View source for John Olver

{{Short description|American politician (1936–2023)}}
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{{Use American English|date=February 2023}}
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{{Infobox officeholder
| name                = John Olver
| image               = John Olver, Official Portrait, 111th Congress (cropped).jpg
| caption             = Olver in the [[111th United States Congress]]
| state               = [[Massachusetts]]
| district            = {{ushr|MA|1|1st}}
| term_start          = June 18, 1991
| term_end            = January 3, 2013
| predecessor         = [[Silvio O. Conte]]
| successor           = [[Richard Neal]]
| state_senate1       = Massachusetts
| district1           = Franklin and Hampshire
| term_start1         = January 3, 1973
| term_end1           = June 15, 1991
| predecessor1        = John Barrus
| successor1          = [[Stan Rosenberg]]
| state_house2        = Massachusetts
| district2           = 2nd Hampshire
| term_start2         = January 1, 1969
| term_end2           = January 3, 1973
| predecessor2        = Donald Madsen
| successor2          = James Collin
| birth_name          = John Walter Olver
| birth_date          = {{birth date|1936|9|3}}
| birth_place         = [[Honesdale, Pennsylvania]], U.S.
| death_date          = {{death date and age|2023|2|23|1936|9|3}}
| death_place         = [[Amherst, Massachusetts]], U.S.
| party               = [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
| spouse              = {{marriage|Rose Richardson|1959|2014|end=died}}
| children            = 1
| education           = {{ubl|[[Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute]] ([[Bachelor of Science|BS]])|[[Tufts University]] ([[Master of Science|MS]])|[[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]] (PhD)}}
| module              = {{Listen|pos=center|embed=yes|filename=Rep. John Olver Speaks on H.R.5025, the Transportation, Treasury, and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, 2005.ogg|title=John Olver's voice|type=speech|description=Olver speaks on FY2005 funding for transportation, treasury and independent agencies.<br/>Recorded September 14, 2004}}
}}

'''John Walter Olver''' (September 3, 1936 – February 23, 2023) was an American politician and chemist who was the [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. representative]] for [[Massachusetts's 1st congressional district]] from 1991 to 2013. Raised on a farm in Pennsylvania, Olver graduated from college at the age of 18 and went on to earn a PhD in [[chemistry]] from the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]] and later taught chemistry at the [[University of Massachusetts Amherst]] for eight years.

He served in both chambers of the [[Massachusetts General Court]], being elected to the [[Massachusetts House of Representatives]] in 1968 and the [[Massachusetts Senate]] in 1972. He ran in a 1991 special election to succeed 17-term Congressman [[Silvio O. Conte]], who died in office. He was the first Democrat ever to represent the {{ushr|MA|1|1st congressional district}}.

Olver announced he would not seek re-election in 2012 and retired at the end of his eleventh term in Congress. He died at home in 2023 at age 86.

==Early life, education, and career==
[[File:John Olver.jpg|thumb|165px|Olver during his tenure in the Massachusetts House of Representatives]]
Olver was born on September 3, 1936, in [[Honesdale, Pennsylvania]], the son of Helen Marguerite (née Fulleborn) and Thomas Horace Olver. His paternal grandparents were of English descent, and his maternal grandparents were German.{{Citation needed|date=March 2023}} Olver grew up on his father's farm, where the two tended cows, while his mother ran a [[boarding house]] which served families from [[Philadelphia]] and New York City.<ref name="cq-2010"/> Olver graduated from high school when he was 15 and enrolled in [[Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute]], where he earned a Bachelor of Science in [[chemistry]] at the age of 18. After earning his [[undergraduate degree]], Olver went on to earn a Master of Science in chemistry from [[Tufts University]] in 1956 and a Doctor of Philosophy in chemistry from the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]] in 1961.<ref name="cq-2010"/>

Olver taught chemistry at the [[University of Massachusetts Amherst]] for eight years and later resigned to pursue a career in politics.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://vote-ma.org/intro.aspx?state=ma&id=maolverjohnw|title=Biographical Profile for John W. Olver|access-date=November 15, 2010|publisher=Vote-USA|archive-date=February 24, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110224025303/http://vote-ma.org/Intro.aspx?State=MA&Id=MAOlverJohnW|url-status=dead}}</ref> He served two terms as a member of the [[Massachusetts House of Representatives]] from January 1, 1969, to January 3, 1973. He later served for nine terms in the [[Massachusetts Senate]] from January 3, 1973, until his resignation in 1991 to serve in the [[U.S. House of Representatives]].<ref name="cq-2010"/>

==U.S. House of Representatives==
[[File:Ma01 109.gif|thumb|left|265px|{{ushr|MA|1|}}, during the second decade of Olver's tenure. The district was a primarily rural district that makes up most of [[Western Massachusetts]].]]

