Posted on 04/17/2006 11:17:12 PM PDT by fieldmarshaldj
Dan Schaefer
DENVER (AP) - Former GOP Rep. Dan Schaefer, who represented Colorado in Congress for 14 years until retiring in 1998, died Sunday. He was 70.
Schaefer won a special election in 1983 to fill a vacancy caused by the death of congressman-elect John Swigert, an Apollo 13 astronaut who died before he could take office.
A moderate Republican who liked backpacking and bow hunting, Schaefer served on the House Commerce Committee and was the senior member of the state's congressional delegation when he stepped down.
State Rep. Matt Knoedler, a Republican from Lakewood who worked for Schaefer when he got out of college, said Schaefer left a legacy that includes the cleanup of Rocky Flats Nuclear Weapons site and the passage of a federal law that requires the federal government to comply with federal environmental regulations.
In 1977, he was elected to the state House of Representatives and in 1979 he was elected to the state Senate before running for Congress in the special election.
Expanded article:
Former Colorado Congressman Schaefer Dies At 70
(AP) DENVER Former GOP Rep. Dan Schaefer, who represented Colorado in Congress for 14 years until he retired in 1998, died Sunday at age 70 after battling cancer.
A funeral Mass will be held Friday at Notre Dame Catholic Church in Lakewood, said Peggy Steele of the Horan and McConaty funeral home in Lakewood, who confirmed the death.
Schaefer won a special election in 1983 to fill a vacancy caused by the death of congressman-elect John Swigert, the Apollo 13 astronaut who died before he could take office.
A moderate Republican who liked backpacking and bow hunting, Schaefer served on the House Commerce Committee and was the senior member of the state's congressional delegation when he stepped down.
State Rep. Matt Knoedler, a Republican from Lakewood who worked for Schaefer when he got out of college, said Schaefer left a legacy that includes the cleanup of Rocky Flats Nuclear Weapons site and the passage of a federal law that requires the federal government to comply with federal environmental regulations.
"Colorado is a better place because of Dan Schaefer's leadership and vision," Knoedler said. He said he was told by family members that Schaefer died after battling cancer.
GOP Gov. Bill Owens said Schaefer was one of the first people he met when he moved to Colorado in 1977.
"He immediately struck me as someone who exemplified the best qualities of a public servant. He was dedicated to serving his constituents while he was in the state Legislature and he demonstrated that same commitment during his many years in Congress," Owens said in a statement.
Born Jan. 25, 1936, in Guttenberg, Iowa, he earned a bachelor of arts degree from Niagra University. He served in the Marine Corps from 1955 to 1957, became an educator and later a public affairs consultant.
In 1959, he married Mary Lenney. They had four children and lived in Lakewood. In 1977, he was elected to the state House of Representatives and in 1979 he was elected to the state Senate before running for Congress in the special election.
Schaefer said his career was mostly low key, and that's the way he planned it.
"I remember the great Ted Williams of baseball fame, who hit a home run and ran the bases in his last game ... then went on to other things," Schaefer said when he retired.
"I hit a home run when given the privilege of representing this great district. And rest assured, I will be in there swinging hard throughout the rest of my current term. Then, I'll go on to other challenges."
In 1998, he voted in favor of all four articles of impeachment against President Clinton. The articles accused Clinton of perjury in the Paula Jones civil lawsuit, perjury before a federal grand jury, obstructing justice and abuse of power.
The charges all stemmed from the president's alleged efforts to conceal his extramarital affair with former intern Monica Lewinsky.
Also in 1998, Schaefer asked voters to reject Referendum B, a plan to ask voters to give back some of their tax surplus refunds to help the state balance its budget.
"The taxpayers should get the full refund they were promised under the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights. The full refund helps our seniors, our families, and our young people just starting out," Schaefer said.
As chairman of the House Commerce Committee's energy and power subcommittee, he was a major proponent of plans to deregulate the electric power industry and to open the $208 billion industry to competition.
His plan called for every state to allow consumers to choose their power providers. It also would have required power suppliers to use more renewable energy, a boost for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. He was honored by having the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's Visitor Center in Golden named for him.
Survivors include his wife, Mary; three sons, a daughter, five grandchildren and his mother, Evelyn.
*ping*
May he rest in peace.
Prayers for his family.
R.I.P.
Condolences to Dan Shaefer's family and friends.
May he rest in peace. Prayers for his family.
Is this the man who opposed Coors for the 2004 Senate nomination? I don't think it is.
You're thinking of Bob Schaffer.
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