Gary Hart facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Gary Hart
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Hart in 2019
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| United States Special Envoy for Northern Ireland | |
| In office October 21, 2014 – January 20, 2017 |
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| President | Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | Declan Kelly (2011) |
| Succeeded by | Mick Mulvaney (2020) |
| Vice Chair of the Homeland Security Advisory Council | |
| In office June 5, 2009 – February 8, 2011 |
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| President | Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | James Schlesinger |
| Succeeded by | Bill Bratton |
| United States Senator from Colorado |
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| In office January 3, 1975 – January 3, 1987 |
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| Preceded by | Peter Dominick |
| Succeeded by | Tim Wirth |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Gary Warren Hartpence
November 28, 1936 Ottawa, Kansas, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse |
Oletha Lee Ludwig
(m. 1958; died 2021) |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Martha Keys (sister-in-law) |
| Education | Southern Nazarene University (BA) Yale University (BDiv, LLB) St Antony's College, Oxford (DPhil) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1980–unknown |
| Rank |  Lieutenant |
| Unit | United States Navy Reserve Judge Advocate General's Corps |
Gary Warren Hart (born November 28, 1936) is an American politician, diplomat, and lawyer. He was a leading candidate for the 1988 Democratic presidential nomination. He represented Colorado in the United States Senate from 1975 to 1987.
Born in Ottawa, Kansas, Hart became a lawyer in Denver, Colorado after studying at Yale Law School. He helped manage Senator George McGovern's successful campaign for the 1972 Democratic presidential nomination. McGovern later lost the main election to President Richard Nixon. Hart then won against Republican Senator Peter Dominick in Colorado's 1974 Senate election.
In the Senate, he was part of the Church Committee, which looked into government agencies. He also led an investigation into the Three Mile Island accident, a nuclear power plant incident. After winning re-election in 1980, he helped create the Semiconductor Chip Protection Act of 1984. This made him known as an "Atari Democrat" because he supported new technology.
Hart ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 but lost to former Vice President Walter Mondale. He decided not to run for the Senate again in 1986 and instead sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 1988. He later withdrew from the race.
After 1988, Hart returned to private law and took on various public roles. He co-led the Hart-Rudman Task Force on Homeland Security, which focused on national safety. He also served on the Homeland Security Advisory Council and was the United States Special Envoy for Northern Ireland. He earned a doctorate in politics from the University of Oxford and has written several books and articles. Hart married Lee Ludwig in 1958, and they had two children. Lee passed away in 2021.
Early Life and Education
Hart was born in Ottawa, Kansas. His parents were Nina and Carl Riley Hartpence, who sold farm equipment. When he was young, he worked on the railroad. In 1961, he and his father changed their last name to "Hart" because it was easier to remember.
He grew up in the Church of the Nazarene but left it in 1968. In 1954, he received a scholarship to Bethany Nazarene College (now Southern Nazarene University) in Bethany, Oklahoma. He graduated in 1958 with a degree in philosophy. There, he met Oletha "Lee" Ludwig, and they married in 1958. Hart first planned to become a Nazarene minister. He earned a degree from Yale Divinity School in 1961 and then a law degree from Yale Law School in 1964.
Career Highlights
Early Legal Work
From 1964 to 1965, Hart worked as a lawyer for the United States Department of Justice. In 1965, he was allowed to practice law in Colorado and District of Columbia. He then worked as a special assistant for the United States Department of the Interior from 1965 to 1967. After that, he joined a private law firm in Denver, Colorado.
Managing George McGovern's 1972 Campaign
After the 1968 Democratic Convention, Senator George McGovern helped change how the Democratic Party chose its presidential candidate. The new rules made it easier for new people to get involved.
In the 1972 primary elections, McGovern chose Hart to lead his national campaign. Hart and Rick Stearns decided to focus on states that used caucuses (local meetings) instead of primary elections. They thought caucuses were easier and cheaper to win. Their plan helped McGovern win the nomination, but he lost the 1972 presidential election by a large amount.
Serving as a United States Senator
In 1974, Hart ran for the United States Senate against Peter Dominick, who had been senator for two terms. Colorado was becoming more Democratic, and Dominick's support for President Richard Nixon was not popular. Hart won by a large margin and was seen as a rising political star.
He joined the Armed Services Committee and wanted to change how the military bought equipment. He also supported smaller, more mobile weapons. Hart served on the Environment and Public Work Committee and the Senate Intelligence Committee. From 1975 to 1976, he was part of the Church Committee. This committee investigated government agencies like the Central Intelligence Agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Hart also led the Senate's investigation into the Three Mile Island accident, a nuclear power plant incident.
