Berkley Bedell

Berkley Bedell
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Iowa's 6th district
In office
January 3, 1975 – January 3, 1987
Preceded byWiley Mayne
Succeeded byFred Grandy
Personal details
Born
Berkley Warren Bedell

(1921-03-05)March 5, 1921
Spirit Lake, Iowa, U.S.
DiedDecember 7, 2019(2019-12-07) (aged 98)
Naples, Florida, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
Elinor Healy
​
​
(m. 1943; died 2017)​
Children3
Alma materIowa State University
ProfessionBusinessman
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service United States Army
Years of service1942–1945
Rank First lieutenant
Battles/warsWorld War II

Berkley Warren Bedell (March 5, 1921 – December 7, 2019) was an American Democratic Party politician and businessman who served as the U.S. representative for Iowa's 6th congressional district from 1975 to 1987. After starting a successful business in his youth, Berkley Fly Co., he ran for Congress in 1972, but was defeated by incumbent Wiley Mayne.[1] In 1974 however, Bedell beat Mayne and was elected to the U.S. House.

He was known for his support of representative democracy and his populist style. For example, he would hold town halls and let constituents vote on motions to decide what he would do in Congress on their behalf and these meetings helped Bedell understand the problems of his constituents;[2] as a result, he backed issues that were important to his farming constituency, such as waterway usage fees[3] and production constraints.[4]

Bedell did not seek reelection in 1986 after contracting Lyme disease from a tick bite.[5] Though no longer serving in Congress, he remained active in Iowa politics, strongly supporting Howard Dean in 2004 over John Kerry.[6] In the 2008 presidential election, he met several times with Chris Dodd,[7] but ultimately endorsed Barack Obama.[citation needed]

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