Daniel "Dan" Schaefer (January 25, 1936 – April 16, 2006) was an American politician who served as the

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

Colorado's 6th congressional district Colorado's 6th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Colorado. Located in central Colorado, the district encompasses much of the eastern part of the Denver metropolitan area, including all of Aurora, as well as ...

from 1983 to 1999.

Early life and education

Born in

Guttenberg, Iowa Guttenberg is a city in Clayton County, Iowa, United States, along the Mississippi River. The population was 1,817 at the time of the 2020 census, down from 1,987 at the 2000 census. History Prairie La Porte, meaning "the door to the prairie," ...

, he attended public schools. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Niagara University. He also attended Potsdam University from 1961 to 1964.

Career

Schaefer served 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 1957 and attained the rank of sergeant. He then worked as a public relations consultant. In 1976, he was elected to a two-year term in the

Colorado General Assembly The Colorado General Assembly is the state legislature of the State of Colorado. It is a bicameral legislature that was created by the 1876 state constitution. Its statutes are codified in the ''Colorado Revised Statutes'' (C.R.S.). The se ...

. Two years later, he was elected to the Colorado State Senate, where he served from 1979 to 1983. He was a delegate to Colorado State Republican conventions between 1972 and 1982. Schaefer was elected 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 ...

to the Ninety-eighth United States Congress, by special election, to fill the vacancy caused by the death of United States Representative-elect Jack Swigert, a former astronaut who died of cancer before he could take his seat in Congress. Schaefer polled 49,816 votes (63 percent) in the special election to 27,779 ballots (35 percent) for the Democrat

Steve Hogan Stephen Douglas Hogan (May 31, 1948 – May 13, 2018) was an American politician who served as the Mayor of Aurora, Colorado, from November 2011 until his death in May 2018. Hogan was a member of the Republican Party, and previously sat on the ...

. No Democrat challenged Schaefer in 1984. In successive elections from 1986 to 1996, he polled more than 60 percent of the vote against each of his Democratic opponents. In his last race in 1996, he received 146,018 votes (62 percent) to 88,600 ballots (38 percent) for the Democrat Joan Fitz-Gerald. Schaefer did not run for re-election to the 106th United States Congress in 1998. He was succeeded by Republican Congressman

Tom Tancredo Thomas Gerard Tancredo (; born December 20, 1945) is an American politician from Colorado, who represented the state's sixth congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1999 to 2009 as a Republican. He ran for Pres ...

Death

Schaefer died of cancer at the age of 70.Dan Schaefer, 70; Former Congressman Represented Colorado
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References

External links

Retrieved on 2008-07-08 * {{DEFAULTSORT:Schaefer, Daniel 1936 births 2006 deaths Republican Party Colorado state senators Republican Party members of the Colorado House of Representatives United States Marines Niagara University alumni People from Guttenberg, Iowa Deaths from cancer in Colorado Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Colorado 20th-century American politicians