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Jim Kolbe

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Jim Kolbe
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Arizona
In office
January 3, 1985 – January 3, 2007
Preceded byJames F. McNulty Jr.
Succeeded byGabby Giffords
Constituency
Member of the Arizona Senate
from the 14th district
In office
January 3, 1977 – December 31, 1982 [contradictory]
Preceded byLucy Davidson
Succeeded byWilliam De Long
Personal details
Born
James Thomas Kolbe

(1942-06-28)June 28, 1942
Evanston, Illinois, U.S.
DiedDecember 3, 2022(2022-12-03) (aged 80)
Political party
Spouses
  • Sarah Dinham
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1977; div. 1992)​
  • Hector Alfonso
    ​
    (m. 2013)​
Education
Military service
Branch/serviceUnited States Navy
Years of service
  • 1967–1969 (Active)
  • 1970–1977 (Reserve)

James Thomas Kolbe (June 28, 1942 – December 3, 2022) was an American businessman and politician who served as a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives. He represented Arizona's 5th congressional district from 1985 to 2003 and its 8th congressional district from 2003 to 2007. A moderate, pro–abortion rights Republican, he came out as gay in 1996 after voting in support of the Defense of Marriage Act; his subsequent re-elections made him the second openly gay Republican elected to Congress.

After leaving Congress, Kolbe served on the Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations under Democratic president Barack Obama. Kolbe left the Republican Party and became an independent in 2018 after the election of Donald Trump. He endorsed Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election.

Early life

Kolbe was born in Evanston, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, on June 28, 1942,[1] the son of Helen Nevada (Reed) and Walter William Kolbe.[2][3] When he was five, his family moved to a ranch in rural Santa Cruz County, Arizona. He attended Patagonia Elementary School and Patagonia Union High School, but graduated from the United States Capitol Page School in 1960 after serving for three years as a United States Senate Page for Barry Goldwater. In 1965, he received his bachelor's degree in political science from Northwestern University in Evanston, where he was a member of Acacia fraternity, and, in 1967, his master's in business administration from Stanford University in Palo Alto, California.[4] He served in the United States Navy, including a year in Vietnam in the riverine, "Swift Boat," force.[5] He was a special assistant to Illinois Republican Governor Richard B. Ogilvie. He then moved to Tucson, Arizona, where he was a business executive.[6]

Arizona Senate

In 1976, Kolbe ran for the Arizona Senate in a Tucson-area district and defeated a one-term Democrat who had been elected in the national Democratic wave of 1974. He served three terms in that body, and was majority whip from 1979 to 1982. He and his wife were divorced in 1992.[7] He was a member of Catalina United Methodist Church.[8]

U.S. House of Representatives

In mid-1982, Kolbe resigned from the state Senate to run in the newly created 5th congressional district. He lost to Democrat Jim McNulty, a member of the Arizona Board of Regents, by one percent.[9] However, Kolbe sought a rematch in 1984. Buoyed by Ronald Reagan's massive national landslide that year (Reagan carried the 5th with 60 percent of the vote), Kolbe won,[10] becoming the first—and until the 2014 elections, only—Republican to represent the Arizona-Mexico border region in the House. He was reelected 10 times, often facing only token opposition. In 1998, former Tucson mayor Tom Volgy challenged Kolbe,[11] holding Kolbe to only 51 percent of the vote.[12]

Kolbe was a moderate Republican.[13] This served him well; although his district included most of Tucson's Republican-leaning suburbs, the brand of Republican politics practiced in Southeast Arizona has traditionally been a centrist and independently-minded one. Like his mentor, Goldwater, Kolbe supported abortion rights.[14] He was generally more supportive of environmental legislation than most Republicans, especially those from the West. He was a member of various moderate Republican groups such as the Log Cabin Republicans, the Republican Main Street Partnership,[15] the Republican Majority For Choice, Republicans for Choice, Republicans For Environmental Protection, and It's My Party Too. He was one of the four Republicans who voted against the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act which was passed by the House of Representatives with 281–142 votes on October 2, 2003.[16]

