Rudy Boschwitz: Difference between revisions
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| president = [[George W. Bush]] |
| president = [[George W. Bush]] |
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| term_start = March 17, 2005 |
| term_start = March 17, 2005 |
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| term_end = March |
| term_end = March 27, 2006 |
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| predecessor = [[Richard S. Williamson|Rich Williamson]] |
| predecessor = [[Richard S. Williamson|Rich Williamson]] |
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| successor = [[Eileen Donahoe]] |
| successor = [[Eileen Donahoe]] |
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Revision as of 18:43, 30 September 2023
 |
Rudy Boschwitz | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 1983 | |
| United States Ambassador to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights | |
| In office March 17, 2005 – March 27, 2006 | |
| President | George W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Rich Williamson |
| Succeeded by | Eileen Donahoe |
| United States Senator from Minnesota | |
| In office December 30, 1978 – January 3, 1991 | |
| Preceded by | Wendell Anderson |
| Succeeded by | Paul Wellstone |
| Chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee | |
| In office January 3, 1987 – January 3, 1989 | |
| Preceded by | John Heinz |
| Succeeded by | Don Nickles |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Rudolph Ely Boschwitz November 7, 1930 Berlin, Weimar Republic (now Germany) |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse |
Ellen Loewenstein (m. 1956) |
| Alma mater | New York University (BS, JD) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1954–1955 |
| Unit | Signal Corps |
Rudolph Ely “Rudy” Boschwitz (born November 7, 1930)[1] is an American politician and businessman who served as a United States senator from Minnesota from 1978 until 1991. Boschwitz is a member of the Republican Party.
He was born in Berlin to a Jewish family. When Boschwitz was two years old, he and his family fled the country due to Adolf Hitler's rise to power. Boschwitz grew up in New Rochelle, New York, and graduated with a J.D. degree from New York University School of Law in 1953. Boschwitz moved to Minnesota where he started a retail lumber store chain named Plywood Minnesota (later renamed Home Valu). He grew the lumber chain into a successful business with 70 stores. Boschwitz became well-known for starring in Plywood Minnesota's television commercials, wearing his signature plaid flannel shirts.[2]
He first ran for elected office in Minnesota's 1978 U.S. Senate election and defeated Democratic incumbent Wendell Anderson. He was reelected in 1984 by a landslide margin. While serving in the U.S. Senate, he was the chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee from 1987 until 1988. Boschwitz ran for reelection to a third term in the 1990 election against Democrat Paul Wellstone. Boschwitz significantly outspent and was expected to defeat Wellstone. However, Boschwitz lost in an upset election. He was defeated again by Wellstone in a rematch election in 1996. Boschwitz was later appointed to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights by then-President George W. Bush. He served on the commission from 2005 until 2006.
Boschwitz notably had a popular flavored milk stand at the Minnesota State Fair.[3] He also is a significant fundraiser for Republican candidates.[4]
Early life and education
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Boschwitz was born November 7, 1930, in Berlin, Germany, the son of Lucy (née Dawidowicz) and Eli Boschwitz.[5] In 1933, when he was three years old, his Jewish family fled from Nazi Germany to the United States, settling in New Rochelle, New York, where he grew up. A graduate of the Pennington School, he attended Johns Hopkins University and graduated from the New York University Stern School of Business in 1950 and the New York University School of Law in 1953.
Career
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 in 1954–1955.[which?] He was the founder and chairman of a plywood and home improvement retailer, Plywood Minnesota, which later became Home Valu Interiors. He returned to the company after his political career, and led it until it went out of business in 2010.[6]
Boschwitz was elected as an 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, who was appointed to fill the seat after Walter Mondale was elected Vice President two years earlier. Boschwitz was well known in Minnesota for operating a "flavored milk" booth at the Minnesota State Fair.[7]
Boschwitz voted in favor of the bill establishing Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a federal holiday and the Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1987 (as well as to override President Reagan's veto).[8][9][10] Boschwitz voted in favor of the nomination of Robert Bork to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Boschwitz is known for one of the more interesting campaign buttons in Minnesota politics; the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party alleged that Boschwitz's donors were "fat cats", so Boschwitz's campaign created a "skinny cat" campaign button to be worn by those who had donated less than $100 to his campaign.[11]
After his defeat in 1990 by Paul Wellstone, Boschwitz ran against Wellstone again in 1996 but lost.
