Steven Craig Gunderson(born May 10, 1951) is an American former politician who was aRepublicanU.S. Representative forWisconsin's 3rd congressional districtfrom 1981 to 1997, when he was succeeded by DemocratRon Kind.After leaving office, he was president and CEO of theCouncil on Foundations,[3]and then of Career Education Colleges and Universities.[4]
Steve Gunderson | |
|---|---|
 Gunderson in Sept. 2011 | |
| House Republican Chief Deputy Whip | |
| In office January 3, 1989 – January 3, 1993 Serving withRobert Smith Walker | |
| Leader | Robert H. Michel |
| Preceded by | Edward Rell Madigan |
| Succeeded by | Robert Smith Walker |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromWisconsin's3rddistrict | |
| In office January 3, 1981 – January 3, 1997 | |
| Preceded by | Alvin Baldus |
| Succeeded by | Ron Kind |
| Member of theWisconsin State Assembly from the91stdistrict | |
| In office January 6, 1975 – July 9, 1979 | |
| Preceded by | Eugene Oberle[1] |
| Succeeded by | Alan S. Robertson[2] |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 10, 1951 Eau Claire, Wisconsin,U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse |
Ethan Ngo (m.2015) |
| Education | University of Wisconsin, Madison(BA) Brown College |
Early years
editGunderson grew up nearWhitehall, Wisconsin.After studying at theUniversity of Wisconsin–Madison,he went on to train at theBrown School of BroadcastinginMinneapolis.
Political career
edit
Gunderson served in theWisconsin State Assemblyfrom 1975 to 1979 before being elected to theU.S. House of Representativesin 1980, to representWisconsin's 3rd congressional district.First elected to the97th Congress,he served eight terms in the House and did not seek re-election to the105th Congressin 1996.[5]He was appointed by PresidentBarack Obamato the President's Commission onWhite House Fellowsin January 2010.[6]
Gunderson advocated for expedited immigration rights to theHmong people,who had been allied with U.S. war efforts during theVietnam Warand later faced persecution under theCommunistgovernment ofLaos.In an October 1995National Reviewarticle,Michael Johns,a former RepublicanWhite Houseaide andHeritage Foundationpolicy analyst, praised Gunderson's efforts in behalf of theHmong people,quoting Gunderson as telling a Hmong gathering in Wisconsin: "I do not enjoy standing up and saying to my government that you are not telling the truth, but if that is necessary to defend truth and justice, I will do that."[7]Republicans also called several congressional hearings on alleged persecution of the Hmong in Laos in an apparent attempt to generate further support for their opposition to the Hmong's repatriation to Laos. Led by Gunderson and other Hmong advocates in Congress, theClinton administration's policy of forced repatriation of the Hmong was ultimately overturned and thousands were granted U.S. immigration rights.
Personal life
editOn March 24, 1994, Gunderson wasoutedasgayon the House floor by representativeBob Dornan(R-CA) during a debate over federal funding for gay-friendly curriculum,[8]making him one of the first openly gay members of Congress and the first openly gay Republican representative.[9]In 1996, Gunderson was the only Republican in Congress to vote against theDefense of Marriage Act,[10][11]and he has been a vocal supporter ofgay rightscauses since leaving Congress. During his time in the House, Gunderson was one of only two openly gay Republicans serving in Congress, the other beingJim KolbeofArizona.[12]
Published works
edit- House and Home,E. P. Dutton,1996,ISBN978-0-525-94197-2(with Rob Morris andBruce Bawer)
See also
editReferences
edit- ^"Our Campaigns - WI State Assembly 91 Race - Nov 05, 1974".
- ^"Our Campaigns - WI State Assembly 91 Race - Nov 07, 1978".
- ^"Steven Gunderson, President & CEO".Council on Foundations.Archived fromthe originalon February 3, 2010.RetrievedAugust 27,2009.
- ^"Bio; Steve Gunderson, President and CEO".January 3, 2018. Archived fromthe originalon June 8, 2020.RetrievedJanuary 3,2018.
- ^"Gunderson, Steven 1951".www.wisconsinhistory.org.Archived fromthe originalon June 11, 2011.RetrievedJanuary 17,2022.
- ^"President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts, 1/19/10".whitehouse.gov.January 19, 2010.Archivedfrom the original on February 16, 2017.RetrievedNovember 22,2010– viaNational Archives.
- ^Johns, Michael (October 23, 1995)."Acts of betrayal – persecution of Hmong".National Review.Archived fromthe originalon April 29, 2008.RetrievedJune 2,2008.
- ^Chris Bull (May 3, 1994),The Out House: Congressional Debate over an Education Bill Gets Personal and Nasty,The Advocate,p. 29.
- ^Bergling, Tim (May 11, 2004)."Closeted in the capital: they're powerful, Republican, and gay. Will the marriage battle finally get them to come out to their bosses?".The Advocate.RetrievedAugust 27,2009.
- ^"Final Vote Results for Roll Call 316".Clerk of the United States House of Representatives.July 12, 1996.
- ^"U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 104th Congress - 2nd Session: On Passage of the Bill (H.R.3396 )".United States Senate.September 10, 1996.
- ^Mendelberg, Tali (2001).The Race Card: Campaign Strategy, Implicit Messages, and the Norm of Equality.Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.ISBN0691070717.RetrievedMarch 23,2018.
External links
edit- United States Congress."Steve Gunderson (id: G000524)".Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- AppearancesonC-SPAN
- HRC:Steven GundersonArchivedFebruary 7, 2012, at theWayback Machine