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Jerry Kleczka

American politician (1943–2017)

Jerry Kleczka
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Wisconsin's 4th district
In office April 3, 1984 – January 3, 2005
Preceded by	Clement Zablocki
Succeeded by	Gwen Moore
Member of the Wisconsin Senate from the 7th district
In office January 3, 1983 – April 3, 1984
Preceded by	Kurt Frank
Succeeded by	John Plewa
Member of the Wisconsin Senate from the 3rd district
In office January 6, 1975 – January 3, 1983
Preceded by	Casimir Kendziorski
Succeeded by	John Norquist
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the 9th district
In office January 1, 1973 – January 6, 1975
Preceded by	District created
Succeeded by	Phillip James Tuczynski
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the 14th Milwaukee County district
In office January 6, 1969 – January 1, 1973
Preceded by	Robert P. Kordus
Succeeded by	District abolished
Personal details
Born	Gerald Daniel Kleczka (1943-11-26)November 26, 1943 Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
Died	October 8, 2017(2017-10-08) (aged 73)
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Bonnie
Alma mater	University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee
Occupation	Accountant

Gerald Daniel Kleczka (/klɛtʃkɑː/;^[1] November 26, 1943 – October 8, 2017) was an American politician and Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from 1984 to 2005, representing Wisconsin's 4th congressional district.^[2] The district included the city of Milwaukee.

Life and education[edit]

After graduating from Milwaukee's Don Bosco High School,^[3] in 1961, he attended the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee for two years. Afterward, he served as an accountant and a member of the National Guard.

Politics[edit]

Kleczka was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly, serving from 1969 to 1974. Later, he was a member of the Wisconsin State Senate from 1975 to 1984. Kleczka was elected to the House in a special election following the death of Representative Clement J. Zablocki, defeating Milwaukee County District Attorney E. Michael McCann in the Democratic primary.^[4]

Tenure in Congress[edit]

While in Congress, Kleczka was a member of the United States House Committee on Ways and Means and later the United States House Committee on the Budget. He was known to be one of the more liberal members of Congress and helped to secure money for many programs for education, poverty relief, and housing improvements.^{[citation needed]}

For his first 10-and-a-half terms, Kleczka represented a district that included most of the southern half of Milwaukee, as well as part of eastern Waukesha County. After the 2000 census, his district was merged with the neighboring 5th District, covering downtown and north Milwaukee and represented by fellow Democrat Tom Barrett. The new 4th was a more compact district located solely in Milwaukee County, and took in all of the city of Milwaukee; it was by far the most Democratic district in Wisconsin. Although it retained Kleczka's district number, it was geographically and demographically more Barrett's district. However, Barrett opted to run for governor, effectively handing the seat to Kleczka.^[5]

The pronunciation of Kleczka's name often proved baffling to the uninformed. Rep. Frank Annunzio (D-IL) repeatedly butchered it to the point that an exasperated Kleczka took to calling him "Rep. Annunciation".^{[citation needed]}

Legal issues[edit]

Kleczka was arrested at least twice for drunk driving while in office. A 1995 arrest for drunken driving — his blood alcohol content was twice the legal limit in Virginia — led him to acknowledge his alcoholism and seek treatment. He credits religion as part of the reason for his recovery and continued to meet regularly with fellow recovering alcoholics.^[6]

Retirement and death[edit]

Kleczka announced his retirement in 2004, and did not run for reelection. He officially retired in January 2005 after ten terms in Congress, and was succeeded by State Senator Gwen Moore, also a Democrat.^[3]

After Kleczka retired, he moved to Middleton, Wisconsin, with his wife. Kleczka died on October 8, 2017, from natural causes at a care facility, in the Madison, Wisconsin area.^[2][7][8][9]

References[edit]

1. ^ Mayor Barrett on passing of Jerry Kleczka. YouTube. October 9, 2017. Event occurs at 0:03. Retrieved November 25, 2019.

^ ^{a b} "Former Rep. Jerry Kleczka Dies at 73". The Post-Crescent. October 10, 2017. p. A6. Retrieved July 22, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.

^ ^{a b} "Milwaukee's Jerry Kleczka Leaves Congress with Hefty Campaign Account". The Journal Times. November 6, 2004. p. 13. Retrieved July 23, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.

External links[edit]

• United States Congress. "Jerry Kleczka (id: K000259)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• Honorary Degree: Doctor of Laws Conferred on Jerry Kleczka Archived 2006-09-09 at the Wayback Machine, Marquette University, 2005.
• AppearancesonC-SPAN
• Jerry KleczkaatFind a Grave