Joe Knollenberg facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Joe Knollenberg
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan |
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| In office January 3, 1993 – January 3, 2009 |
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| Preceded by | William Broomfield |
| Succeeded by | Gary Peters |
| Constituency | 11th district (1993–2003) 9th district (2003–2009) |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Joseph Kastl Knollenberg
November 28, 1933 Mattoon, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | February 6, 2018 (aged 84) Troy, Michigan, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Sandie Knollenberg |
| Children | 2, including Marty |
| Alma mater | Eastern Illinois University |
| Occupation | Insurance agent |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1955–1957 |
| Rank |  Corporal |
Joseph Kastl Knollenberg (born November 28, 1933 – died February 6, 2018) was an American politician from Michigan. He was a member of the Republican Party. From 1993 to 2009, he served in the U.S. House of Representatives. This is where laws are made for the whole country. He represented districts in Michigan, first the 11th and then the 9th.
During his time in Congress, Knollenberg supported important agreements like the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). He also agreed with President George W. Bush on protecting goods made in the U.S. Later in his career, he voted against expanding the Children's Health Insurance Program, which helps kids get health care.
In the 2008 election, he lost his seat to Gary Peters.
Contents
Early Life and Career
Joseph Knollenberg was born in Mattoon, Illinois. His mother, Helen, was a teacher, and his father, William, was a farmer. He grew up on a farm with 12 brothers and sisters. His family was Catholic. He graduated from Eastern Illinois University in 1955.
After college, he joined the United States Army. He served from 1955 to 1957 as a corporal in Germany. He worked with petroleum chemistry during his service. After the Army, he became an insurance agent. He worked for over 30 years in this field. He even started his own company, Knollenberg Agency, in the late 1980s. Before becoming a politician, he led the Republican Party in Oakland County from 1978 to 1982.
Congressional Journey
In 1992, Knollenberg was helping Congressman William Broomfield with his campaign. Broomfield had been in Congress since 1957. But Broomfield decided not to run again. He then asked Knollenberg to run for his seat in the 11th District. This district had been renumbered after a population count in 1990.
Knollenberg was the only candidate in his party's primary election who had not held an elected office before. But he still won the nomination by a lot of votes. The 11th District was very Republican at that time. This meant he was almost sure to win the main election. He was re-elected six times and always won with more than 55 percent of the votes.
In 2004, Knollenberg won his seventh term with 58% of the vote. But in 2006, he faced a tough election against Nancy Skinner. She was a popular talk show host from the Democratic Party. Knollenberg won that election by six points. Two years later, in 2008, it was harder for Republicans to win elections. Knollenberg lost his re-election to former state senator Gary Peters.
Knollenberg usually voted in a conservative way. He supported the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). He also worked against President George W. Bush's taxes on steel. In 2002, he received the Mkhitar Gosh Medal from the president of Armenia. On September 29, 2008, he voted against a law called the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008.
Working in Committees
In Congress, members work in different committees. These groups focus on specific topics. Knollenberg was part of the Appropriations Committee. This committee decides how the government spends money.
- Subcommittees he worked on included:
- State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs
- Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (where he was a top member)
The 2006 Election Race
In 2006, Knollenberg was challenged by Patricia Godchaux in his own party. The main candidate from the Democratic Party was Nancy Skinner. She was a well-known radio talk show host in the Detroit area. There were also candidates from the Green Party and the Libertarian Party.
Before 2006, Knollenberg's elections were usually easy to win. This was because his district, which included Troy, usually voted Republican. But after new district maps were drawn in the 2000s, his district became more friendly to Democrats. It lost some areas that voted Democratic but gained others like Pontiac that also voted Democratic.
In the 2006 election, Knollenberg almost lost. He won with 52 percent of the votes, while Skinner got 46 percent. This was the closest a Democrat had come to winning that district in 48 years. Knollenberg spent $2.7 million on his campaign.
The 2008 Election Race
In January 2006, Congressman Knollenberg said he would run for re-election in 2008. Because he won by such a small amount in 2006, and because his district was changing, the Democratic Party decided to try and defeat him. They focused on districts where Republicans won with less than 55% of the vote.
The Democratic candidate was Gary Peters. He used to be the state lottery commissioner. Nancy Skinner had thought about running again, but she decided not to, to make it easier for Peters to win. Other candidates included Jack Kevorkian (running as an independent), Adam Goodman (Libertarian), and Douglas Campbell (Green). These candidates spent very little money on their campaigns.
On November 4, 2008, Knollenberg lost the election. He received 43 percent of the votes, while Peters got 52 percent. Many people believe that the strong support for Barack Obama in the Detroit area also hurt Knollenberg's chances. Obama won Oakland County by a large margin. Also, advertisements criticizing Knollenberg's vote against expanding the Children's Health Insurance Program may have played a role in his defeat.
Family and Later Life
Joseph Knollenberg had two sons, Stephen and Martin, with his wife, Sandra "Sandie" Moco. They got married in September 1962. His son, Martin, also became a politician. He was elected to the Michigan State House of Representatives in 2006.
Joseph Knollenberg passed away on February 6, 2018. He was 84 years old. He died from problems related to Alzheimer's disease at a care facility in Troy, Michigan.
