Dennis Edward Eckart (born April 6, 1950) is an American lawyer and politician who is a 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 chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

. Eckart, a member of the Democratic Party, represented

Ohio's 11th congressional district Ohio's 11th congressional district encompasses portions of Cuyahoga County in the Northeast part of the state—including most of the majority-black precincts in Cleveland. It has been represented by Shontel Brown since 2021. Ohio has had ...

from 1983 to 1993, and

Ohio's 22nd congressional district The 22nd congressional district of Ohio was eliminated as a result of the redistricting cycle after the 1980 Census. In its last decade, the district primarily consisted of eastern Cuyahoga county, with minor parts of western Geauga, western ...

from 1981 to 1983. Before being elected to Congress, Eckart served in the

Ohio House of Representatives The Ohio House of Representatives is the lower house of the Ohio General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio; the other house of the bicameral legislature being the Ohio Senate. The House of Representatives first met in Ch ...

from 1975 to 1980.

Early life and Career

Born into a Roman Catholic family in

Cleveland, Ohio 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 ...

, with two brothers Gary and Edward, Dennis Eckart attended St Joseph High School (now VASJ) and

Xavier University Xavier University ( ) is a private Jesuit university in Cincinnati and Evanston (Cincinnati), Ohio. It is the sixth-oldest Catholic and fourth-oldest Jesuit university in the United States. Xavier has an undergraduate enrollment of 4,860 stud ...

, receiving his

B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

in 1971. He went on to earn an

LL.B. Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...

from

Cleveland State University Cleveland State University (CSU) is a public research university in Cleveland, Ohio. It was established in 1964 and opened for classes in 1965 after acquiring the entirety of Fenn College, a private school that had been in operation since 1923 ...

Cleveland-Marshall College of Law Cleveland State University College of Law is the law school of Cleveland State University, a public research university in Cleveland, Ohio. The school traces its origins to Cleveland Law School (founded in 1897), which merged in 1946 with the John ...

in 1974, and was admitted to the Ohio bar in 1974. Eckart began his law career practicing in Cleveland and served as the assistant prosecutor in the

Lake County, Ohio Lake County is a county in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 232,603. The county seat is Painesville. The county was established on March 6, 1840, from land given by Cuyahoga and Geauga Counties. Its name is d ...

prosecuting attorney's office. In 1974, he won a seat in the

, where he served three terms from 1975 until 1980. From 1978 until 1982 he served as a vice-president of the

Slovene National Benefit Society The Slovene National Benefit Society, known in Slovenian as Slovenska narodna podporna jednota, and by its Slovene initials S.N.P.J. is an wiktionary:ethnic, ethnic fraternal organization, fraternal benefit and social organization for Slovenes, Slo ...

United States House of Representatives

In 1980, Eckart ran for the U.S. House to replace the vacant seat from retiring 13-term Congressman

Charles Vanik Charles Albert Vanik (April 7, 1913 – August 30, 2007) was a Democratic politician from Ohio. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1955 to 1981. Early life Vanik was born in Cleveland, Ohio, the son of Stella (Kvasn ...

. Eckart ran in

, defeating State Senator

Tim McCormack Tim McCormack is a politician from Euclid, Ohio. He has served as Commissioner, Auditor, as well as Euclid City Councilman, Ohio House of Representatives The Ohio House of Representatives is the lower house of the Ohio General Assembly, the st ...

and State Representative Anthony O. Calabrese, Jr. with 40% of the vote in the Democratic primary. He went on to defeat

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 ...

opponent Joseph Nahra with 55% of the vote in the general election. After the 1980 Census, Eckart's district was redrawn, moving him to

. The one-term Congressman defeated State Representative Marcus Roberto in the Democratic primary and Republican Glen W. Warner in the general election. Eckart served on the

House Committee on Energy and Commerce The Committee on Energy and Commerce is one of the oldest standing committees of the United States House of Representatives. Established in 1795, it has operated continuously—with various name changes and jurisdictional changes—for more than ...

, the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, and the

House Committee on Small Business The United States House Committee on Small Business is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. It was established in 1941 as the House Select Committee on Small Business. History On December 4, 1941, the U. S. House of ...

, where he served as Chairman of the Subcommittee for Antitrust, Deregulation and Ecology. During his tenure in the House, Eckart supported improving standards on

environmental protection Environmental protection is the practice of protecting the natural environment by individuals, organizations and governments. Its objectives are to conserve natural resources and the existing natural environment and, where possible, to repair dam ...

. He sponsored the Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments of 1983, a bill aimed to improve enforcement and greater protection for underground sources of drinking water. He also sponsored the Great Lakes Emergency Shoreline Protection Act, which would have started a federal guaranteed-loan program to provide for the protection from shoreline erosion of the

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five lakes ...

. He also sponsored the Price-Anderson Amendments Act of 1987, amending the

Atomic Energy Act of 1954 The Atomic Energy Act of 1954, 42 U.S.C. §§ 2011-2021, 2022-2286i, 2296a-2297h-13, is a United States federal law that covers for the development, regulation, and disposal of nuclear materials and facilities in the United States. It was an am ...

to provide for unlimited liability in the event of an accident at a nuclear power plant, and the failed House Joint Resolution 617, establishing a

balanced budget amendment A balanced budget amendment is a constitutional rule requiring that a state cannot spend more than its income. It requires a balance between the projected receipts and expenditures of the government. Balanced-budget provisions have been added ...

the

Constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When these pr ...