In 1991 he traveled to Ethiopia as the emissary of President George H. W. Bush. The negotiations Boschwitz led in Ethiopia resulted in Operation Solomon. Over 14,000 Jewish people were airlifted from Ethiopia to Israel.[12] Operation Solomon took twice as many Beta Israel émigrés to Israel as Operation Moses and Operation Joshua combined.[13]
He was a top "Bush Pioneer" in 2000, fund-raising $388,193, and a "Bush Ranger" in 2004, raising at least $200,000 for George W. Bush's campaign fund in that election cycle.[14]
In 2005, Bush named Boschwitz as the United States Ambassador to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, which met at the U.N. in Geneva, Switzerland.
He also supported John McCain in the 2008 presidential election.[15] 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.
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%
See also
- List of Jewish members of the United States Congress
- List of United States senators born outside the United States
References
- ^ "Boschwitz, Rudolph Eli (Rudy)". bioguideretro.com. Retrieved March 4, 2020.
- ^ Feyder, Susan (January 12, 2010). "Final nail in Plywood Minnesota". Star Tribune. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
- ^ "Herb Kohl won't shutter fair's popular Milk House". archive.jsonline.com. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
- ^ "Half of GOP's biggest bundlers still haven't picked a presidential candidate to back". Center for Public Integrity. November 21, 2011. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
- ^ "Boschwitz, Rudolph Eli – Dictionary definition of Boschwitz, Rudolph Eli". Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved December 5, 2016.
- ^ Feyder, Susan (January 12, 2010). "Final nail in Plywood Minnesota". Star Tribune. Retrieved June 12, 2023.
- ^ "Boschwitz gets reprieve; will have milk at fair". postbulletin.com. Post-Bulletin Company, LLC. Retrieved March 4, 2020.
- ^ "To Pass H.R. 3706. (Motion Passes) See Notes(s) 19. Senate Vote #293, Oct 19, 1983". GovTrack.us.
- ^ "To Pass S 557, Civil Rights Restoration Act, A Bill to ... Senate Vote #432 – Jan 28, 1988". GovTrack.us.
- ^ "To Adopt, Over the President's Veto of S 557, Civil ... Senate Vote #487 – Mar 22, 1988". GovTrack.us.
- ^ "The Skinny Cats of Minnesota Politics". Hennepin History Museum. February 27, 2016. Retrieved December 5, 2016.
- ^ "New Ethiopian Regime Will Allow Remaining Jews to Leave, Says Envoy". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. June 5, 1991. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
- ^ Rozen-Wheeler, Adam (July 22, 2017). "Operations Moses, Joshua, and Solomon (1984–1991)". blackpast.org. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
- ^ "TPJ.org". Archived from the original on October 4, 2007.
- ^ Scheck, Tom (July 15, 2008). "McCain's Minnesota bundlers". mprnews.org. Retrieved March 4, 2020.
External links
- Rudy Boschwitz: An Inventory of His Papers at the Minnesota Historical Society
- Appearances on C-SPAN
| Class 1 |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 2 | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
- 1930 births
- 20th-century American Jews
- 20th-century American businesspeople
- 20th-century American lawyers
- 20th-century American politicians
- 21st-century American businesspeople
- 21st-century American Jews
- American construction businesspeople
- Businesspeople from Minnesota
- Hudson Institute
- Jewish American military personnel
- Jewish American people in Minnesota politics
- Jewish United States senators
- Jewish emigrants from Nazi Germany to the United States
- Johns Hopkins University alumni
- Living people
- Members of Congress who became lobbyists
- Military personnel from New York City
- Minnesota Republicans
- New York (state) lawyers
- New York University School of Law alumni
- New York University Stern School of Business alumni
- People with acquired American citizenship
- Politicians from Berlin
- Politicians from New Rochelle, New York
- Representatives of the United States to the United Nations Human Rights Council
- Republican Party United States senators from Minnesota
- The Pennington School alumni
- United States Army personnel
- Wisconsin lawyers