John Olver
John Walter Olver (September 3, 1936 – February 23, 2023) was an American politician and chemist who was the U.S. representative for Massachusetts's 1st congressional district from 1991 to 2013. Raised on a farm in Pennsylvania, Olver graduated from college at the age of 18 and went on to earn a PhD in chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and later taught chemistry at the University of Massachusetts Amherst for eight years.
John Olver | |
|---|---|
Olver in the 111th United States Congress | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts's 1st district | |
| In office June 18, 1991 – January 3, 2013 | |
| Preceded by | Silvio O. Conte |
| Succeeded by | Richard Neal |
| Member of the Massachusetts Senate from the Franklin and Hampshire district | |
| In office January 3, 1973 – June 15, 1991 | |
| Preceded by | John Barrus |
| Succeeded by | Stan Rosenberg |
| Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from the 2nd Hampshire district | |
| In office January 1, 1969 – January 3, 1973 | |
| Preceded by | Donald Madsen |
| Succeeded by | James Collins |
| Personal details | |
| Born | John Walter Olver September 3, 1936 Honesdale, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | February 23, 2023 (aged 86) Amherst, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse |
Rose Richardson
(m. 1959; died 2014) |
| Children | 1 |
| Education |
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He served in both chambers of the Massachusetts General Court, being elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1968 and the Massachusetts Senate in 1972. He ran in a 1991 special election to succeed 17-term Congressman Silvio O. Conte, who died in office. He was the first Democrat ever to represent the 1st congressional district.
Olver announced he would not seek re-election in 2012 and retired at the end of his eleventh term in Congress.