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{{short description|United States Senator from Iowa (1975–1981)}}
{{for|American pornographic actor|Casey Donovan (actor)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2020}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|name         = John Culver
|image        = John Culver.jpg
|jr/sr        = United States Senator
|state        = [[Iowa]]
|term_start   = January 3, 1975
|term_end     = January 3, 1981
|predecessor  = [[Harold Hughes]]
|successor    = [[Chuck Grassley]]
|state1       = [[Iowa]]
|district1    = {{ushr|IA|2|2nd}}
|term_start1  = January 3, 1965
|term_end1    = January 3, 1975
|predecessor1 = [[James E. Bromwell]]
|successor1   = [[Mike Blouin]]
|birth_name   = John Chester Culver
|birth_date   = {{birth date|1932|8|8}}
|birth_place  = [[Rochester, Minnesota]], U.S.
|death_date   = {{nowrap|{{death date and age|2018|12|26|1932|8|8}}}}
|death_place  = [[Washington, D.C.]], U.S.
|party        = [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
|spouse       = {{marriage|Ann Cooper|end=div}}<br>Mary Jane Checchi
|children     = 5, including [[Chet Culver|Chet]]
|education    = [[Harvard University]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]], [[Juris Doctor|JD]])<br>[[Emmanuel College, Cambridge]]
|allegiance   = {{flag|United States}}
|branch       = {{flag|United States Marine Corps}}
|serviceyears = 1955–1958
| rank        = [[Captain (United States O-3)|Captain]]
}}
'''John Chester Culver''' (August 8, 1932 &ndash; December 26, 2018) was an American politician, writer, and lawyer who was elected to both the [[United States House of Representatives]] (1965–1975) and [[United States Senate]] (1975–1981) from [[Iowa]]. He was a member of the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]]. His son [[Chet Culver]] served as the 41st [[List of governors of Iowa|governor of Iowa]] (2007–2011).

==Early life and education==
Culver was born in [[Rochester, Minnesota]], on August 8, 1932, the son of Mary C. (Miller) and William C. Culver. He moved as a child with his family to [[Cedar Rapids, Iowa]].

Culver graduated from both [[Harvard University]] and [[Harvard Law School]]. As an undergraduate, he played fullback on the [[Harvard Crimson football]] team with future U.S. Senator [[Ted Kennedy]]. He was drafted by the [[Chicago Cardinals]] in the 27th round of the [[1954 NFL draft]].<ref name=GlobeObit>{{cite news |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/obituaries/2018/12/29/john-culver-iowa-lawmaker-kennedy-confidant-harvard-football-star/E8MDpCrpWmAmfehmU6ZGEO/story.html |title=John C. Culver, 86, Iowa lawmaker, Kennedy confidant, Harvard football star | publisher=Boston Globe |date=December 29, 2018}}</ref> Rather than try out for professional football after graduating, Culver attended [[Emmanuel College, Cambridge]], as the Lionel de Jersey Harvard Scholar.

After his return to the U.S., he served in the military as a captain in the [[United States Marine Corps]] from 1955 to 1958.

In 1978 Culver was inducted into the Harvard Football Hall of Fame.

==Career==
Culver became active in politics, working as a legislative assistant for Senator Ted Kennedy, his former Harvard classmate, in 1962. He began his law practice in Iowa a year later. In [[1964 United States House of Representatives elections|1964]], he ran against [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] U.S. Representative [[James E. Bromwell]]. With President [[Lyndon Johnson]]'s landslide victory, many Democrats, including Culver, were carried to victory.<ref name=NYTimesObit>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/28/obituaries/john-culver-dead.html |title=John Culver, Liberal Congressman From Iowa, Is Dead at 86 | work=New York Times |date=December 28, 2018}}</ref>

In [[1974 United States Senate election in Iowa|1974]], Culver ran for the U.S. Senate, narrowly defeating [[David M. Stanley]] with 52% of the vote for the seat left open by the retirement of [[Harold E. Hughes]]. Culver served one term in the Senate, from 1975 until 1981. With [[Ronald Reagan]]'s national victory as president, Culver was defeated in [[1980 United States Senate election in Iowa|1980]] by Republican [[Chuck Grassley]], taking 46% of the vote to Grassley's 53%.<ref name=NYTimesObit />

In 2000, Culver co-wrote ''American Dreamer'', the first comprehensive biography of [[Henry A. Wallace]].

