1988 Democratic Presidential Primary


                           Gephardt for President Committee


Bio


BIOGRAPHY OF PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE RICHARD A. GEPHARDT

Congressman Richard A. Gephardt is Chairman of the U.S. House Democratic Caucus, the fourth ranking Democratic leadership position in the U.S. House of Representatives. He is the youngest person ever elected to chair the House Democratic Caucus, and the only person in history ever elected to the post unanimously.

First elected to Congress in 1976, Gephardt's congressional career has been marked by a rapid rise up the leadership ladder and accomplishment on a wide range of legislative issues.

He is one of Congress' leading innovators and one of its most successful legislators. His proposals have become the Democratic Party's leading policy initiatives on a number of issues, including tax reform, arms control, farm policy, international trade, and health care.

Gephardt is the son of Louis & Loreen Gephardt, a St. Louis milk truck driver and a legal secretary. As a youngster, he was active in the Boy Scouts, attaining the rank of Eagle Scout.

He is a graduate of Southwest High School in St. Louis, and Northwestern University, where he received his B. S. degree in Speech in 1962. He received his law degree from the University of Michigan Law School and joined the St. Louis law firm of Thompson & Mitchell. From 1965-1971 Gephardt served in the Missouri Air National Guard as a Captain and Legal Officer.

Gephardt began his political career as a precinct captain in the 14th Ward of St. Louis and was elected to serve on the St. Louis Board of Aldermen in 1971 and 1975. He was a leader of a group of Aldermen dubbed the "YoungTurks" who sought to make City Hall more responsive to neighborhood and community needs.

In 1976, he was elected to Congress from Missouri's Third District in south St. Louis, after winning the Democratic Primary and the General Election by two to one margins. He has won more than two thirds of the vote in every re­-election contest.

Since entering Congress, Gephardt has consistently been named to serve on its most important and prestigious committees. As a freshman, he was named to both the House Budget Committee, where he served the maximum allowed three tenns, and the House Ways and Means Committee, where he continues to serve today.

In 1984, Gephardt was the Founding Chairman of the Democratic Leadership Council, established to involve Democratic elected officials in the development of policy initiatives for the Democratic Party.

On February 23, 1987, Gephardt became the first Democrat to formally announce his candidacy for President in 1988. In March, 1987, he became the first candidate from either political party to demonstrate early broad-based national support for his candidacy by qualifying for federal matching funds.

Gephardt and his wife, the former Jane Byrnes, have been married for 20 years and have three children: Matthew, 16; Christine, 14; and Katherine, 9.

Paid for by Gephardt for President Committee, 304 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, Washington. D.C. 20003
[union bug]




Dear Congressman Gephardt, please put me on your team!

NAME

ORGANIZATIONAL AFFILIATION

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CAMPAIGN INTERESTS:

SERVE ON STATE ADVISORY COMMITTEE
IDENTIFY VOLUNTEERS
DOOR-TO-DOOR CANVASSING
SIGN POSTING
RECRUITMENT OF PARTY ACTIVISTS
HOST FUNDRAISER
LITERATURE DISTRIBUTION
PHONE BANK OPERATOR
DONATE SUPPLIES
COUNTY ORGANIZER
PRECINCT CAPTAIN
TRAVEL
GENERAL VOLUNTEER
COMPUTER/WORK PROCESSING

REMARKS:

PLEASE RETURN TO:

GEPHARDT FOR PRESIDENT
ATTN: NATIONAL FIELD DEPARTMENT
304 PENNSYLVANIA AVE, S.E.
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20003
(202) 544-...