Charles Vanik
| Charles Vanik | |
|---|---|
c. 1973
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio's 21st district |
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In office January 3, 1955 – January 3, 1969 |
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| Preceded by | Robert Crosser |
| Succeeded by | Louis Stokes |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio's 22nd district |
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In office January 3, 1969 – January 3, 1981 |
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| Preceded by | Frances P. Bolton |
| Succeeded by | Dennis E. Eckart |
| Member of the Ohio State Senate | |
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In office 1940–1942 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
Charles Albert Vanik April 7, 1913 Cleveland, Ohio |
| Died | August 30, 2007 (aged 94) Jupiter, Florida |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Alma mater |
Case Western Reserve University CWRU School of Law |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service/branch | U.S. Naval Reserve |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
Charles Albert Vanik (April 7, 1913 – August 30, 2007) was a Democratic politician from Ohio. He served in the United States House of Representatives.
Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Vanik completed undergraduate studies and a law degree at Western Reserve University. Vanik was of Czech ancestry. After serving on the Cleveland City Council from 1938 to 1939 and the Ohio State Senate from 1940 to 1942, Vanik enlisted in the U.S. Naval Reserve, seeing action in both the Atlantic and Pacific theaters. After the war, Vanik served as a city judge from 1946 to 1954.
In 1954, he ran for Ohio's 21st congressional district. The district, located on Cleveland's East Side, was evenly divided between African Americans, who were solidly Republican and whites, who were mostly Democrats. In the Democratic primary, Vanik defeated longtime incumbent Congressman Robert Crosser as well as African-American challenger John Holly, founder of the Negro Future Outlook League. In the general election, Vanik defeated African-American Republican Francis E. Young, who helped organize the Cleveland branch of the NAACP. Vanik shifted districts in 1968 to the neighboring 22nd district, to make way for Louis Stokes whose growing political operation had challenged him in previous races, defeating Frances P. Bolton, who had served the district since 1939. Vanik served in the district until 1981.
In 1974, Vanik sponsored the Jackson-Vanik amendment with Sen. Henry "Scoop" Jackson, which denied normal trade relations to certain countries with non-market economies that restricted the freedom of emigration. The amendment was intended to allow refugees, particularly religious minorities, to escape from the Soviet Bloc. During this time, Vanik was the chair of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade.
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