In 2001, Kolbe introduced the Legal Tender Modernization Act which would have ceased production of the U.S. one-cent piece (penny). In July 2006, Kolbe introduced the Currency Overhaul for an Industrious Nation (COIN) Act, which would round cash transactions to the nearest five cents. This act would effectively remove the penny from circulation. Kolbe argued that, because of inflation, the penny is virtually worthless, and that the U.S. should stop using the penny now that the costs of penny production exceed its value. Kolbe had received some media attention as one of the foremost promoters of eliminating the penny from circulation.[17]

In 2004, State House Majority Whip Randy Graf challenged Kolbe for the Republican nomination.[18] It was the first substantive primary challenge Kolbe had faced since his initial run for the seat in 1982. Graf ran well to Kolbe's right, but was best known for his hardline approach to illegal immigration. In contrast, Kolbe was a strong supporter of guest worker programs for immigrants. Kolbe defeated Graf.[19] He easily won an 11th term in November. Also in 2004, Kolbe was among the 27 Republicans who voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment, a constitutional amendment intended to ban gay marriage.[20] He voted against banning gay marriage again in 2006.[21]

On November 23, 2005, Kolbe announced that he would not seek a 12th term in 2006.[22] While Kolbe had usually coasted to reelection, it had been expected to be very competitive if he ever retired. (Bill Clinton had narrowly won the district in 1996, and George W. Bush narrowly edged out Al Gore and John Kerry in both of his presidential bids.) Graf won the five-candidate primary on September 12, 2006. Kolbe refused to endorse Graf,[23] who lost to Democrat Gabby Giffords in the November 2006 election.[24]

Kolbe endorsed State Senate President Tim Bee's bid to unseat Giffords in 2008. However, he withdrew his endorsement in July 2008.[25]

Mark Foley scandal

Main article: Mark Foley scandal

In 2000, when Kolbe found out about former Congressman Mark Foley's "Internet communications with teenagers" who were subordinate to Foley, he informed the office that oversaw the page program. He assumed the matter had been taken care of, although this was not brought to the public's attention until September 29, 2006,[26] when it became public that Foley had sent sexually explicit and solicitative e-mails and instant messages to young adult male pages. Republican leaders had claimed that they had only recently been made aware of Foley's actions, despite Kolbe's actions.[27] In January 2007, the Federal Election Commission committee ruled that Kolbe could use campaign funds for legal expenses associated with the Foley scandal.[28] Former Senator Larry Craig cited this ruling in 2012 in defense against a lawsuit by the FEC regarding Craig's use of campaign funds in his own legal defense.[29]

In October 2006, federal prosecutors in Arizona opened a preliminary investigation into a camping trip that Kolbe took in July 1996 that included two teenage former congressional pages, as well as National Park officials, then-current staff, and Kolbe's sister. During that trip to the Grand Canyon, he was accused of "acting inappropriately"; NBC News interviewed several people who were on the trip, and their accounts vary. On June 5, 2007, federal investigators absolved Kolbe of any wrongdoing in the case. In a statement released by the Justice Department, "investigators have completed their work on the preliminary inquiry opened by federal prosecutors last fall, and see no reason to pursue it further."[30]

After Congress

Kolbe in 2017

Following his career in elected office, Kolbe became a fellow at the German Marshall Fund think tank and a consultant at Kissinger McLarty Associates. He focused on issues that were his priorities while he was in Congress—trade, aid, and migration. During the fall semesters from 2007 to 2009, he taught a class on trade and globalization at the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law in Tucson. He was a member of the board of directors of the International Republican Institute.[31] During the 2010 election he broke from the Republican Party to endorse the candidacy of Democrat Andrei Cherny for state treasurer.[32] He was also a member of Washington D.C. based think tank the Inter-American Dialogue.[33]

In September 2010, President Barack Obama appointed Kolbe to the Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations.[34] Kolbe served on the Board of Advisors for International Relief and Development Inc.[35] He was also a Co-Chairman of the dollar coin alliance.[36] Kolbe served on the Board of Directors of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.[37]

In 2018, Kolbe left the Republican Party.[38] He endorsed Democrat Joe Biden for president in the 2020 presidential election.[39]

