John Olver
| John Olver | ||
 | ||
| U.S. House, Massachusetts, District 1 | ||
| Retired Representative | ||
| In office | ||
| June 18, 1991-2013 | ||
| Party | Democratic | |
| Elections and appointments | ||
| Last election | November 2, 2010 | |
| Term limits | N/A | |
| Prior offices | ||
| Massachusetts State Senate | ||
| 1973-1991 | ||
| Massachusetts House of Representatives | ||
| 1969-1973 | ||
| Education | ||
| Bachelor's | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | |
| Master's | Tufts University | |
| Ph.D. | MIT | |
| Personal | ||
| Birthday | September 3, 1936 | |
| Place of birth | Honesdale, Pennsylvania | |
| Profession | College Professor | |
| Net worth | $3,367,514 | |
| Websites | ||
| Office website | ||
Contents |
On October 26, 2011, Olver announced he would not seek re-election in 2012.[1]
Based on an analysis of bill sponsorship by GovTrack, Olver was a "moderate Democratic follower".[2]
Biography
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Olver was born in Honesdale, Pennsylvania, where he grew up on a farm. He earned his BA from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, an M.A. from Tufts University, and his Ph.D. in chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.[3]
Career
Prior to becoming an elected official, Olver was a professor of chemistry at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.[4]
- United States House of Representatives, 1991-present
- Massachusetts State Senate, 1972-1991
- Massachusetts House of Representatives, 1968-1972
- Professor, Chemistry, University of Massachusetts, 1961-1969
- Professor, Franklin Technical Institute, 1956-1958
Committee assignments
U.S. House
2011-2012
Olver served on the following committees and subcommittees:[5]
- Appropriations Committee
- Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development
- Subcommittee on Energy and Water
- Subcommittee on Homeland Security
Issues
Earmarks
A Washington Post investigation in February 2012 revealed that 33 members of Congress helped direct more than $300 million in earmarks to public projects in close proximity to commercial and residential real estate owned by the lawmakers or their family members.[6] According to the report, Olver secured $5.1 million in earmarks for a road project and intersection near Hampshire College. The project begins 209 feet from the congressman's 15-acre home and several adjoining parcels he owns with his wife.[7]
Specific votes
Fiscal Cliff
Olver voted for the fiscal cliff compromise bill, which made permanent most of the Bush tax cuts originally passed in 2001 and 2003 while also raising tax rates on the highest income levels. He was one of 172 Democrats that voted in favor of the bill. The bill was passed in the House by a 257/167 vote on January 1, 2013.[8]
Elections
2012
With Massachusetts losing a U.S. House seat due to the updated 2010 census, two of the 10 incumbents were drawn into the same district. Olver did not run for re-election in 2012.[9]
2010
On November 2, 2010, Olver won re-election to the United States House of Representatives. He defeated Bill Gunn (R) in the general election.[10]
| U.S. House of Representatives, Massachusetts Congressional District 1 Election, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  John Olver Incumbent |
63.3% | 127,857 | |
| Republican | Bill Gunn | 36.7% | 74,145 | |
| Total Votes | 202,002 | |||
2008
On November 4, 2008, Olver won re-election to the United States House of Representatives. He defeated Nate Bech (R) in the general election.[11]
| U.S. House of Representatives, Massachusetts Congressional District 1 Election, 2008 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | John Olver Incumbent |
73.2% | 216,199 | |
| Republican | Nate Bech | 26.8% | 79,314 | |
| Total Votes | 295,513 | |||
Campaign donors
2010
Olver won re-election to the U.S. House in 2010. During that election cycle, Olver's campaign committee raised a total of $863,992 and spent $908,334.[12]
| Massachusetts House of Representatives Congressional District 1, 2010 - John Olver Campaign Contributions | |
|---|---|
| Total Raised | $863,992 |
| Total Spent | $908,834 |
| Total Raised by General Election Opponent | $60,342 |
| Total Spent by General Election Opponent | $53,348 |
| Top contributors to John Olver's campaign committee | |
| American Assn for Justice | $10,000 |
| American Council of Engineering Cos | $10,000 |
| American Crystal Sugar | $10,000 |
| American Federation of Teachers | $10,000 |
| Honeywell International | $10,000 |
| Top 5 industries that contributed to campaign committee | |
| Transportation Unions | $77,000 |
| Lawyers/Law Firms | $58,588 |
| Real Estate | $50,667 |
| Retired | $41,00 |
| Lobbyists | $36,650 |
Analysis
Congressional staff salaries
The website Legistorm compiles staff salary information for members of Congress. Olver paid his congressional staff a total of $1,083,458 in 2011. He ranked 63rd on the list of the highest paid Democratic Representative Staff Salaries and he ranked 82nd overall of the highest paid Representative Staff Salaries in 2011. Overall, Massachusetts ranked 2nd in average salary for representative staff. The average U.S. House of Representatives congressional staff was paid $954,912.20 in fiscal year 2011.[13]
Net worth
2011
Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org - The Center for Responsive Politics, Olver's net worth as of 2011 was estimated between $2,035,029 and $4,700,000 . This averages to $3,367,514 , which is a 2.008 % increase since 2010. This is lower than the 5,107,874.16 average net worth for Republican representatives in 2011. [14]
2010
Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org - The Center for Responsive Politics, Olver's net worth as of 2010 was estimated between $604,018 and $1,635,000. That averages to $1,119,509, which is lower than the average net worth of Democratic Representatives in 2010 of $4,465,875.[15]
Political positions
National Journal vote ratings
Each year, National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of Congress voted, as compared to other members, in the previous year. More information about the analysis process can be found on the vote ratings page.
