Jim Kolbe

Jim Kolbe
Kolbe in the 1990s
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Arizona
In office
January 3, 1985 – January 3, 2007
Preceded byJames F. McNulty Jr.
Succeeded byGabby Giffords
Constituency
Member of the Arizona Senate
from the 14th district
In office
January 3, 1977 – December 31, 1982
Preceded byLucy Davidson
Succeeded byWilliam De Long
Personal details
Born
James Thomas Kolbe

(1942-06-28)June 28, 1942
Evanston, Illinois, U.S.
DiedDecember 3, 2022(2022-12-03) (aged 80)
Political party
Spouses
  • Sarah Dinham
    (m. 1977; div. 1992)
  • Hector Alfonso
    (m. 2013)
Education
Military service
Branch/serviceUnited States Navy
Years of service
  • 1967–1969 (Active)
  • 1970–1977 (Reserve)

James Thomas Kolbe (June 28, 1942 – December 3, 2022) was an American politician who served as a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives. He represented Arizona's 5th congressional district from 1985 to 2003 and its 8th congressional district from 2003 to 2007. A moderate, pro–abortion rights Republican, he came out as gay in 1996 after voting in support of the Defense of Marriage Act; his subsequent re-elections made him the second openly gay Republican elected to Congress.

After leaving Congress, Kolbe served on the Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations under Democratic president Barack Obama. Kolbe left the Republican Party and became an independent in 2018 after the election of Donald Trump. He endorsed Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election.