John V. Tunney

John V. Tunney
United States Senator
from California
In office
January 2, 1971 – January 1, 1977
Preceded byGeorge Murphy
Succeeded byS. I. Hayakawa
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from California's 38th district
In office
January 3, 1965 – January 2, 1971
Preceded byPatrick M. Martin
Succeeded byVictor Veysey
Personal details
Born
John Varick Tunney

(1934-06-26)June 26, 1934
New York City, U.S.
DiedJanuary 12, 2018(2018-01-12) (aged 83)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouses
Mieke Sprengers
(m. 1959; div. 1973)
Kathinka Osborne
(m. 1977)
Children3
Parent(s)Gene Tunney
Polly Lauder
RelativesLauder Greenway Family
EducationYale University (BA)
University of Virginia (LLB)
Military service
Branch/serviceUnited States Air Force
Years of service1960–1963
RankCaptain
UnitAir Force Judge Advocate General's Corps

John Varick Tunney (June 26, 1934 – January 12, 2018) was an American politician who served as a United States Senator and Representative from the state of California in the 1960s and 1970s. A Democrat, Tunney was known for his focus on anti-trust and environmental legislation, especially the Noise Pollution Control Act of 1972 and the anti-trust Tunney Act. Tunney also strongly supported civil rights and shepherded the 1975 expansion of the Voting Rights Act.[1]

He was the son of boxing champion Gene Tunney. A fellow Irish-American Catholic,[2] Tunney was a roommate of Edward Kennedy at the University of Virginia School of Law,[3] and became one of his best friends.[4] Tunney won the 1970 United States Senate election in California, but was narrowly defeated by a Republican S. I. Hayakawa in the 1976 United States Senate election in California. After his loss, Tunney became an environmental activist.[1]

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference latimes_1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference gene_1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Joseph Cerrell (June 13, 1969). "Joseph Cerrell Oral History Interview—6/13/1969" (PDF). Los Angeles, California. p. 33.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference nytimes_1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).