View source for Tom Kindness

{{short description|American politician}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2020}}
{{Infobox officeholder 
|image name=Tom Kindness 97th Congress 1981.jpg
|state=[[Ohio]]
|district=[[Ohio's 8th congressional district|8th]]
|term_start=January 3, 1975
|term_end=January 3, 1987
|preceded=[[Walter E. Powell]]
|succeeded=[[Buz Lukens]]
|state_house2=Ohio
|state2=Ohio
|district2=58th
|term2=January 3, 1971 – December 31, 1974
|preceded2=[[Thomas Rentschler]]
|succeeded2=[[Michael A. Fox]]
|party=[[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
|birth_name=Thomas Norman Kindness
|birth_date={{birth date|1929|8|26}}
|death_date={{death date and age|2004|1|8|1929|8|26}}
|birth_place=[[Knoxville, Tennessee]], U.S.
|death_place=[[Exeter]], Devonshire, England
|restingplace=
|alma_mater=[[University of Maryland, College Park|University of Maryland]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])<br>[[George Washington University]] ([[Bachelor of Laws|LLB]])
|}}

'''Thomas Norman Kindness''' (August 26, 1929{{spnd}}January 8, 2004) was an American politician who served six terms as a member of the [[United States House of Representatives]] representing [[Ohio]] from January 3, 1975, to January 3, 1987.

==Life ==
Born in [[Knoxville, Tennessee]], Kindness graduated from [[Glendale High School (Glendale, California)|Glendale High School]] in [[Glendale, California]], in 1947.  Kindness received his [[Bachelor of Arts|bachelor of arts degree]] from the [[University of Maryland, College Park|University of Maryland]] in 1951 and his [[L.L.B.|bachelor of laws degree]] from [[George Washington University]] in 1953.  While a student at Maryland, Kindness became a member of the [[Alpha Tau Omega]] fraternity.<ref>{{cite book|title=Terrapin Yearbook|year=1951|publisher=University of Maryland|location=College Park, MD}}</ref>

=== Career ===
He was assistant counsel for paper company [[Champion International Paper|Champion International]], in [[Hamilton, Ohio]], from 1957 to 1973, and was elected to the [[city council]] of Hamilton in 1964, serving until 1969. He served as [[mayor]] of Hamilton from 1964 to 1967. He served in the [[Ohio House of Representatives]] from 1971 to 1974, when he was elected to Congress from Ohio's eighth congressional district, defeating Democrat T. Edward Strinko.

Kindness was re-elected five times: defeating Democrats [[John W. Griffin (politician)|John W. Griffin]] in 1976, Luella R. Schroeder in 1978, John W. Griffin again in 1980 and 1982, and John T. Francis in 1984.

In 1986, Kindness was one of the [[House impeachment managers]] who prosecuted the case in the [[Federal impeachment trial in the United States|impeachment trial]] of Judge [[Harry E. Claiborne]]. Claiborne was found guilty by the [[United States Senate]] and removed from his federal judgeship.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://history.house.gov/Institution/Impeachment/Impeachment-List/ |title=List of Individuals Impeached by the House of Representatives |publisher=[[United States House of Representatives]] |access-date=January 15, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191218232339/https://history.house.gov/Institution/Impeachment/Impeachment-List/ |archive-date=December 18, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[1986 United States Senate election in Ohio|In 1986]], Kindness won the Republican nomination for the [[United States Senate|U.S. Senate]], but he lost to incumbent [[John Glenn]].

=== Later career ===
After this loss, Kindness stayed in [[Washington, D.C.]], and worked as a [[lobbyist]]. When [[Donald "Buz" Lukens]], who had replaced Kindness as the 8th district's representative, was caught in a sex [[scandal]] in 1989, Kindness attempted to win his old seat, opposing Lukens in the 1990 Republican [[Partisan primary|primary]].{{citation needed | date=December 2023}}

He entered a Republican primary battle that included Lukens, state Representative [[John Boehner]] (who would later be elected to the seat and become [[Speaker of the United States House of Representatives|House Speaker]] during his tenure in Congress) and lesser-known candidates.

Early polls gave Kindness a 60-point lead over the relatively obscure Boehner. But Boehner attacked Kindness's ethics, citing Kindness's votes for congressional pay raises and against limits on fees for speeches by congressmen. Boehner also depicted Kindness as a [[carpetbagger]] who had abandoned his district for Washington. Despite Kindness's outspending him 5-1, Boehner won the nomination with 49 percent of the vote. Kindness finished with 32 percent and Lukens with 17 percent.{{citation needed | date=December 2023}}

== Death ==
Kindness died in [[Exeter]], [[Devon]]shire, [[England]] at the age of 74.

==See also==
{{Portal|Biography}}
* [[List of United States representatives from Ohio]]
* [[List of mayors of Hamilton, Ohio]]

==References==
{{reflist}}
* Rebecca Goodman.  "Thomas Kindness, 74, was lawmaker in D.C., Hamilton".  ''The [[Cincinnati Enquirer]]''.  January 14, 2004
* "Thomas Kindness, former local, state and federal representative".  ''[[Cincinnati Post]]''. January 13, 2004.
{{CongBio|K000190}}

==External links==
* {{C-SPAN|15354}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-ppo}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Jim Betts (politician)|Jim Betts]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] nominee for [[List of United States Senators from Ohio|U.S. Senator]] from [[Ohio]]<br />([[Classes of United States Senators|Class 3]])|years=[[1986 United States Senate election in Ohio|1986]]}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Mike DeWine]]}}
{{s-par|us-hs}}
{{US House succession box 
| state = Ohio
| district = 8
| before=[[Walter E. Powell]]
| after= [[Buz Lukens]]
| years=1975–1987 }}
{{s-end}}

{{OhioRepresentatives08}}
{{USCongRep-start|congresses= 94th–99th [[United States Congress]]es |state=[[United States congressional delegations from Ohio|Ohio]]}}
{{USCongRep/OH/94}}
{{USCongRep/OH/95}}
{{USCongRep/OH/96}}
{{USCongRep/OH/97}}
{{USCongRep/OH/98}}
{{USCongRep/OH/99}}
{{USCongRep-end}}
{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kindness, Tom}}
[[Category:1929 births]]
[[Category:2004 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century American lawyers]]
[[Category:American lobbyists]]
[[Category:George Washington University Law School alumni]]
[[Category:Glendale High School (Glendale, California) alumni]]
[[Category:Mayors of places in Ohio]]
[[Category:Republican Party members of the Ohio House of Representatives]]
[[Category:Ohio city council members]]
[[Category:Politicians from Hamilton, Ohio]]
[[Category:Politicians from Knoxville, Tennessee]]
[[Category:University of Maryland, College Park alumni]]
[[Category:Washington, D.C., Republicans]]
[[Category:Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio]]
[[Category:20th-century United States representatives]]
[[Category:20th-century members of the Ohio General Assembly]]