Rudy Boschwitz
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| Rudolph Ely Boschwitz | |
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| In office December 30, 1978 – January 3, 1991 |
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| Preceded by | Wendell Anderson |
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| Succeeded by | Paul Wellstone |
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| Born | November 7, 1930 Berlin, Germany |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Ellen Boschwitz |
| Religion | Judaism |
| Military service | |
| Service/branch | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1954-1955 |
| Unit | Signal Corps |
Rudolph Ely "Rudy" Boschwitz (born November 7, 1930) is a former Independent-Republican United States Senator from Minnesota. He served in the Senate from December 1978 to January 1991, in the 96th, 97th, 98th, 99th, 100th, and 101st congresses. He was then defeated by Paul Wellstone.
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[edit] Life and career
Boschwitz was born in Berlin, Germany, November 7, 1930. In 1933, when he was only three years old, his Jewish family fled Nazi Germany. They settled in New Rochelle, New York, where he grew up. A graduate of The Pennington School, he attended Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, graduated from the New York University Stern School of Business in 1950, and the New York University School of Law in 1953.
He was admitted to the New York State bar in 1954 and the Wisconsin bar in 1959. He served in the United States Army Signal Corps 1954–1955. He was the founder and chairman of a plywood and Home Improvement retailer, Plywood Minnesota, which later became Home Valu Interiors.[1]
Boschwitz was elected as an Independent-Republican to the United States Senate in November 1978 and was subsequently appointed on December 30, 1978, to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Wendell Anderson. Boschwitz is well-known in Minnesota for operating a "Flavored Milk" booth at the Minnesota State Fair.
After his defeat in 1990 by Wellstone, Boschwitz ran against Wellstone again in 1996 but failed to regain his seat.
In 1991 he traveled to Ethiopia as the emissary of President George H. W. Bush. The negotiations led by Boschwitz while in Ethiopia resulted in Operation Solomon. That is, the Ethiopian Government released 14,325 Jewish people to the Israeli government, and into freedom, by a massive airlift. Operation Solomon took twice as many Beta Israel émigrés to Israel as Operation Moses and Operation Joshua combined.[citation needed]
He was a top "Bush Pioneer" in 2000, fund-raising $388,193, and a "Bush Ranger" in 2004, raising a minimum of $200,000 for George W. Bush's campaign fund in that election cycle.[2]
In 2005, President George W. Bush named Boschwitz as the Ambassador to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights. The Commission meets at the U.N. in Geneva, Switzerland.
He also supported John McCain in the 2008 Presidential election. He appeared at a McCain Straight Talk Town Hall Meeting in Lakeville, MN on October 10, 2008.
He presently serves on the Board of Directors of the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs, is an AIPAC Board Member, and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
[edit] Electoral history
- 1978 Race for U.S. Senate
- Rudy Boschwitz (R), 57%
- Wendell Anderson (DFL) (inc.), 40%
- 1984 Race for U.S. Senate
- Rudy Boschwitz (R) (inc.), 58%
- Joan Anderson Growe (DFL), 41%
- 1990 Race for U.S. Senate
- Paul Wellstone (DFL), 50%
- Rudy Boschwitz (R) (inc.), 48%
- 1996 Race for U.S. Senate
- Paul Wellstone (DFL) (inc.), 50%
- Rudy Boschwitz (R), 41%
- Dean Barkley (Ref.), 7%
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
| United States Senate | ||
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| Preceded by Wendell Anderson |
United States Senator (Class 2) from Minnesota 1978–1991 Served alongside: David Durenberger |
Succeeded by Paul Wellstone |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by John Heinz |
Chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee 1987–1989 |
Succeeded by Don Nickles |
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