In 1980, Hart ran for a second term. He won narrowly against Mary Estill Buchanan. Hart was one of only four senators to vote against a plan for MX missiles in 1981. He also helped create the Semiconductor Chip Protection Act of 1984. This law protected the designs of integrated circuits (computer chips) from being copied. This made him known as a leader of the "Atari Democrats," who supported new technology.
In the late 1970s, Hart joined the United States Navy Reserve. He was older than the usual age limit and had no military experience before. He said he wanted to understand and communicate better with military members.
After his re-election in 1980, Hart became a lieutenant (junior grade) in the Judge Advocate General's Corps (the Navy's legal branch). He was promoted to lieutenant in 1982. Although he didn't often do reserve duties, he said his service helped him appreciate the military.
1984 Presidential Campaign
In February 1983, Hart announced he would run for president in the 1984 election. He was not well-known compared to other candidates like former Vice President Walter Mondale. To gain attention, Hart started campaigning very early in New Hampshire. This strategy got national media attention.
Mondale won the Iowa caucus, but Hart did well. Two weeks later, Hart surprised many by winning the New Hampshire primary by 10 percentage points. He quickly became the main challenger to Mondale.
Hart's campaign faced challenges. He struggled with funding and organization, especially against Mondale's strong support from labor unions. Some Democrats also found Hart's ideas too vague. It was also revealed that Hart had changed his last name and sometimes used a different birth year. He had also separated from his wife, Lee, twice. These personal details led some to question him. Hart and his wife later said these separations, caused by time apart due to politics, actually made their marriage stronger. They remained married until Lee's death in 2021.
Hart and Mondale traded wins in the primaries. Mondale began to criticize Hart's "new ideas" by famously asking, "Where's the beef?" This line, from a popular fast-food commercial, hurt Hart's campaign. Hart lost key primaries in New York and Pennsylvania but won Ohio and Indiana.
Mondale slowly gained more delegates. The race was decided in June on "Super Tuesday III." Hart hoped that uncommitted delegates would switch to him if he won big. However, Hart made a mistake by making a comment that seemed to insult New Jersey. While he won California, he lost New Jersey.
By the end of the primaries, Mondale had enough delegates to win the nomination. Hart tried to become the vice presidential candidate, but Mondale chose Geraldine Ferraro instead. At the 1984 Democratic National Convention, Hart gave a speech, saying his party and country would "continue to hear from us." Mondale later lost the election to President Ronald Reagan by a large margin.
Many felt that Hart and other younger candidates represented the future of the Democratic Party. Hart had refused money from Political Action Committees (PACs) and ended his campaign with significant debt.
1988 Presidential Campaign
Hart decided not to run for re-election to the Senate, planning to run for president again. In early 1987, he was seen as the leading candidate for the Democratic nomination. He officially announced his candidacy on April 13, 1987.
Soon after, news stories began to appear about Hart's personal life. The media started to focus heavily on rumors and reports about his behavior. This intense media attention created a difficult situation for his campaign. Hart's staff believed that voters were not as interested in these personal stories as the media was.
On May 8, 1987, a week after the stories began, Hart suspended his campaign. He stated that the invasive media coverage made it impossible for him to get his message across. He said he refused to subject his family and friends to further rumors and gossip. Hart felt the media was "dissecting" him and that the situation was "intolerable." He warned that the country might get leaders based on media scrutiny rather than their ideas.
After withdrawing, Hart went to Ireland. He stayed in touch with his team, and there were rumors he might return to the race. His campaign chairwoman, Patricia Schroeder, briefly entered the race but later withdrew.
In December 1987, Hart returned to the race, saying, "Let's let the people decide!" He argued that other candidates didn't represent his "new ideas" on economics and foreign policy. He competed in the New Hampshire primary but received only about four percent of the vote. After the "Super Tuesday" contests on March 8, where he did not do well, Hart withdrew from the campaign a second time. The Democratic nominee, Michael Dukakis, lost the 1988 United States presidential election by a large margin.
Later Career
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After his time in the Senate and his presidential campaigns, Hart returned to practicing law. He remained involved in public policy. He co-chaired the US Commission on National Security/21st Century, also known as the Hart–Rudman Commission, which studied U.S. homeland security. This commission warned about potential terrorist attacks before the September 11 attacks.
