John Blatnik

John Blatnik

John Anton Blatnik (born August 17, 1911 in Chisholm , St. Louis County , Minnesota , †  December 17, 1991 in Forest Heights , Maryland ) was an American politician . Between 1947 and 1974 he represented the state of Minnesota in the US House of Representatives .

Career

John Blatnik attended public schools in his homeland and then Chisholm High School until 1929 . By 1935 he graduated from the State Teachers College in Winona . He also studied at the University of Chicago and the University of Minnesota . Blatnik then began a career in school service. He has taught chemistry at various schools in Minnesota. He rose to the deputy school council in St. Louis County. He held this office between 1937 and 1939.

During the Second World War Blatnik served in the Air Corps of the US Army and in the Army Intelligence Service OSS . He was awarded several medals for his military achievements. At the same time, Blatnik sat in the Minnesota Senate between 1940 and 1944 . However, due to his military obligations, he was not always able to attend its meetings.

Politically, Blatnik was a member of the Democratic Farmer Labor Party . In 1946 he was elected to the US House of Representatives in Washington, DC as their candidate in the eighth constituency of Minnesota , where he succeeded William Pittenger on January 3, 1947 . After 13 re-elections, he was able to complete almost 14 full legislative terms in Congress until his resignation on December 31, 1974 . During this period, the civil rights movement, the Korean War , the Vietnam War and the Watergate Affair took place . At that time, a total of five amendments to the constitution were passed. Blatnik had been chairman of the Transport and Infrastructure Committee since 1971. He successfully campaigned for the passage of the Clean Water Act , a law on water protection.

In 1974, Blatnik decided not to run again and instead supported Jim Oberstar , who was then elected as his successor. He resigned from his mandate four days before the end of his last term. In the years after his time in the US House of Representatives, John Blatnik worked as a consultant primarily on environmental and economic issues. He died on December 17, 1991 in Forest Heights, where he had spent the rest of his life.

Web links

• John Blatnik in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)

• John Blatnik in the database of Find a Grave (English)