Paul B. Henry

Paul Henry
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromMichigan
In office January 3, 1985 – July 31, 1993
Preceded by	Harold S. Sawyer
Succeeded by	Vern Ehlers
Constituency	5th district(1985–1993) 3rd district(1993)
Member of theMichigan Senate from the32nddistrict
In office 1983-1985
Preceded by	Stephen Monsma
Succeeded by	Vern Ehlers
Member of theMichigan House of Representatives from the91stdistrict
In office 1979-1982
Preceded by	Peter Kok
Succeeded by	Walter J. DeLange
Personal details
Born	(1942-07-09)July 9, 1942 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Died	July 31, 1993(1993-07-31)(aged 51) Grand Rapids, Michigan,U.S.
Political party	Republican
Alma mater	Wheaton College,Duke University

Paul Brentwood Henry(July 9, 1942 – July 31, 1993) was an American professor ofpolitical scienceand politician fromMichigan.He was elected to five terms and served in theU.S. House of Representativesfrom 1985 until his death frombrain cancerinGrand Rapids, Michiganin 1993.

Early life and career

Henry was born in Chicago and graduated from Pasadena High School,Pasadena, California,in 1959.His fatherCarl F. H. Henry,noted theologian, was one of the founders ofFuller Theological Seminaryand the founding editor ofChristianity Today.His mother, author Helga Bender Henry, was born inCameroon,West Africa, the daughter of German born Americanmissionaries.

Henry received aB.A.fromWheaton College,Wheaton, Illinoisin 1963, and then was aPeace Corpsvolunteer inLiberiaandEthiopiafrom 1963 to 1965. Upon returning to the United States, he attended graduate school atDuke University,Durham, North Carolina,earning aM.A.in 1968, and a PhD in 1970.

Henry was professor of political science atCalvin CollegeinGrand Rapids, Michiganfrom 1970 to 1978.

Political career

From 1965 to 1970, while he was a graduate student at Duke, Henry served two stints as a staffer for CongressmanJohn B. Anderson(R-IL). During 1968 and 1969, while Anderson was the third-ranking Republican in Congress, Henry's job involved promoting good communication within the party caucus.

In 1974, after Henry had been at Calvin College for several years,DemocratRichard Vander Veenwon the congressional seat centered on Grand Rapids, long held byGerald Ford,in the wake of theWatergate scandal.Henry was subsequently asked to provide new direction to theKent CountyRepublican Partyas its new chairman. The following year, Henry was appointed by GovernorWilliam Millikento theMichigan State Board of Education,on which he served from 1975 to 1978.

Henry ran for an open seat in theMichigan State House of Representativesin 1978 and served in that body from 1979 to 1982, where he represented the91st district,then moving up to serve one term in theMichigan State Senate,where he represented the32nd district.

Tenure in Congress

In 1984, Henry was elected as aRepublicanfrom Michigan's 5th District to theU.S. House of Representatives,winning the open seat being vacated by Republican CongressmanHarold S. Sawyer.The Grand Rapids-based district had historically been a Republican stronghold, but had fallen into Democratic hands after longtime congressman and House Minority LeaderGerald Fordgave it up to become Vice President of the United States (he ascended to the presidency a few months later). Sawyer had defeated Ford's predecessor,Richard Vander Veenin 1976, but had faced some of the closest races the district had seen in memory.

In 1984, however, the district reverted to form, and Henry won with 62 percent of the vote. He was re-elected three more times without serious difficulty. After redistricting due to theUnited States 1990 Census,his district was renumbered as the 3rd district. Henry served in Congress for 8½ years, from January 3, 1985 until his death.

In the House of Representatives, Henry served on the committees onEducation and Labor,Science, Space and Technology,and theSelect Committee on Aging.

He was known for opposing federal funding of offensive artwork, but he did not join other Republicans who sought the complete defunding of federal support for the arts.

Death

External videos
Funeral service for Rep. Henry, August 3, 1993,C-SPAN

In October 1992, two weeks before election day, Henry was diagnosed with a brain tumor. He underwent surgery a few days before he was re-elected to his fifth term in Congress. He regained strength briefly and was able to attend his swearing into the 103rd Congress on January 3, 1993, but then began to decline again.

Paul Henry died in Grand Rapids on July 31, 1993, at the age of 51, after havingbrain cancerfor nine months. He was interred at Woodlawn Cemetery in Grand Rapids.

Legacy

Henry was succeeded in Congress byVern Ehlers,a fellow faculty member at Calvin College who had also succeeded Henry in the state senate.

Henry Hall atGrand Valley State UniversityinGrand Rapidsis named after Paul B. Henry. It houses the Biology department, three lecture halls, and several computer labs. The Paul B. Henry Congressional Internship supports a student from GVSU to work in the Washington, D.C. office of a member of the Michigan delegation with a scholarship from the Paul B. Henry Foundation.

M-6,a highway on the south side of Grand Rapids connectingInterstate 96andInterstate 196,was named thePaul B. Henry Freeway.Construction on the highway began in 1997 and was completed in 2004, four years ahead of schedule.

Calvin College establishedThe Paul B. Henry Institute for the Study of Christianity and Politicsin 1997 to continue the work of integrating Christian faith and politics advanced by its namesake.

A multi use trail fromKentwood,throughCaledonia,Middleville,andHastingson through toVermontvillewas named thePaul Henry–Thornapple Rail Trail.

See also

• List of United States Congress members who died in office (1950–99)

External links

• The Henry Instituteat Calvin College
• Paul B. Henry Freeway
• Serving the Claims of Justice: The Thoughts of Paul B. Henry,published 2001. Introduction by Doug Koopmanavailable online.
• AppearancesonC-SPAN