===Elections===
On February 18, 1991, Congressman [[Silvio O. Conte]] died one month after taking office for his 17th term. That June, Olver, who had been sworn in for his 10th term in the state Senate a few months earlier, in January 1991, narrowly defeated [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] [[Steven Pierce]] in a special election for the seat, becoming the first Democrat to win the seat since it changed from being the {{ushr|Massachusetts|13|13th district}} in 1893.<ref name="cq-2010">Duncan, Philip D., and Nutting, Brian (eds.) (2004). "Olver, John W., D-Mass." ''[[CQ's Politics in America|CQ's Politics in America 2004: The 108th Congress]]''. Washington: [[Congressional Quarterly]]. pp. 480–481. {{ISBN|978-1-56802-813-2}}.</ref><ref name="globe-freshman" /> Olver resigned from the state Senate on June 15 and was sworn in on June 18.<ref name="globe-freshman">{{cite news|author=John W Mashek|title=Olver takes House seat after schedule snafu; freshman looks to future of 1st district|work=[[The Boston Globe]]|date=June 19, 1991|access-date=January 15, 2013|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/boston/access/59223370.html?FMT=ABS|archive-date=November 5, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105084139/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/boston/access/59223370.html?FMT=ABS|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Olver resigns from state Senate|work=[[The Boston Globe]]|date=June 15, 1991|access-date=January 15, 2013|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/boston/access/59220619.html?FMT=ABS|archive-date=November 5, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105084129/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/boston/access/59220619.html?FMT=ABS|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Olver won the election to a full term in 1992. In 1994, the year in which Republicans took control of the House for the first time in 40 years, Olver ran unopposed.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.reviewjournal.com/db/election.results?pageType=bios&pageID=hma1dem&results=y|title=Biography|work=[[Review-Journal]]|date=2002|access-date=December 20, 2012}}</ref> In 1996, he defeated State Senator and future [[Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts|Lieutenant and Acting Governor]] [[Jane Swift]] by a 53% to 47% margin.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/stream/massachusettsele1996mass#page/264/mode/2up|title=Massachusetts General Election Results, 1996|access-date=December 20, 2012|work=[[Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth]]|year=1996}}</ref> After 1996, Olver continually won re-election with high margins above 60%.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rollcall.com/members/214.html|title=Rep. John W. Olver (D-Mass.)|work=[[Roll Call]]|access-date=December 20, 2012}}</ref>

On October 26, 2011, Olver announced he would not seek re-election in 2012, clearing the way for any potential Democratic primaries due to Massachusetts losing a congressional seat after the [[2010 United States census]].<ref name = "NYT-Wheaton+Southall-2011-10-26">{{cite news | last1 = Southhall | first1 = Ashley | last2 = Weaton | first2 =  Sarah| url = http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/26/two-massachusetts-democrats-say-they-wont-run-clarifying-state-politics/ | date = October 27, 2011 | work = [[The New York Times]]  | title = Two Massachusetts Democrats Say They Won't Run, Clarifying State Politics | access-date = October 27, 2011}}</ref>

===Tenure===
''[[Congressional Quarterly]]''{{'}}s ''[[CQ's Politics in America|Politics in America]]'' described Olver as "a staunch liberal who prefers to yield the spotlight to other similarly ideological members."<ref name="cq-2010" /> Olver has consistently high rankings from the [[Progressivism in the United States|progressive]] lobbying group [[Americans for Democratic Action]], and consistently low rankings from its [[conservatism in the United States|conservative]] counterpart the [[American Conservative Union]].<ref name="cq-2010" />

As a [[superdelegate]] to the [[2008 Democratic National Convention]], Olver endorsed future President [[Barack Obama]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/03/the-superdelegate-tally/|title=The Superdelegate Tally|author=Julie Bosman|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=June 3, 2008|access-date=December 20, 2012}}</ref> In a tribute to an outgoing Olver and [[Barney Frank]], [[Ed Markey]] remarked that, unlike other elected officials who embraced superficial positions to curry public favor, the two were "happy to tell you [they] disagree with you" if they believed so.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmGys6xtj6E |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/FmGys6xtj6E| archive-date=December 12, 2021 |url-status=live|title=Congressman Richard E. Neal's Tribute to Congressmen John Olver & Barney Frank |publisher=YouTube|date=December 20, 2012|access-date=January 16, 2013|author=Ed Markey|author-link=Ed Markey}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
<!-- Undue?
==== Objection to the 2004 presidential election ====
Olver was one of thirty-one House Democrats who voted not to count the [[electoral votes]] from Ohio in the [[2004 United States presidential election|2004 presidential election]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2005/roll007.xml|title=Final Vote Results for Role Call 7|date=January 6, 2005|access-date=January 15, 2013 |publisher=[[Clerk of the United States House of Representatives]]}}</ref> Republican President [[George W. Bush]] won Ohio by 118,457 votes.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/29/politics/ohio-recount-gives-a-smaller-margin-to-bush.html|title = Ohio Recount Gives a Smaller Margin to Bush|newspaper = The New York Times|date = December 29, 2004|last1 = Salvato|first1 = Albert}}</ref> Without Ohio's electoral votes, the election would have been decided by the U.S. House of Representatives, with each state having one vote under the [[Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution]].{{Cn|date=February 2023}}-->

