Joe Knollenberg
| Joe Knollenberg | |
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan's 9th district |
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In office January 3, 2003 – January 3, 2009 |
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| Preceded by | Dale Kildee |
| Succeeded by | Gary Peters |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan's 11th district |
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In office January 3, 1993 – January 3, 2003 |
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| Preceded by | Robert W. Davis |
| Succeeded by | Thaddeus McCotter |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Joseph Kastl Knollenberg November 28, 1933 Mattoon, Illinois |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Sandie Knollenberg |
| Residence | Bloomfield Township, Michigan |
| Alma mater | Eastern Illinois University |
| Occupation | insurance agent |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Military service | |
| Service/branch | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1955-1957 |
Joseph Kastl "Joe" Knollenberg (born November 28, 1933) is a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan. From 1993 to 2009, he was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Michigan's 9th congressional district and Michigan's 11th congressional district.
He was defeated by Gary Peters in the 2008 election by a margin of 52% to 43%.
Knollenberg was born in Mattoon, Illinois, the son of Helen (née Kastl) and William E. Knollenberg. All of his grandparents were German immigrants. He graduated from Eastern Illinois University in 1955. He has lived in the Detroit area since 1959, and has lived in Oakland County since 1967. After graduation, he served in the United States Army from 1955 to 1957. He then spent more than three decades as an insurance agent. Initially working for New York Life and Sears, he founded his own agency in the late 1980s. He served as chairman of the Oakland County Republican Party from 1978 to 1982.
In 1992, Knollenberg signed on as campaign manager for Congressman William Broomfield, who had represented most of Oakland County in Congress since 1957. However, at a meeting with Knollenberg and other advisers, Broomfield announced he would not run for a 19th term. He then asked Knollenberg to run in his place in the 11th District, which had been renumbered from the 18th District after the 1990 census. Despite being the only candidate in the three-way Republican primary not holding elected office, Knollenberg won the nomination by over 13 points. As the 11th was one of the most Republican districts in Michigan and the nation at the time, he was virtually assured of becoming only the third person to represent the district. He was reelected six times without serious difficulty, never dropping below 55 percent of the vote.
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