Gerald D. Kleczka
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Gerald Daniel Kleczka (; November 26, 1943 – October 8, 2017) was an American politician and Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from 1984 to 2005, representing . The district included the city of Milwaukee.


Life and education

After graduating from Milwaukee's Don Bosco High School, in 1961, he attended the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee for two years. Afterward, he served as an accountant and a member of the National Guard.


Politics

Kleczka was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly, serving from 1969 to 1974. Later, he was a member of the Wisconsin State Senate from 1975 to 1984. Kleczka was elected to the House in a special election following the death of Representative
Clement J. Zablocki Clement John Zablocki (November 18, 1912December 3, 1983) was an American politician who served nearly 35 years in the United States House of Representatives, representing Wisconsin's 4th congressional district. A liberal Democrat, he built his ...
, defeating Milwaukee County District Attorney
E. Michael McCann Edward Michael McCann (born 1936) is an American attorney and politician who served as district attorney of Milwaukee County, Wis. from 1969 to 2007. A Democrat, McCann gained recognition for the length of his tenure and his successful record as ...
in the Democratic primary.


Tenure in Congress

While in Congress, Kleczka was a member of the United States House Committee on Ways and Means and later the United States House Committee on the Budget. He was known to be one of the more liberal members of Congress and helped to secure money for many programs for education, poverty relief, and housing improvements. For his first 10-and-a-half terms, Kleczka represented a district that included most of the southern half of Milwaukee, as well as part of eastern Waukesha County. After the 2000 census, the
5th District District 5, 5 District or 5th District may refer to: Europe * District 5 (Zürich) * District 5, Düsseldorf * V District, Turku * Districts of Malta#District 5, District 5, an electoral district of Malta * Districts of Malta#District 5 2, Distric ...
, covering downtown and north Milwaukee and represented by fellow Democrat Tom Barrett, was eliminated, and most of its territory was merged with the 4th District. The new 4th was a more compact district located solely in
Milwaukee County Milwaukee County is located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. At the 2020 census, the population was 939,489, down from 947,735 in 2010. It is both the most populous and most densely populated county in Wisconsin, and the 45th most populous coun ...
, and took in all of the city of Milwaukee; it was by far the most Democratic district in Wisconsin. While the 4th was more Barrett's district than Kleczka's, Barrett opted to run for governor, effectively handing the seat to Kleczka. The pronunciation of Kleczka's name often proved baffling to the uninformed. Rep.
Frank Annunzio Frank Annunzio (January 12, 1915 – April 8, 2001) was an American politician from Chicago, Illinois. Annunzio, an Italian-American, was born in Chicago, where he remained for his entire childhood and much of his adult life. He attended Cra ...
(D-IL) repeatedly butchered it to the point that an exasperated Kleczka took to calling him "Rep. Annunciation".


Legal issues

Kleczka was arrested at least twice for drunk driving while in office. A 1995 arrest for drunken driving — his blood alcohol content was twice the legal limit in Virginia — led him to acknowledge his alcoholism and seek treatment. He credits religion as part of the reason for his recovery and continued to meet regularly with fellow recovering alcoholics.


Retirement and death

Kleczka announced his retirement in 2004, and did not run for
reelection The incumbent is the current holder of an office or position, usually in relation to an election. In an election for president, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the office of president before the election, whether seeking re-ele ...
. He officially retired in January 2005 after ten terms in Congress, and was succeeded by State Senator
Gwen Moore Gwendolynne Sophia Moore (born April 18, 1951) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2005. In 2016, Moore was elected to serve as caucus whip of the Congressional Black Caucus for the 115th United States Congres ...
, also a Democrat. After Kleczka retired, he moved to Middleton, Wisconsin with his wife. Kleczka died on October 8, 2017 from natural causes at a care facility, in the Madison, Wisconsin area.Gerald Kleczka-obituary
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References


External links


Honorary Degree: Doctor of Laws Conferred on Jerry Kleczka
Marquette University, 2005. * * , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Kleczka, Gerald 1943 births 2017 deaths 20th-century American politicians 21st-century American politicians American politicians of Polish descent Businesspeople from Milwaukee Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Wisconsin Democratic Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly Military personnel from Milwaukee People from Middleton, Wisconsin Politicians from Milwaukee University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee alumni Democratic Party Wisconsin state senators 20th-century American businesspeople