==== Foreign policy ====
{{Wikinews|U.S. members of congress arrested over Sudan protest}}

Olver was a staunch opponent of the [[Iraq War|United States involvement in Iraq]] and opposed a United States military presence in Iraq since the [[Iraq Resolution|2002 authorization for the use of force in Iraq]].<ref name="votesmart2">{{cite web|url=http://www.votesmart.org/speech_detail.php?sc_id=404231&keyword=&phrase=&contain= |title=Project Vote Smart - Representative John W. Olver - Issue Position: Iraq |publisher=Votesmart.org |access-date=August 23, 2010}}</ref> He advocated for the removal of U.S. troops from Iraq and consistently voted against proposals to increase funding for military operations and increased deployment.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.votesmart.org/voting_category.php?can_id=26894&type=category&category=32&go.x=13&go.y=20 |title=Project Vote Smart - Representative John W. Olver - Voting Record |publisher=Votesmart.org |access-date=August 23, 2010}}</ref> Olver stated that he believed that the United States should seek out a political solution in cooperation with the states neighboring Iraq, such as Iran and Syria, rather than pursuing a strategy based primarily on military means to create a stable and democratic Iraq.<ref name="votesmart2"/>

Olver was critical of the United States lack of involvement regarding the [[genocide in Darfur]]. Olver was one of five members of Congress arrested on April 28, 2006, after protesting the genocide outside the [[Embassy of Sudan in Washington, D.C.|Sudanese Embassy]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sudantribune.com/article.php3?id_article=15323|title=US Congress members arrested at Sudan protest|date=April 28, 2006|access-date=December 20, 2012|work=[[Sudan Tribune]]}}</ref> Olver was arrested again in front of the Sudanese Embassy during a protest in 2012 along with other members of Congress and actor [[George Clooney]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://boston.cbslocal.com/2012/03/16/rep-mcgovern-george-clooney-arrested-in-washington-protest/|title=Reps. McGovern & Olver, George Clooney Arrested In Washington Protest|date=March 16, 2012|access-date=December 20, 2012|publisher=[[WBZ-TV]]}}</ref>

==== Domestic policy ====
Olver co-sponsored {{USBill|111|HR|676}} which would introduce a [[universal health insurance]] program with single-payer financing. In addition to supporting different pieces of health care reform legislation in the House, Olver had also strongly supported allowing federal funds related to health care programs to fund abortion operations.<ref name="votesmart1">{{cite web|url=http://www.votesmart.org/voting_category.php?can_id=26894&type=category&category=2&go.x=7&go.y=14 |title=Project Vote Smart - Representative John W. Olver - Voting Record |publisher=Votesmart.org|access-date=August 23, 2010}}</ref> In addition to supporting the inclusion of coverage for abortions in health care, Olver had consistently supported pro-choice legislation in the House and has received favorable ratings from pro-choice interest groups such as the [[NARAL Pro-Choice America]], which gave Olver a rating of 100.<ref name="votesmart1"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.votesmart.org/issue_rating_category.php?can_id=26894|title=Project Vote Smart - Representative John W. Olver - Interest Group Ratings |publisher=Votesmart.org|date=May 14, 2010|access-date=August 23, 2010}}</ref>

Olver supported efforts to reduce the number of illegal immigrants entering the United States but also believed in immigration reform so that qualified immigrants could more easily be granted entrance.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.votesmart.org/speech_detail.php?sc_id=404230&keyword=&phrase=&contain= |title=Project Vote Smart - Representative John W. Olver - Issue Position: Immigration |publisher=Votesmart.org|access-date=August 23, 2010}}</ref> Olver also believed that illegal immigrants currently residing in the United States need to be provided with a pathway to citizenship and that these immigrants should not have to return to their countries of origin before obtaining citizenship.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.votesmart.org/npat.php?can_id=26894#11443 |title=Project Vote Smart - Representative John W. Olver - Issue Positions (Political Courage Test) |publisher=Votesmart.org|access-date=August 23, 2010}}</ref>

