Ike Skelton
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Ike Skelton | |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 4, 1977 – |
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| Preceded by | William Randall |
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| Born | December 20, 1931 Lexington, Missouri, USA |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Widowed Susan Anding Skelton (married 1961–2005) |
| Religion | Disciples of Christ |
Isaac Newton "Ike" Skelton IV (born December 20, 1931) has been a member of the United States House of Representatives since 1977. A Democrat, he represents Missouri's 4th congressional district. The district includes most of the west-central part of the state, including the state capital, Jefferson City. Skelton is currently the Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, being selected at the start of the 110th Congress. He had previously served as the highest ranking Democrat on the Committee since 1998.
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[edit] Early life, career, and education
Skelton was born in Lexington, Missouri, where he still lives today. As a boy, he met Harry Truman, whom he still admires. He is an Eagle Scout.[1] He received an A.A. from Wentworth Military and Junior College in 1951. He received an A.B. from the University of Missouri–Columbia in 1953 and became a brother of Sigma Chi and Alpha Phi Omega while there. He attended the University of Edinburgh, Scotland in 1953. He received an LL.B. from University of Missouri–Columbia in 1956]. He became a lawyer, working in private practice in Lafayette County, Missouri.
He was a prosecuting attorney from 1957 until 1960 and a special assistant attorney general. Skelton was a member of the Missouri State Senate from Lafayette County from 1971 until 1977. When William J. Randall retired after 17 years as Congressman, Skelton won the Democratic nomination to succeed him by winning 40% of the vote in a nine candidate Democratic primary.[2]
[edit] Congressional career
Skelton is generally described as a moderate-to-conservative Democrat. He sides with social conservatives on hot-button social issues such as abortion, crime, gun control, and gay rights, but on the economic front his record is more varied as he is strongly supportive of labor.[3] Skelton has a mixed record on environmental issues with his most recent rating from the League of Conservation Voters at 53 percent. He was one of the few congressional Democrats to vote in favor of CAFTA and mostly supports free trade deals. While he voted against the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts, Skelton has cast votes in support of numerous Republican-initiated tax bills.
Before the election, Skelton told Newsweek's George Will that his main priority as chairman of the Armed Services Committee will be "oversight, oversight, oversight!" While he voted for the war in Iraq, he has expressed serious misgivings about troop readiness. He favors reducing the number of troops in Iraq, and even favors redeploying a brigade from Iraq to Kuwait. Will suggested that under Skelton, the Armed Services Committee would resemble a United States Senate committee created to examine defense spending during World War II. This committee was chaired by Skelton's hero, Truman.[4]
[edit] Committee assignments
- Armed Services Committee (Chairman)
[edit] Personal information
His wife of 44 years, Susan Anding Skelton, died on August 23, 2005. Later that year, on November 26, Skelton was injured when a van carrying him and fellow Congressmen Tim Murphy and Jim Marshall overturned near Baghdad Airport while on an official visit to Iraq. Skelton and Murphy were airlifted to a US Military hospital in Germany after complaining of neck pain. Both made a full recovery.
[edit] References
- ^ Distinguished Eagle Scouts. Troop & Pack 179. Retrieved on 2006-03-02.
- ^ Michael Barone and Grant Ujifusa (1981). The Almanac of American Politics 1982. Washington, D.C.: Barone and Company, 620. ISBN 0-940702-01-0.
- ^ GovTrack: Ike Skelton
- ^ msnbc.msn.com
[edit] External links
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
- Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
- Campaign contributions at OpenSecrets.org
- Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
- Issue positions and quotes at On The Issues
- Profile at SourceWatch Congresspedia
- Ike Skelton for Congress, official campaign site
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by William J. Randall |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Missouri's 4th congressional district 1977 – present |
Incumbent |
| Preceded by Duncan Hunter California |
Chairman of House Armed Services Committee 2007–Present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
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