John Olver | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Olver in the 111th United States Congress | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts's 1st district | |
| In office June 18, 1991 – January 3, 2013 | |
| Preceded by | Silvio O. Conte |
| Succeeded by | Richard Neal |
| Member of the Massachusetts Senate from the Franklin and Hampshire district | |
| In office January 3, 1973 – June 15, 1991 | |
| Preceded by | John Barrus |
| Succeeded by | Stan Rosenberg |
| Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from the 2nd Hampshire district | |
| In office January 1, 1969 – January 3, 1973 | |
| Preceded by | Donald Madsen |
| Succeeded by | James Collins |
| Personal details | |
| Born | John Walter Olver September 3, 1936 Honesdale, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | February 23, 2023 (aged 86) Amherst, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse |
Rose Richardson
(m. 1959; died 2014) |
| Children | 1 |
| Education | |
John Walter Olver (September 3, 1936 – February 23, 2023) was an American politician and chemist who was the U.S. representative for Massachusetts's 1st congressional district from 1991 to 2013. Raised on a farm in Pennsylvania, Olver graduated from college at the age of 18 and went on to earn a PhD in chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and later taught chemistry at the University of Massachusetts Amherst for eight years.
He served in both chambers of the Massachusetts General Court, being elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1968 and the Massachusetts Senate in 1972. He ran in a 1991 special election to succeed 17-term Congressman Silvio O. Conte, who died in office. He was the first Democrat ever to represent the 1st congressional district.
Olver announced he would not seek re-election in 2012 and retired at the end of his eleventh term in Congress. He died at home in 2023 at age 86.