Charles Vanik

Template:Short description Template:Infobox officeholder Charles Albert Vanik (April 7, 1913 – August 30, 2007) was a Democratic politician from Ohio. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1955 to 1981.

Early life

Vanik was born in Cleveland, Ohio, the son of Stella (née Kvasnicka) and Charles Albert Vanik, a butcher.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He was of Czech ancestry.<ref>American Presidents, Religion, and Israel: The Heirs of Cyrus by Paul Charles Merkley, pg 68.</ref> His maternal grandmother, Alžběta Seberová (1868–1948), was born in village Hracholusky, southern Bohemia (then part of the Austria-Hungary).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Vanik completed undergraduate studies and a law degree at Western Reserve University. After serving on the Cleveland City Council from 1938 to 1939 and the Ohio State Senate from 1940 to 1942, Vanik enlisted in the U.S. Naval Reserve, seeing action in both the Atlantic and Pacific theaters. After the war, Vanik served as a city judge from 1946 to 1954.Template:Citation needed

United States House of Representatives

In 1954, he ran for Ohio's 21st congressional district. The district, located on Cleveland's East Side, was evenly divided between African Americans, who were then solidly Republican voters, and whites, who were mostly Democrats.<ref name="Jet-19Aug1954">Template:Cite news</ref> In the Democratic primary, Vanik defeated longtime incumbent Congressman Robert Crosser as well as African-American challenger John Holly, founder of the Negro Future Outlook League.<ref name="The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Jet-20May1954">Template:Cite news</ref>

In the general election, Vanik defeated African-American Republican Francis E. Young, who helped organize the Cleveland branch of the NAACP.<ref name="Jet-19Aug1954"/> Vanik shifted districts in 1968 to the neighboring Template:Ushr, to make way for Louis Stokes whose growing political operation had challenged him in previous races, defeating Frances P. Bolton, who had served the district since 1939. Vanik served in the district until 1981.Template:Citation needed

In 1974, Vanik sponsored the Jackson–Vanik amendment with Sen. Henry "Scoop" Jackson, which denied normal trade relations to certain countries with non-market economies that restricted the freedom of emigration. The amendment was intended to allow refugees, particularly religious minorities, to escape from the Soviet Bloc. During this time, Vanik was the chair of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade.Template:Citation needed

He used to insert into the Congressional Record what he called the "Annual Corporate Tax Study" in which he'd list corporations that paid little to no federal income taxes.Template:Citation needed

In 1982, Vanik contested for the Democratic nomination for lieutenant-governor of Ohio as running mate with Ohio Attorney General William J. Brown who was running for governor. The ticket lost to Richard F. Celeste and Myrl Shoemaker. Vanik was known for wearing black bow ties with every suit.Template:Citation needed

Death

Template:Unreferenced section Vanik died in his sleep on August 30, 2007, at his home in Jupiter, Florida. He was 94. He was survived by his wife, Betty, one son, one daughter and two grandchildren.

External links

Congressman Charles A. Vanik (third from left) and Congressman Mo Udall (second from right) visit a Samsonite plant in Ambos Nogales, a link in the "twin plant" concept that has created hundreds of jobs for communities on both sides of the international boundary, 1978

• Charles A. Vanik A Memorial site created by the Vanik Family

Template:CongBio Retrieved on 2009-5-16

• Obituary from The Cleveland Plain Dealer