Sherwood Boehlert

Sherwood Boehlert
Boehlert at a press conference
Chairman of the House Science and Technology Committee
In office January 3, 2001 – January 3, 2007
Speaker	Dennis Hastert
Preceded by	Jim Sensenbrenner
Succeeded by	Bart Gordon
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 24th district
In office January 3, 2003 – January 3, 2007
Preceded by	John M. McHugh
Succeeded by	Michael Arcuri
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 23rd district
In office January 3, 1993 – January 3, 2003
Preceded by	Michael R. McNulty
Succeeded by	John M. McHugh
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 25th district
In office January 3, 1983 – January 3, 1993
Preceded by	Hamilton Fish IV
Succeeded by	James T. Walsh
Oneida County Executive
In office January 1, 1980 – December 31, 1982
Preceded by	William E. Bryant
Succeeded by	John D. Plumley
Personal details
Born	(1936-09-28) September 28, 1936 (age 80) Utica, New York
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Marianne Willey
Residence	New Hartford, New York
Alma mater	Utica College
Occupation	plant manager, political assistant
Religion	Roman Catholic

Sherwood Louis "Sherry" Boehlert (born September 28, 1936) is a retired American politician from New York. He represented a large swath of central New York in the United States House of Representatives from 1983 until 2007. Boehlert, a Republican, was considered to be a member of the party's moderate wing. He served as Chairman of the Science Committee from 2001 to 2006.

Boehlert was born in Utica, New York to Elizabeth Monica Champoux and Sherwood Boehlert, and graduated from Utica College. He served two years in the United States Army (1956–1958) and then worked as a manager of public relations for Wyandotte Chemical Company.

After leaving Wyandotte, Boehlert served as Chief of Staff for two upstate Congressmen, Alexander Pirnie and Donald J. Mitchell; following this, he was elected the county executive of Oneida County, New York, serving from 1979 to 1983. After his four-year term as county executive, he ran successfully for Congress in the elections of 1982. He was re-elected to every Congress subsequent until his retirement.

Mitchell did not run for reelection in 1982. Boehlert entered the Republican primary to succeed him in the district, which has been renumbered from the 31st to the 25th in redistricting. He won the primary with 56% of the vote. He won the general election by defeating Democrat Anita Maxwell 56%–42%.

After that, he won re-election every two years until he decided to retire, and not seek re-election in 2006. His district number changed twice, each time after redistricting-- from the 25th (1983-1993) to the 23rd (1993-2003) to the 24th (2003- 2007). He was challenged in the Republican primary five times: 1986 (67%), 1996 (65%), 2000 (57%), 2002 (53%), and 2004 (60%). His lowest re-election winning percentage in the general election was 57%, in his last re-election in 2004 when he defeated Democrat Jeff Miller 57%–34%.