) is a gaming control board in Ohio that provides oversight of the state's casinos. History In 1990, several Ohio cities filed petitions to the Ohio General Assembly to authorize casino gambling in the sta ...

, and former member of 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 ...

from

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

Biography

Hoke was born in

Lakewood, Ohio Lakewood is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States, on the southern shore of Lake Erie. Established in 1889, it is one of Cleveland's historical streetcar suburbs and part of the Greater Cleveland, Greater Clevelan ...

, and attended school at the private

Western Reserve Academy , motto_translation = Light and Truth , address = 115 College Street , city = Hudson , state = Ohio , zipcode = 44236-2999 , country = United S ...

. He graduated from

Amherst College Amherst College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. Founded in 1821 as an attempt to relocate Williams College by its then-president Zephaniah Swift Moore, Amherst is the third oldest institution of higher educatio ...

in 1973 and earned a J.D. degree from

Case Western Reserve University Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) is a private research university in Cleveland, Ohio. Case Western Reserve was established in 1967, when Western Reserve University, founded in 1826 and named for its location in the Connecticut Western Reser ...

in 1980. He has been noted for practicing

Sikhism Sikhism (), also known as Sikhi ( pa, ਸਿੱਖੀ ', , from pa, ਸਿੱਖ, lit=disciple', 'seeker', or 'learner, translit=Sikh, label=none),''Sikhism'' (commonly known as ''Sikhī'') originated from the word ''Sikh'', which comes fro ...

Business career

In 1981, Hoke began a company, Red Carpet Airport Car Care, that provided auto repair services at

Cleveland Hopkins International Airport Cleveland Hopkins International Airport is an international airport in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is the primary airport serving Greater Cleveland and Northeast Ohio, the largest and busiest airport in the state, and the 43rd busiest a ...

. Four years later, he founded Red Carpet Cellular, a distributor of then-novel cellular telephones, which became the largest distributor of cell phones in Ohio. Hoke sold the company to British Petroleum in 1988.

Verizon Verizon Communications Inc., commonly known as Verizon, is an American multinational telecommunications conglomerate and a corporate component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The company is headquartered at 1095 Avenue of the Americas in ...

acquired the company in 1991. In 2007 Hoke developed an idea for a nasal irrigation system, partly to allay his own sinusitis. His creation evolved into Rhinosystems, Inc. of Brooklyn, OH, manufacturer of the patented Navage nasal irrigator, currently sold in Canada and the United States. In 2020,

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rated Navage the “Best Nasal Irrigation System.”

Political career

In 1992, Hoke won the Republican nomination for

Ohio's 10th congressional district Ohio's 10th congressional district is represented by Representative Mike Turner ( R). The district is based in southwestern Ohio and consists of Montgomery, Greene, and Fayette counties. Election results from presidential races List of me ...

, located in Cleveland's west side. Hoke upset heavily favored

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 ...

Mary Rose Oakar Mary Rose Oakar (born March 5, 1940) is an American Democratic politician and former member of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio, serving from 1977 to 1993. She was the first Democratic woman elected to the United States Congre ...

, who had represented the district (formerly the 20th District) for 16 years, in the general election. Oakar was hampered by accusations of check writing at the House of Representatives Bank. Hoke was the first Republican to represent a significant portion of traditionally heavily Democratic Cleveland in over 30 years. Hoke won re-election in 1994 against

Frank Gaul Francis E. Gaul (August 8, 1924 - September 15, 2013) was an American politician of the Democratic party. He was the Treasurer of Cuyahoga County, Ohio from 1976 to 1995. Gaul started his career as a city councilman in Cleveland, Ohio, represent ...

, a

Cuyahoga County Cuyahoga County ( or ) is a large urban County (United States), county located in the Northeast Ohio, northeastern part of the U.S. state of Ohio. It is situated on the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the Canada–United States border, U.S.- ...

Treasurer who had recently overseen losses in a county bond fund based on faulty advice from private bond counsel. In 1996, Hoke was defeated by former Cleveland mayor

Dennis Kucinich Dennis John Kucinich (; born October 8, 1946) is an American politician. A U.S. Representative from Ohio from 1997 to 2013, he was also a candidate for the Democratic nomination for president of the United States in 2004 and 2008. He ran for ...

49%-46%. Hoke was harmed by several gaffes he had made, the Democratic nature of the district, strong labor support for Kucinich, and a mounting public perception that he would lose. Hoke was appointed to the Ohio Casino Control Commission by Governor

John Kasich John Richard Kasich Jr. ( ; born May 13, 1952) is an American politician, author, and television news host who served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1983 to 2001 and as the 69th governor of Ohio from 2011 to 2019. A Republican, Kasic ...

on February 23, 2011. His term of office ended on February 21, 2017.Commissioners
/ref>

Controversy

Following the 1994 State of the Union speech by

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...

, Hoke was preparing to be interviewed for a live broadcast for a local Cleveland television station. After being outfitted with a microphone by a female producer, Hoke remarked to Democratic fellow Cleveland-area congressman

Eric Fingerhut Eric David Fingerhut (born May 6, 1959) is an American politician, attorney, and academic administrator, serving as the President and CEO of The Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA). Prior to his appointment at JFNA, he served as president ...

that "She's got ze beega breasts" in a mock

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

accent. Although not broadcast live, the remark was recorded, and was the subject of a report by ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' the following day. Coverage of the remark may have been a factor in his failed bid for re-election in 1996.

References

External links