. Eckart gained notoriety for his portrayal of

Dan Quayle James Danforth Quayle (; born February 4, 1947) is an American politician who served as the 44th vice president of the United States from 1989 to 1993 under President George H. W. Bush. A member of the Republican Party, Quayle served as a U.S. ...

in debate preparation with

Lloyd Bentsen Lloyd Millard Bentsen Jr. (February 11, 1921 – May 23, 2006) was an American politician who was a four-term United States Senator (1971–1993) from Texas and the Democratic Party nominee for vice president in 1988 on the Michael Dukakis t ...

for the 1988 Vice Presidential debate. Eckart was a noted opponent of the

Superconducting Super Collider The Superconducting Super Collider (SSC) (also nicknamed the desertron) was a particle accelerator complex under construction in the vicinity of Waxahachie, Texas. Its planned ring circumference was with an energy of 20 TeV per proton and was ...

, sponsoring a 1992 amendment in the House to defund the project. After the 1990 Census, with an overall decline in Ohio's population and redistricting, Eckart's district was distributed to the 13th, 14th, 17th and

19th 19 (nineteen) is the natural number following 18 and preceding 20. It is a prime number. Mathematics 19 is the eighth prime number, and forms a sexy prime with 13, a twin prime with 17, and a cousin prime with 23. It is the third full re ...

districts. He then decided not to run for reelection in the updated districts and was succeeded by 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 ...

Post congressional career

After his term in Congress, Eckart worked in the

American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. Founded in 1878, the ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of aca ...

's Congressional Process Committee, and was also on the board of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. He also served as chair of the United States Delegation to the

Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe The Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) was a key element of the détente process during the Cold War. Although it did not have the force of a treaty, it recognized the boundaries of postwar Europe and established a mechanism ...

. From 2000 to 2003 he served as President and CEO of the Greater Cleveland Growth Association. He practiced law as a partner of

BakerHostetler BakerHostetler is an American law firm founded in 1916. One of the firm's founders, Newton D. Baker, was U.S. Secretary of War during World War I, and former Mayor of Cleveland, Ohio. History , the firm was ranked the 73rd-largest law firm in ...

, representing "a variety of clients before Congress, the Executive Branch, federal and state agencies and state legislatures" (se

until 2006, when he opened North Shore Associates, a consulting firm. Eckart's North Shore work includes many of his previous clients as well as some real estate development work.

Americans for Democratic Action Americans for Democratic Action (ADA) is a liberal American political organization advocating progressive policies. ADA views itself as supporting social and economic justice through lobbying, grassroots organizing, research, and supporting pr ...

lists his liberal quotient as 80% for the entirety of his service. In 2002 the

National Center for Responsible Gaming The International Center for Responsible Gaming (ICRG), formerly known as the National Center for Responsible Gambling (NCRG), is an American nonprofit group that funds scientific research on gambling addiction. It was founded in 1996 as a separat ...

, or NCRG, elected him as chairman. This is an organization that does scientific research on

pathological gambling Problem gambling or ludomania is repetitive gambling behavior despite harm and negative consequences. Problem gambling may be diagnosed as a mental disorder according to ''DSM-5'' if certain diagnostic criteria are met. Pathological gambling is ...

and youth gambling. In 2007 then

Governor 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 ...

Ted Strickland Theodore Strickland (born August 4, 1941) is an American politician who was the 68th governor of Ohio, serving from 2007 to 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served in the United States House of Representatives, representing ...

appointed Eckart to the board of trustees for

Kent State University Kent State University (KSU) is a public research university in Kent, Ohio. The university also includes seven regional campuses in Northeast Ohio and additional facilities in the region and internationally. Regional campuses are located in ...

. Occasionally, when media begin to speculate about persons running for statewide office in Ohio, Eckart is usually mentioned by prognosticators for United States Senator. However, nothing besides mere mentions have occurred and it does not seem that Eckart will run again for public office.

Personal life

Eckart and his wife Sandy, have one adult son, Eddy. They reside in

Concord, Ohio Concord is an unincorporated community in Williamsburg township in Clermont County, in the U.S. state of 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 w ...

. Eckart is a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

References

Eckart's biography
from Baker & Hostletler LLP When not working for Northshore Associates he is spending time with his family at one of his two estates just being himself.

External links

Voting record maintained by the Washington PostBioguideNCRG article
Real Law Radio is a legal news talk radio program, hosted by attorney Bob DiCello (Podcasts/Saturday March 27, 2010). * , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Eckart, Dennis E. 1950 births Ohio lawyers Living people Cleveland–Marshall College of Law alumni Xavier University alumni Politicians from Cleveland Democratic Party members of the Ohio House of Representatives American people of Slovenian descent Lawyers from Cleveland Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio People associated with BakerHostetler Members of Congress who became lobbyists