Berkley Bedell facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Berkley Bedell
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Iowa's 6th district |
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| In office January 3, 1975 – January 3, 1987 |
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| Preceded by | Wiley Mayne |
| Succeeded by | Fred Grandy |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Berkley Warren Bedell
March 5, 1921 Spirit Lake, Iowa, U.S. |
| Died | December 7, 2019 (aged 98) Naples, Florida, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse |
Elinor Healy
(m. 1943; died 2017) |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | Iowa State University |
| Profession | Businessman |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Army |
| Years of service | 1942–1945 |
| Rank |  First lieutenant |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
Berkley Warren Bedell (March 5, 1921 – December 7, 2019) was an American politician and businessman. He was a member of the Democratic Party. Bedell served as a U.S. representative for Iowa's 6th congressional district from 1975 to 1987.
He started a successful business called Berkley Fly Co. when he was young. In 1974, Bedell was elected to the U.S. House. He was known for supporting representative democracy. This means he believed that elected officials should truly represent the people who voted for them. He often held town hall meetings. At these meetings, people could vote on ideas to help him decide what to do in Congress. These meetings helped him understand the problems of his local community, especially farmers.
Bedell did not run for reelection in 1986 because he got Lyme disease. Even after leaving Congress, he stayed involved in politics in Iowa.
Contents
Early Life and Business
Berkley Bedell was born in Spirit Lake, Iowa, on March 5, 1921. His parents were Virginia Viola and Walter Berkley Bedell. He went to public schools in Spirit Lake. He finished Spirit Lake High School in 1939.
During the Great Depression, he started a small business to earn money. He made fishing lures by braiding dog hairs around fishhooks. He started in his bedroom, then moved to his parents' basement. Eventually, he got a bigger space above a grocery store. This allowed him to run his business full-time.
After high school, he went to Iowa State University from 1940 to 1942. There, he met Elinor Healy. Berkley and Elinor got married in 1943. They had three children: Kenneth, Thomas, and Joanne.
In 1942, Berkley joined the United States Army. He served as a first lieutenant and flight trainer until 1945. When he returned, his fishing tackle business grew very successful. It became a large company with many employees and international operations. By the 1960s, he had become a millionaire. He also served on the Spirit Lake Board of Education from 1957 to 1962.
Political Career
Becoming a Congressman
In the early 1970s, Bedell decided to run for political office. In 1972, he ran against Wiley Mayne, who was the Republican congressman for Iowa's 6th congressional district. Mayne won that election. However, after the Watergate scandal, Mayne's popularity dropped. In 1974, Bedell ran against Mayne again and won.
While in Congress, Bedell worked hard to support representative democracy. He regularly held town hall meetings with the people he represented. He let them vote on different ideas to help him decide how to vote in Congress. This way, he learned about the issues that were important to his community, especially farmers. Even though Bedell had never been a farmer, he worked to help them in Congress.
Waterway Usage Fees
Bedell introduced several important ideas during his time in the United States House of Representatives. One idea came from problems his community had with the barge industry. He wanted barges to pay a fee for using waterways. He pointed out that the government spent millions of dollars to build and maintain these waterways.
Bedell's original plan was that the fee should be directly related to how much the government spent on waterway projects. This would also help stop unnecessary waterway projects. A similar plan was proposed in the Senate by Pete Domenici.
Congress eventually passed a simpler version of the plan. It put a tax on the gasoline barges used. This money went into a "trust" for waterway projects. Bedell felt this compromise was not strong enough. He believed it lacked a key part of his original plan. The compromise was signed into law by President Jimmy Carter. Bedell kept trying to pass his original plan in later years, but it never got a vote.
Helping Farmers
In 1985, Bedell proposed a plan to help farmers. He believed it would increase production controls for crops. This would help raise prices for farmers' products. This plan was supported by labor unions and some Democrats.
His plan suggested that farmers should vote on what types of production controls to use. The goal was to reduce the total amount of crops available. This would make individual crops cost more, which would help farmers. Many farmers were facing serious debt problems at the time.
However, others disagreed with Bedell's plan. Some representatives felt that farmers already voted for politicians to make these decisions. The Reagan Administration also opposed the plan. They did not like production controls. President Reagan even threatened to stop the entire farm bill if Bedell's plan was included. In the end, Bedell's plan was removed from the bill.
Investigating Large Businesses
As Chairman of the Small Business Subcommittee, Bedell investigated large oil companies. He looked into claims that they were selling products for too little money. He also said that some large oil companies did not pay all their taxes. He wanted to pass laws to add more rules for these companies.
Bedell gained support from small gasoline sellers and Congressman Bill Nelson. One main target was ARCO, accused of not paying all its taxes on Alaskan oil. The government tried to make a case against ARCO, but it was dropped in 1985. Bedell said the government was "not caring" about small business owners. He suggested that government agencies should set aside money for small businesses in their research and development budgets.
Disagreements with President Reagan
In 1983, Bedell visited Nicaragua and Honduras. He spoke with soldiers, officials, and members of a group called the contras. He concluded that President Ronald Reagan was helping the contras. This was against a law passed by Congress in 1982. Bedell promised to hold hearings when he returned to Congress.
Bedell and other Democrats asked the White House for documents about the contras. But the Reagan Administration refused to give them. Bedell became very upset with Reagan's policies in Central America. He called them "sheer lunacy." He said that mining harbors was an act of war. Bedell retired from Congress before the Iran–Contra affair became public.
Bedell also strongly criticized Reagan's farming policies. He called Reagan's agricultural plan a failure. He also criticized the Department of Agriculture for dismissing an expert on organic farming. Bedell opposed Reagan's ideas for changing the USDA. These ideas generally involved shifting costs for things like meat inspections from the federal government to the industry.
After Politics
Berkley Bedell decided not to run for reelection in 1986. This was after he got Lyme disease from a tick bite. After leaving Congress, he started a center for alternative medicine. He became a strong supporter of health freedom.
Because of his friendship with Senator Tom Harkin, Bedell remained an important political figure in Iowa. Many politicians, like Howard Dean, met with him when they visited the state. Also, the Elinor Bedell State Park was created in 1998. It was on land donated by Berkley and Elinor Bedell. The park is named after Berkley's wife.
Bedell was against the Vietnam War. He signed a petition with 70 other former Congressmen. This petition urged against military action in Iraq in 2003. Bedell said it was hard to believe the United States would solve problems with war. He felt an Iraq war would be similar to the Vietnam War.
In the 2004 presidential election, Bedell supported Howard Dean. For the 2008 election, he met with Chris Dodd. Later, he supported Barack Obama. In the 2020 Democratic presidential primary, Bedell endorsed Elizabeth Warren.
Berkley Bedell passed away in Naples, Florida, on December 7, 2019. He was 98 years old. He died from problems after a stroke.
Images for kids
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Berkley Bedell
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First lieutenant insignia
