Dan Rostenkowski
| Dan Rostenkowski | |
|---|---|
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| Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee | |
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In office January 3, 1981 – May 15, 1994 |
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| Speaker |
Tip O'Neill Jim Wright Tom Foley |
| Preceded by | Al Ullman |
| Succeeded by | Sam Gibbons |
| House Democratic Chief Deputy Whip | |
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In office January 3, 1977 – January 3, 1981 |
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| Speaker | Tip O'Neill |
| Preceded by | John Brademas |
| Succeeded by | Bill Alexander |
| Chairman of the House Democratic Caucus | |
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In office January 3, 1967 – January 3, 1971 |
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| Speaker | John William McCormack |
| Preceded by | Eugene Keogh |
| Succeeded by | Olin Teague |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's 5th district |
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In office January 3, 1993 – January 3, 1995 |
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| Preceded by | Bill Lipinski |
| Succeeded by | Michael Patrick Flanagan |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's 8th district |
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In office January 3, 1959 – January 3, 1993 |
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| Preceded by | Thomas S. Gordon |
| Succeeded by | Phil Crane |
| Member of the Illinois State Senate | |
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In office 1954–1959 |
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| Member of the Illinois House of Representatives | |
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In office 1952–1954 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
Daniel David Rostenkowski January 2, 1928 Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Died | August 11, 2010 (aged 82) Genoa City, Wisconsin, United States |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | LaVerne (m. 1951–2010); his death |
| Alma mater | Loyola University Chicago |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
Daniel David "Dan" Rostenkowski (January 2, 1928 – August 11, 2010) was a United States Representative from Chicago, serving from 1959 to 1995. He became one of the most powerful legislators in Washington, especially in matters of taxation, until he went to prison. A Democrat and son of a Chicago alderman, Rostenkowski was for many years Democratic Committeeman of Chicago's 32nd Ward, retaining this position even while serving in Congress.
In Washington, D.C., he rose by virtue of seniority to the rank of Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee in 1981, just as the Reagan Revolution marginalized many other Democratic politicians. As Chairman of Ways and Means, he played a critical role in formulating tax policy during the Republican administration of Ronald Reagan, including the Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981, which cut the top federal bracket to 50%, and the Tax Reform Act of 1986, which further lowered it to 28% and reduced the number of brackets to only two. He was also involved in trade policy, as well as reforms of the welfare system, health care and Social Security programs
Rostenkowski closed legislative deals between the toughest power brokers in the U.S., from union chiefs to corporate titans to the president himself. The book Chicago and the American Century credited Rostenkowski with securing billions of dollars for projects in Chicago and throughout Illinois. The book named him the sixth most significant politician to come from Chicago in the twentieth century.
Rostenkowski's political career ended abruptly in 1994 when he pleaded guilty to charges of mail fraud and was fined and sentenced to 17 months in prison.
Rostenkowski was born into a political family in Chicago to Joseph P. and Priscilla (Dombrowski) Rostenkowski. His grandfather Piotr had immigrated from the region of Tuchola, Poland. His father, Joe, locally known as, “Big Joe Rusty” served as alderman and committeeman of the predominantly Polish 32d Ward in what was then known as "Polish Downtown" for 24 years. As a child, Dan and his two sisters, Marcie and Gladys, often saw their family home double as a meeting place for precinct captains who, like Walter Kmiec from his father’s ward organization, would later assist him in bringing in the vote in 1960 for John Kennedy.
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Wikipedia