2012
According to the data released in 2013, Olver was ranked the one of the most liberal representative during 2012. There are thirteen other representatives who share this ranking, making this the highest ranking held by a representative of Massachusetts in 2012.[16]
2011
According to the data released in 2012, John Olver was ranked the most liberal representative during 2011, both in Massachusetts and America. This is a position that he shares with 18 others.[17]
Voting with party
November 2011
The website Open Congress tracks how often members of Congress vote with the majority of the chamber caucus. According to the website, Olver has voted with the Democratic Party 93.9% of the time, which ranked 47th among the 192 House Democratic members as of November 2011.[18]
Recent news
This section displays the most recent stories in a Google news search for the term John + Olver + Massachusetts + House
- All stories may not be relevant to this page due to the nature of the search engine.
John Olver News Feed
- Energizing the vote - The Recorder
- US Senate candidate Edward Markey to hold fundraiser in Northampton with ... - GazetteNET
- Amherst, Hadley, Frontier Regional send off their classes of 2013 - Amherst Bulletin
- Free 'Bed Bugs 101' workshop set for Monday - The Recorder
- A good place for a country drive - The Recorder
- State transportation agency takes steps to pursue private partners to help ... - Boston.com
- 220-mile trail celebrated at Quabbin - Worcester Telegram
- Area workshop set on medical marijuana - The Recorder
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Personal
Olver is married to Rose. They have one child. He has lived in Amherst, Massachusetts, since 1963.[19]
External links
Citizens for John Olver for Congress
- Social media:
- Biographies:
- Political profiles:
- Financial:
- Interest group ratings:
- Issue positions:
- Public statements:
- Voting record:
- Media appearances:
- Media coverage:
References
- ↑ Politico "Olver's exit averts intraparty fight," October 26, 2011
- ↑ Gov Track "Olver" Accessed May 22, 2012
- ↑ John Olver U.S. House website "About John," Accessed November 18, 2011
- ↑ Project Vote Smart "Biography of John Olver," Accessed November 18, 2011
- ↑ Official Olver House Website "Committees and Caucuses," Accessed on August 31, 2011
- ↑ Washington Post "Congressional earmarks sometimes used to fund projects near lawmakers' properties," February 6, 2012
- ↑ Washington Post "Mapping the earmarks," February 6, 2012
- ↑ U.S. House "Roll Call Vote on the Fiscal Cliff" Accessed January 4, 2013.
- ↑ Berkshire Eagle "Berkshires may lose rural voice with Olver's retirement," October 28, 2011
- ↑ MSNBC "2010 Election Results"
- ↑ Boston Globe "2008 Election Results"
- ↑ Open Secrets "John Olver 2010 Election Cycle," Accessed October 30, 2011
- ↑ LegiStorm "John Olver"
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Olver, (D-Massachusetts), 2010"
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Olver, (D-Massachusetts), 2010"
- ↑ National Journal, "TABLE: House Liberal Scores by Issue Area," February 26, 2013
- ↑ National Journal, "Searchable Vote Ratings Tables: House," February 23, 2012
- ↑ Open Congress "Voting With Party"
- ↑ John Olver Campaign Website "About," Accessed November 18, 2011
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Silvio Conte |
U.S. House of Representatives - Massachusetts, District 1 1991-2013 |
Succeeded by Richard Neal |
| Preceded by ' |
Massachusetts State Senate 1973-1991 |
Succeeded by ' |
| Preceded by ' |
Massachusetts House of Representatives 1969-1973 |
Succeeded by ' |
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