In 2001, he earned a doctorate in politics from the University of Oxford. He gave a speech on September 4, 2001, warning that a terrorist attack causing many deaths could happen in the United States within 25 years. He also met with National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice to urge faster action on homeland security.
In 2002, Hart considered running for president again and launched a website and speaking tour. After a few months, he decided not to run and instead supported John Kerry. He was later considered for a Cabinet position if Kerry won the presidency.
Since 2005, he has been a writer for HuffPost. He is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. In 2006, he became a professor at the University of Colorado at Denver. He wrote a book about President James Monroe. Hart is also involved with the Partnership for a Secure America, which works on bipartisan national security and foreign policy.
In 2007, Hart wrote a letter to the government of Iran, warning them not to provoke the U.S. He also wrote about how American energy policy is connected to national security. He founded the American Security Project in 2007.
Since leaving the Senate, he has become a consultant on national security and speaks on various topics, including the environment and homeland security. He has been a visiting lecturer at Oxford, Yale, and the University of California. He chairs several important councils related to U.S. security and defense. He has written many books and articles, including five novels.
U.S. Special Envoy for Northern Ireland
In October 2014, President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry appointed Hart as the new United States Special Envoy for Northern Ireland. This role involves working to promote peace and stability in Northern Ireland. Hart is the second former U.S. Senator to hold this position.
Electoral History
Colorado United States Senate election, 1974 (Democratic primary):
- Gary Hart – 81,161 (39.92%)
- Herrick S. Roth – 66,819 (32.86%)
- Martin P. Miller – 55,339 (27.22%)
Colorado United States Senate election, 1974
- Gary Hart (D) – 471,688 (57.23%)
- Peter H. Dominick (R) (inc.) – 325,526 (39.50%)
- John McCandish King (I) – 16,131 (1.96%)
- Joseph Fred Hyskell (Prohibition) – 8,404 (1.02%)
- Henry John Olshaw (Independent American) – 2,394 (0.29%)
Colorado United States Senate election, 1980:
- Gary Hart (D) (inc.) – 590,501 (50.34%)
- Mary Estill Buchanan (R) – 571,295 (48.70%)
- Earl Higgerson (Prohibition) – 7,265 (0.62%)
- Henry John Olshaw (I) – 4,081 (0.35%)
1984 Democratic presidential primaries:
- Walter Mondale – 6,952,912 (38.32%)
- Gary Hart – 6,504,842 (35.85%)
- Jesse Jackson – 3,282,431 (18.09%)
- John Glenn – 617,909 (3.41%)
- George McGovern – 334,801 (1.85%)
- Unpledged delegates – 146,212 (0.81%)
- Lyndon LaRouche – 123,649 (0.68%)
- Reubin O'Donovan Askew – 52,759 (0.29%)
- Alan Cranston – 51,437 (0.28%)
- Ernest Hollings – 33,684 (0.19%)
1984 Democratic National Convention:
- Walter Mondale – 2,191 (56.41%)
- Gary Hart – 1,201 (30.92%)
- Jesse Jackson – 466 (12.00%)
- Thomas Eagleton – 18 (0.46%)
- George McGovern – 4 (0.10%)
- John Glenn – 2 (0.05%)
- Joe Biden – 1 (0.03%)
- Martha Kirkland – 1 (0.03%)
1988 Democratic presidential primaries:
- Michael Dukakis – 9,898,750 (42.47%)
- Jesse Jackson – 6,788,991 (29.13%)
- Al Gore – 3,185,806 (13.67%)
- Dick Gephardt – 1,399,041 (6.00%)
- Paul M. Simon – 1,082,960 (4.65%)
- Gary Hart – 415,716 (1.78%)
- Unpledged delegates – 250,307 (1.07%)
- Bruce Babbitt – 77,780 (0.33%)
- Lyndon LaRouche – 70,938 (0.30%)
- David Duke – 45,289 (0.19%)
- James Traficant – 30,879 (0.13%)
- Douglas Applegate – 25,068 (0.11%)
1988 Democratic National Convention:
- Michael Dukakis – 2,877 (70.09%)
- Jesse Jackson – 1,219 (29.70%)
- Richard Stallings – 3 (0.07%)
- Joe Biden – 2 (0.05%)
- Dick Gephardt – 2 (0.05%)
- Lloyd Bentsen – 1 (0.02%)
- Gary Hart – 1 (0.02%)
See Also
- Atari Democrat
- Buie Seawell
