Joe Schwarz



John J. H. "Joe" Schwarz, a Republican from Michigan, was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 2004. He represented the state's 7th Congressional district (map) from 2005 to 2007. He was defeated in the Republican primary for reelection in 2006 by Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.).

Background
Schwarz was born November 15, 1937 in Battle Creek, Michigan. He graduated from Battle Creek Central High School where he played on the baseball and football teams. In 1959, he received a Bachelor of Arts in History] from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, where he also played on the football team. He earned a M.D. from Wayne State University, Detroit, in 1964. He subsequently joined the U.S. Navy, where he served as a combat surgeon for a Marine battalion in Vietnam. He was then assigned to the U.S. Embassy at Jakarta, Indonesia, where he first met his future wife, Anne. From 1968-1970, he worked as a Central Intelligence Agency operative in Southeast Asia. After resinging from the CIA in 1970, he completed his medical residency training in otolaryngology at the Harvard Medical School.

He returned to Battle Creek in 1974, and has been a practicing physician in Battle Creek since, though he gave up his practice after his election to Congress in 2004.

Positions and Views
He served as a Battle Creek City Commissioner, 1979-1985, as mayor of Battle Creek, 1985-1987, and as a member of the Michigan Senate, 1987-2002 where he was president pro tempore, 1993-2002. He left the senate due to term-limit laws. Schwarz had lost an earlier attempt to receive the Republican nomination for a seat in the U.S. House in 1992 when he lost to Nick Smith in the primary for the 7th District. He co-chaired the U.S. presidential Republican primary campaign of his friend Senator John McCain in 2000, which resulted in a victory for McCain in Michigan.

Schwarz was elected to succeed the retiring Smith, whose voting record was much more conservative.

Schwarz has a reputation as a solid moderate. Schwarz supports fair tax increases and advocates an increased federal presence in several areas, notably in higher education and transportation. He is a member of Christine Todd Whitman's Its My Party Too and The Republican Main Street Partnership. He is also a member of The Republican Majority For Choice, Republicans For Choice and Republicans For Enviornmental Protection. Because of his moderate record, the Club for Growth is targeting him in the 2006 elections.

He is more in line with the Republican Party on overhauling America's medical malpractice laws, which he says lead to frivolous lawsuits and force doctors to demur from treating patients. However, his experience as a doctor also places him firmly in the party's moderate wing on the issues of health care accessibility and embryonic stem cell research.

Primary defeat
On August 8, 2006, Schwarz was defeated in the Republican primary for his congressional seat. Tim Walberg, a former pastor, beat Schwarz in a close race largely by attacking the congressman's moderate views on issues such as abortion and stem-cell research.

Schwarz had been backed by both President George W. Bush and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).

Committees in the 109th Congress (2005-2006)

 * House Committee on Agriculture
 * Subcommittee on Conservation Credit Rural Development and Research
 * Subcommittee on Specialty Crops and Foreign Agriculture Programs
 * House Committee on Armed Services
 * House Defense Review Threat Panel
 * Subcommittee on Readiness
 * Subcommittee on Strategic Forces
 * House Committee on Science
 * Subcommittee on Energy
 * Subcommittee on Environment Technology and Standards

Boards and other Affiliations

 * President-Elect, University of Michigan Alumni Association, 2003-present
 * Trustee, Olivet College, 1991-present
 * Member, Alumni Visiting Committee for College of Literature, Science and the Arts, University of Michigan, 1986-present
 * Trustee, Library of Michigan, 1994-2003
 * Director/Treasurer, American Legacy Foundation, 1999-2002
 * Member, Wayland Academy Board of Trustees, 1992-1996
 * Member, Board of Visitors, Wayne State University School of Medicine, 1992
 * Member, Olivet College Board of Trustees, 1990
 * President, University of Michigan Club of Battle Creek, 1985
 * Member, Board of Trustees, Leila Y. Post Montgomery Hospital, 1980-1982
 * President, Calhoun County Medical Society, 1979
 * Michigan Republican State Committee, 1975-1976
 * Diplomate, American Board of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, 1973
 * Fellow, American College of Surgeons
 * American Medical Association
 * American Society of Head and Neck Surgery
 * Member, Board of Trustees, Library of Michigan
 * Michigan Otolaryngological Society
 * Michigan State Medical Society
 * The Society of Medical Consultants to the Armed Forces
 * Honorary Board, Republicans for Environmental Protection

Articles and Resources

 * House website
 * Campaign Website

Local blogs and discussion sites

 * West Michigan Politics

Contact
DC Office: 128 Cannon House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515-2207 DC Phone: 202-225-6276 DC Fax: 202-225-6281 Web Email] Website

District Office- Battle Creek: 249 West Michigan Avenue Battle Creek, MI 49017 Phone: 269-965-9066 Fax: 269-965-9036

District Office-Saginaw 6604 West Saginaw Highway Saginaw, MI 48917 Phone: 517-323-6600 Fax: 517-327-7488

District Office- Jackson: 142 North Mechanic Street Jackson, MI 49201 Phone: 517-783-4486 Fax: 517-783-3012