Jim Jontz
| Jim Jontz | |
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Indiana's 5th district |
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In office January 3, 1987 – January 3, 1993 |
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| Preceded by | Elwood Hillis |
| Succeeded by | Steve Buyer |
| Member of the Indiana Senate | |
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In office 1984–1986 |
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| Member of the Indiana House of Representatives | |
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In office 1974–1984 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
December 18, 1951 Indianapolis, Indiana |
| Died | April 14, 2007 (aged 55) Portland, Oregon |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Occupation | Politician |
James Prather Jontz (December 18, 1951 – April 14, 2007) was an American politician who represented the Indiana's 5th congressional district, comprising rural north central Indiana, centering on Kokomo and Logansport. A Democrat, he served in the United States House of Representatives from 1987 to 1993. He was previously a member of the Indiana General Assembly.
He was born in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1951. He graduated at the age of 17 from North Central High School in Washington Township in Indianapolis.
Jontz began his collegiate studies at Williams College and transferred to Indiana University, where he graduated with honors (Phi Beta Kappa) in less than three years with a degree in geology. He was active in Crisis Biology and lobbied on behalf of a host of environmental causes while a student on the IU Bloomington campus. Despite a heavy study load, and involvement in student government and extra curricular affairs, Jontz co-founded the Indiana Public Interest Research Group as a Senior working project. He obtained a Master's Degree in History from Butler University, and graduated from Valparaiso University School of Law during his third term as State Representative .
His political career began in 1974, sparked by his opposition to a dam-building project in Central Indiana. Running for a seat in the Indiana House of Representatives against the dam's sponsor, John Guy, the House Majority Leader, he was elected at age 22 by a margin of only 2 votes. He was reelected five more times in a heavily Republican district, even after Republican gerrymandering in 1980 made it even more Republican. He was elected to the Indiana Senate in 1984, where he served for only two years before being elected to the U.S. House.
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