===Committee assignments===
*[[United States House Committee on Appropriations|Committee on Appropriations]]
**[[United States House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development|Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development]]
**[[United States House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security|Subcommittee on Homeland Security]]
**[[United States House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies|Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies]] ''(Chairman)''<ref>{{Cite web |title=John Olver, former Democratic US representative, dies at 86 |url=https://news.yahoo.com/john-olver-former-democratic-us-173230513.html |date=February 25, 2023 |website=news.yahoo.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

;Party leadership
*[[Congressional Progressive Caucus]]
*Senior Whip of the Democratic Caucus

==Personal life==
Olver was married to Rose Richardson Olver, a Professor of Psychology and Sexuality, Women's and Gender Studies at [[Amherst College]], from 1959 until she died in 2014, and they had one daughter named Martha.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amherst.edu/news/memoriam/node/583975|title=In Memoriam: Rose R. Olver|access-date=February 27, 2016|work=Amherst College}}</ref> He lived in [[Amherst, Massachusetts]], from 1963 until his death.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.progressivecongress.com/leader/john-olver/ |title=About John Olver |access-date=January 15, 2013 |work=Progressive Congress |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130102113216/http://www.progressivecongress.com/leader/john-olver/ |archive-date=January 2, 2013 }}</ref>

== Legacy ==
[[File:John W. Olver Transit Center in Greenfield, Massachusetts.jpg|right|thumb|The John W. Olver Transit Center]]
On May 4, 2012, a new [[John W. Olver Transit Center|central bus and rail station]] in [[Greenfield, Massachusetts]], was dedicated in Olver's honor. The building is the first zero-net-energy transportation facility in the nation, generating heat and power via geothermal wells, photovoltaic panels, and sunlight.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2012/05/olver_transportation_center_de.html|title=Greenfield dedicates John W. Olver Transportation Center|date=May 4, 2012|access-date=December 20, 2012|author=Fred Contrada|work=[[The Republican (Springfield)]]}}</ref>

On October 27, 2017, the John W. Olver Design Building at the [[University of Massachusetts Amherst]] was dedicated in Olver's honor. The building was the largest and most technologically advanced academic wood structure in the US upon completion. It was also the first in the US to use a wood-concrete composite floor system researched at the University of Massachusetts.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://bct.eco.umass.edu/about-us/the-design-building-at-umass-amherst/|title=The John W. Olver Design Building at UMass Amherst|date=October 27, 2017|access-date=February 3, 2020}}</ref>

On October 28, 2010, the veterans' group Soldier On awarded Olver the Soldier On Award. This award, created for Soldier On by sculptor [[Andrew DeVries]], recognizes individuals whose leadership and actions have advanced the goal of ending veteran homelessness.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wesoldieron.org/awardevent/2010_award_recipient |title=The 2010 Soldier On Recipient |work=Soldier On |access-date=January 15, 2013 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120919191130/http://www.wesoldieron.org/awardevent/2010_award_recipient |archive-date=September 19, 2012 }}</ref>

== Death ==
Olver died at his home in Amherst on February 23, 2023, at the age of 86.<ref>{{cite web |title=Obituary for John W. Olver (1936–2023) |url=https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/gazettenet/name/john-olver-obituary?id=48283146 |website=Legacy.com |date=February 23, 2023}}</ref>
==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
* {{CongLinks | congbio=o000085 | votesmart=26894 | fec=H2MA01020 | congress= }}
* {{C-SPAN}}<!--
Links formerly displayed via the CongLinks template:
* [http://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/400301 Congressional profile] at [[GovTrack]]
* [http://www.opencongress.org/people/show/400301_John_Olver Congressional profile] at [[Participatory Politics Foundation|OpenCongress]]
* [http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.php?cid=N00000143 Financial information (federal office)] at [[Center for Responsive Politics|OpenSecrets.org]]
* [http://www.legistorm.com/member/404/Rep_John_Walter_Olver.html Staff salaries, trips and personal finance] at LegiStorm.com
* -->
*{{YouTube|xcPdTiryaCs|First campaign ad}}

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{{US House succession box
| state=Massachusetts
| district=1
| years= June 4, 1991 – January 3, 2013
| before=[[Silvio O. Conte]]
| after=[[Richard Neal]]}}
{{s-end}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Olver, John}}
[[Category:1936 births]]
[[Category:2023 deaths]]
[[Category:American people of English descent]]
[[Category:American people of German descent]]
[[Category:Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Massachusetts Institute of Technology School of Science alumni]]
[[Category:Democratic Party Massachusetts state senators]]
[[Category:Democratic Party members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives]]
[[Category:People from Honesdale, Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Politicians from Amherst, Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute alumni]]
[[Category:Tufts University School of Arts and Sciences alumni]]
[[Category:University of Massachusetts Amherst faculty]]
[[Category:20th-century American chemists]]
[[Category:21st-century United States representatives]]
[[Category:20th-century members of the Massachusetts General Court]]