Culver was a featured speaker at the August 28, 2009, memorial service for [[Ted Kennedy]], speaking as his Harvard classmate and teammate, Senate colleague, and longtime friend.<ref>{{YouTube|eWrBPefWtbQ|Culver's eulogy at Sen. Kennedy's memorial service}}</ref>

Until January 31, 2011, Culver was the interim director of the [[Harvard Institute of Politics|Institute of Politics]] at the [[John F. Kennedy School of Government]] at Harvard University. He was succeeded by former [[Kentucky]] [[Secretary of State (U.S. state government)|Secretary of State]] [[Trey Grayson]]. Culver remained on the board of advisers as director emeritus.<ref>{{Cite web|date=11 May 2010|title=John Culver Named Interim Director of Harvard Kennedy School's Institute of Politics|url=http://www.hks.harvard.edu/news-events/news/press-releases/john-culver|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120712173631/http://www.hks.harvard.edu/news-events/news/press-releases/john-culver|archive-date=12 July 2012|website=Harvard Kennedy School}}</ref>

==Personal life and death==
[[File:Harkin and Culver at state fair (4885723391).jpg|thumb|Culver with [[Tom Harkin]] in 2010]]
John Culver and his wife had five children, including [[Chet Culver|Chet]], who served as [[governor of Iowa]] from 2007 to 2011.

At the time of his death, Culver was recently retired from the firm of [[Arent Fox]] in Washington, D.C., where he had established the government affairs practice.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.arentfox.com/people/index.cfm?fa=profile&id=61 |title=Culver's firm bio at Arent Fox |access-date=August 18, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071010221752/http://www.arentfox.com/people/index.cfm?fa=profile&id=61 |archive-date=October 10, 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref> After leaving the Senate, he lived and worked in the capital with his wife, Mary Jane Checchi.

Culver died on December 26, 2018, at age 86.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Belmont|first=Sara|date=2018-12-27|title=Former U.S. Senator, John Culver, dead at 86|url=https://kwwl.com/2018/12/27/former-u-s-senator-john-culver-dead-at-86/|access-date=2020-07-08|website=KWWL|language=en-US}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Biography}}
* [[List of members of the House Un-American Activities Committee]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* Johnson, Marc C. ''Tuesday Night Massacre: Four Senate Elections and the Radicalization of the Republican Party'' (U of Oklahoma Press, 2021) 1980 Senate races saw bitter defeats of [[Frank Church]], [[Birch Bayh]], John Culver, and [[George McGovern]] and weakened moderates in GOP.

==External links==
{{Congbio|C000979}}
* The [http://lib.uiowa.edu/collguides/?MSC0810 John Culver Papers] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121130182945/http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/collguides/?MSC0810 |date=November 30, 2012 }} are housed at the University of Iowa Special Collections & University Archives.
*[https://aspace.lib.uiowa.edu/repositories/2/resources/717 John Culvers papers] are housed at University of Iowa Libraries Special Collections & Archives

{{s-start}}
{{s-par|us-hs}}
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{{s-ttl|title=Member of the [[List of United States representatives from Iowa|U.S. House of Representatives]]<br>from [[Iowa's 2nd congressional district]]|years=1965–1975}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Mike Blouin]]}}
|-
{{s-ppo}}
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{{s-ttl|title=[[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] nominee for [[List of United States senators from Iowa|U.S. Senator]] from [[Iowa]]<br>([[Classes of United States senators|Class 1]])|years=[[1974 United States Senate election in Iowa|1974]], [[1980 United States Senate election in Iowa|1980]]}}
{{s-aft|after=[[John Roehrick]]}}
|-
{{s-par|us-sen}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Harold Hughes]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[List of United States senators from Iowa|U.S. Senator (Class 3) from Iowa]]|years=1975–1981|alongside=[[Dick Clark (Iowa politician)|Dick Clark]], [[Roger Jepsen]]}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Chuck Grassley]]}}
|-
{{s-new|office}}
{{s-ttl|title=Chair of the Senate Operations Commission|years=1975–1976}}
{{s-non|reason=Position abolished}}
{{s-end}}

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{{IARepresentatives}}
{{USCongRep-start |congresses=89th–96th [[United States Congress]]es |state=[[United States congressional delegations from Iowa|Iowa]]}}
{{USCongRep/IA/89}}
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{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Culver, John}}
[[Category:1932 births]]
[[Category:2018 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century American lawyers]]
[[Category:20th-century United States representatives]]
[[Category:20th-century United States senators]]
[[Category:American Presbyterians]]
[[Category:Burials at Arlington National Cemetery]]
[[Category:Candidates in the 1980 United States presidential election]]
[[Category:Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Iowa]]
[[Category:Democratic Party United States senators from Iowa]]
[[Category:Harvard Crimson football players]]
[[Category:Harvard Law School alumni]]
[[Category:Iowa lawyers]]
[[Category:Lawyers from Washington, D.C.]]
[[Category:Members of Congress who became lobbyists]]
[[Category:Members of the House Un-American Activities Committee]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Minnesota]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Iowa]]
[[Category:Politicians from Cedar Rapids, Iowa]]
[[Category:Politicians from Rochester, Minnesota]]
[[Category:United States Marine Corps officers]]
[[Category:Writers from Cedar Rapids, Iowa]]