John Ensign facts for kids

Quick facts for kids John Ensign
Official portrait, 2007
United States Senator from Nevada
In office January 3, 2001 – May 3, 2011
Preceded by	Richard Bryan
Succeeded by	Dean Heller
Chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee
In office January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2009
Preceded by	Elizabeth Dole
Succeeded by	John Cornyn
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Nevada's 1st district
In office January 3, 1995 – January 3, 1999
Preceded by	James Bilbray
Succeeded by	Shelley Berkley
Personal details
Born	(1958-03-25) March 25, 1958 (age 67) Roseville, California, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Darlene Sciaretta ​ ​ (m. 1987; div. 2019)​
Children	3
Education	Oregon State University (BS) Colorado State University (DVM)
Signature

John Eric Ensign (born March 25, 1958) is an American veterinarian and former politician. He served as a United States Senator for Nevada from 2001 until he resigned in 2011. Before that, he was a member of the House of Representatives for Nevada's 1st congressional district from 1995 to 1999. He is a member of the Republican Party. After leaving the Senate, Ensign went back to being a veterinarian in Nevada.

Early Life and Becoming a Veterinarian

John Ensign was born in 1958 in Roseville, California. When he was four, he moved to Nevada with his mother. His mother later married Michael S. Ensign, who worked in the gaming industry. Michael adopted John, and John considers him his "real father."

John Ensign went to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Oregon State University in 1981. Then, he got his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Colorado State University in 1985. Soon after, he started working as a veterinarian. He became a successful businessman, opening a 24-hour animal hospital in Las Vegas. He owned two animal hospitals before he entered politics.

Ensign also has a unique family background. He is one-eighth Filipino. He learned about this part of his family around 1994. In 1997, he received an honor from Filipino leaders called the Order of the Knights of Rizal.

After he left the U.S. Senate in 2011, Ensign returned to Las Vegas. He started working as a veterinarian again and opened Boca Park Animal Hospital.

Political Career

John Ensign had a career in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate.

Serving in the U.S. House of Representatives

In 1994, Ensign ran for a seat in the United States House of Representatives. He won the election for Nevada's 1st congressional district. He was reelected in 1996.

Serving in the U.S. Senate

In 1998, Ensign ran for the United States Senate but lost by a very small number of votes.

He tried again in 2000 and won a Senate seat. He defeated his opponent by a good margin. He was reelected in 2006. During his time in the Senate, Ensign often worked with Senator Harry Reid on issues important to Nevada.

In 2009, Ensign resigned from his role as chair of the Senate Republican Policy Committee. This happened during a Senate Ethics Committee investigation. On April 21, 2011, Ensign announced he would resign from the Senate, effective May 3. He stated he wanted to protect his family and the Senate from further investigations.

Leading the National Republican Senatorial Committee

Ensign was chosen to be the Chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC). This committee works to help Republicans win Senate elections. As chairman, Ensign was in charge of building a team to help Republicans gain more seats in the Senate in the 2008 elections.

Rules for Fund-Raising Reports

In 2007, it was found that Ensign had used a special Senate rule called the "secret hold." This rule allows a Senator to temporarily stop a bill from being voted on. He used it to prevent a bill that would make Senators file their fund-raising reports electronically. He wanted a vote on his own amendment first, which aimed to make groups giving money to the Senate Ethics Committee reveal their donors.

Senate Committee Work

While in the Senate, John Ensign was part of several important committees. These committees study different topics and help create new laws.

• Committee on the Budget
• Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation
• Committee on Finance
• Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs

Political Views

John Ensign held specific views on many important issues during his time in politics.

Supporting Animal Welfare

As a veterinarian, Ensign was a strong supporter of animal welfare. He worked with other Senators to pass the Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act. This law made it a serious crime (a felony) to transport animals across state lines for fighting. This helped to stop illegal activities like dog fighting and cockfighting.

Views on Property Rights

Ensign was against a Supreme Court decision called Kelo v. New London. This ruling said that local governments could use eminent domain (taking private property for public use) for projects that had a "public purpose," even if it meant giving the land to a private company. Ensign believed this was unfair to homeowners and introduced a bill to limit this power.

Financial Responsibility

A group that watches how the government spends money, Citizens Against Government Waste, gave Ensign a high rating for his focus on saving money. In 2005, Ensign suggested creating a special commission. This commission would find government programs that were unnecessary or wasteful. Then, Congress would have to vote to eliminate those programs.

Health Care

Ensign did not support President Barack Obama's health care reform laws. He voted against both the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in 2009 and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010.

Marriage

In 2004, Ensign spoke in the Senate in favor of the proposed Federal Marriage Amendment. This amendment would have stopped states from allowing same-sex marriage.

Prison Reform

In 2011, Ensign introduced a bill that would have required prisoners in low-security prisons to work 50 hours each week.

Veterans' Benefits

In 2008, Ensign voted against a measure that would have given more federal benefits to Filipino veterans who fought with the U.S. during World War II. He believed that benefits should be focused on veterans living in the United States. However, the measure still passed Congress.

Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq

Ensign voted to allow the President to use the U.S. military to prevent terrorism. This vote led to the invasion of Afghanistan. He also supported using the military in Iraq to protect U.S. security. He supported the plan to send more troops to Iraq in 2007 and was against taking troops out of Iraq in 2007 and 2008.

Personal Life

John Ensign and his ex-wife, Darlene, have three children. They divorced in 2019 after 31 years of marriage. Ensign is a member of the Pentecostal International Church of the Foursquare Gospel. During his time in the Senate, he was the only Pentecostal Senator. He also lived at the C Street Center, a religious house in Washington, D.C., for some time.

Electoral History

*Write-in and minor candidate notes: In 2000, Independent American candidate Ernie Berghof received 2,540 votes; Citizens First candidate Bill Grutzmacher received 1,579 votes; No Vote Cast received 457 votes; and Over Vote received 69 votes.

** Nevada law since 1975 allows dissatisfied voters to vote for "None of These Candidates."

Images for kids

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  Official portrait, 2007

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  John Ensign's signature

See also

In Spanish: John Ensign para niños

• List of federal political scandals in the United States
• List of Asian Americans and Pacific Islands Americans in the United States Congress
• List of United States senators expelled or censured