Dave Obey | |
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Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee | |
In office January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2011 |
|
Speaker | Nancy Pelosi |
Preceded by | Jerry Lewis |
Succeeded by | Hal Rogers |
In office March 29, 1994 – January 3, 1995 |
|
Speaker | Tom Foley |
Preceded by | William Natcher |
Succeeded by | Bob Livingston |
Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Committee | |
In office January 3, 1995 – January 3, 2007 |
|
Leader |
Richard Gephardt Nancy Pelosi |
Preceded by | Joseph M. McDade |
Succeeded by | Jerry Lewis |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Wisconsin's 7th district |
|
In office April 1, 1969 – January 3, 2011 |
|
Preceded by | Melvin Laird |
Succeeded by | Sean Duffy |
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly | |
In office 1963–1969 |
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Personal details | |
Born |
David Ross Obey October 3, 1938 Okmulgee, Oklahoma, U.S. |
Political party | Democratic (1957–present) |
Other political affiliations |
Republican (Before 1957) |
Spouse(s) | Joan Obey |
Alma mater | University of Wisconsin, Madison |
Religion | Roman Catholicism |
David Ross "Dave" Obey (/ˈoʊbiː/ OH-bee; born October 3, 1938) is a former United States Representative. Obey served in the House of Representatives for Wisconsin's 7th congressional district from 1969 to 2011. The district includes much of the northwestern portion of the state, including Wausau and Superior. He is a member of the Democratic Party, and served as Chairman of the powerful House Committee on Appropriations from 1994 to 1995 and again from 2007 to 2011. He is the longest-serving member ever of the United States House of Representatives from the state of Wisconsin.
On May 5, 2010, Obey announced that he would not seek reelection to Congress in November 2010. He left Congress in January 2011, and was succeeded by Republican Sean Duffy. He began working for Gephardt Government Affairs, a lobbying firm founded by former U.S. House Majority Leader Dick Gephardt, in June 2011.
Obey was born in Okmulgee, Oklahoma, the son of Mary Jane (née Chellis) and Orville John Obey. Soon after his birth, his family moved back to his parents' native Wisconsin, and Obey was raised in Wausau, Wisconsin, where he has lived since. He graduated from Wausau East High School and received his Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from and did his graduate work in Soviet politics at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Before serving in Congress, Obey worked as a real estate broker.