Kolbe sat on the Executive Advisory Board for autonomous trucking company TuSimple.[40] He joined nine other former members of Congress to co-author a 2021 opinion editorial advocating reforms of Congress.[41]

Personal life

Kolbe was married to Sarah Dinham, a professor of educational psychology at the University of Arizona, from 1977 to 1992.[42]

Kolbe came out as gay in August 1996 after his vote in favor of the Defense of Marriage Act spurred efforts by some gay rights activists to out him.[43][44] He won re-election that year. In 2000, he became the first openly gay person to address the Republican National Convention, although his speech did not address gay rights.[45] He was the second openly gay Republican to serve in Congress, the first being Steve Gunderson of Wisconsin.[46]

In 2013, Kolbe married his partner, Hector Alfonso.[47] That year, Kolbe was a signatory to an amicus curiae brief submitted to the U.S. Supreme Court in support of same-sex marriage during the Hollingsworth v. Perry case.[48]

On December 3, 2022, Kolbe died from a stroke at age 80.[49] Arizona Governor Doug Ducey ordered flags in the state to be lowered until the evening of December 4.[50]

See also

References

  1. ^ Pannett, Rachel (December 4, 2022). "Former GOP congressman Jim Kolbe of Arizona dies at 80". Washington Post. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
  2. ^ Janega, James (June 3, 2002). "Helen Reed Kolbe, 93". The Chicago Tribune.
  3. ^ "Mother of Rep. Jim KolbeHelen Reed Kolbe dies at age of 93".
  4. ^ Hansen, Ronald J. (December 3, 2022). "Former Rep. Jim Kolbe, 11-term member of Congress, dead at 80". Arizona Republic. Archived from the original on December 4, 2022.
  5. ^ The Vietnam War and the Congressman of the 1980s, New York Times, David K. Shipler, May 28, 1986. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
  6. ^ "Arizona Republic 07 Jan 1979, Page 3". Newspapers.com. January 7, 1979. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
  7. ^ "The Free Library". The Free Library. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
  8. ^ Pallack, Becky. "Jim Kolbe to marry partner of 8 years". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
  9. ^ "Tucson Citizen 03 Nov 1982, page 1". Newspapers.com. November 3, 1982. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
  10. ^ "Arizona Republic 08 Nov 1984, Page 7". Newspapers.com. November 8, 1984. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
  11. ^ Rotstein, Arthur H. "The Big Story: Kolbe off on a new career". Green Valley News & Sahuarita Sun. Associated Press. Retrieved December 4, 2022.
  12. ^ "Arizona Daily Star 04 Nov 1998, Page 1". Newspapers.com. November 4, 1998. Retrieved December 4, 2022.
  13. ^ Hook, Janet (November 24, 2005). "Republican Moderate Kolbe Puts His House Seat in Play". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
  14. ^ Toner, Robin (April 24, 1990). "G.O.P. Group Formed to Support Abortion Rights – The New York Times". The New York Times. Retrieved December 4, 2022.
  15. ^ White, Ben (February 19, 1999). "Gop Moderates Issue Call To End 'Partisan Hostility'". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 4, 2022.
  16. ^ "Arizona Republic 03 Oct 2003, Page 8". Newspapers.com. October 3, 2003. Retrieved December 4, 2022.
  17. ^ "The Times-Tribune 12 Aug 2001, page 25". Newspapers.com. August 12, 2001. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
  18. ^ Karamargin, C. J. "Border policy defines Kolbe-Graf race". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved December 4, 2022.
  19. ^ Jennifer Mock, CQ Staff (September 8, 2004). "The New York Times > Congressional Quarterly > Washington > CQ Today: Arizona Incumbents' Advantage Proves True to the Test". The New York Times. Arizona. Retrieved December 4, 2022.
  20. ^ Stolberg, Sheryl Gay (October 2004). "Same-Sex Marriage Amendment Fails in House". The New York Times. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
  21. ^ Covarrubias, Amanda (November 4, 2006). "He's GOP and he's proud". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
  22. ^ "Tucson Citizen 24 Nov 2005, page 1". Newspapers.com. November 24, 2005. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
  23. ^ "Tucson Citizen 09 Nov 2006, page 14". Newspapers.com. November 9, 2006. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
  24. ^ "Arizona Daily Star 09 Nov 2006, Page 15". Newspapers.com. November 9, 2006. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
  25. ^ Burns, Alexander (July 7, 2008). "Bee gets stung by leading campaign backer". Politico. Retrieved February 22, 2012.
  26. ^ Weisman, Jonathan (October 9, 2006). "Lawmaker Saw Foley Messages In 2000". The Washington Post. p. A01. Retrieved November 25, 2007.
  27. ^ "Three More Former Pages Accuse Foley of Online Sexual Approaches". ABC News. October 5, 2006. Archived from the original on October 11, 2006. Retrieved October 5, 2006.
  28. ^ Associated Press (December 25, 2007), "FEC: Kolbe may use campaign funds for defense in Foley case", Tucson Citizen, retrieved August 3, 2012
  29. ^ Miller, John (August 3, 2012), "Ex-Idaho senator: Bathroom trip official business", San Francisco Chronicle, retrieved August 3, 2012
  30. ^ "Feds probe trip that Kolbe made with pages". NBC News. October 13, 2006. Retrieved October 13, 2006.
  31. ^ "International Republican Institute web site, accessed July 16, 2010". Iri.org. Archived from the original on April 28, 2010. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
  32. ^ "Republican Kolbe endorses Democrat for treasurer". The Associated Press. August 30, 2010.
  33. ^ "Inter-American Dialogue | Jim Kolbe". www.thedialogue.org. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
  34. ^ "Obama Appoints Kolbe to Trade Group". Advocate.com. September 16, 2010. Archived from the original on October 18, 2010. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
  35. ^ and was a member of the advisory board for the Mexico Institute. "IRD Board of Directors". Archived from the original on January 4, 2012. Retrieved December 21, 2011.
  36. ^ "About Our Coalition". Dollarcoinalliance.org. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
  37. ^ "Board Members". www.crfb.org. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
  38. ^ Shearer, Dan (February 1, 2020). "Former Rep. Jim Kolbe says he left Republican Party 18 months ago". Tucson Sentinel. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
  39. ^ Kolbe, Jim (September 22, 2020). "I'm a conservative and I'm voting for Joe Biden". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
  40. ^ TuSimple. "TuSimple Announces Executive Advisory Board Consisting of Industry and Regulatory Experts". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
  41. ^ "We Know Congress Needs Reform". West Virginia Gazette.
  42. ^ "'It's a relief,' Kolbe says – Tucson Citizen Morgue, Part 2 (1993–2009)". Tucsoncitizen.com. August 1, 1996. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
  43. ^ Dunlap, David W. (August 3, 1996). "A Republican Congressman Discloses He Is a Homosexual". The New York Times. Retrieved November 25, 2007.
  44. ^ "It's a Relief, Kolbe Says". Tucson Citizen, August 1, 1996. Retrieved August 4, 2016.
  45. ^ Campbell, Julia (August 1, 2000). "Openly Gay Congressman Addresses Convention". ABC News.
  46. ^ Eaklor, Vicki Lynn (2008). Queer America: a GLBT history of the 20th century. ABC-CLIO. p. 213. ISBN 978-0-313-33749-9.
  47. ^ "Jim Kolbe, former congressman, weds Hector Alfonso". The Washington Post. May 20, 2013. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  48. ^ Avlon, John (February 28, 2013). "The Pro-Freedom Republicans Are Coming: 131 Sign Gay Marriage Brief". Thedailybeast.com. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
  49. ^ Coile, Norma (December 3, 2022). "Former Tucson congressman Jim Kolbe dies at 80". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
  50. ^ "Longtime Arizona GOP Rep. Jim Kolbe dies at 80". Associated Press. December 3, 2022. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jim Kolbe.
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Arizona's 5th congressional district
1985–2003 		Succeeded by
New constituency Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Arizona's 8th congressional district
2003–2007 		Succeeded by
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