28 Facts About Berkley Bedell

Berkley Warren Bedell was an American Democratic Party politician and businessman who served as the US representative for Iowa's 6th congressional district from 1975 to 1987.

In 1974 however, Berkley Bedell beat Mayne and was elected to the US House.

Berkley Bedell 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 Berkley Bedell understand the problems of his constituents; as a result, he backed issues that were important to his farming constituency, such as waterway usage fees and production constraints.

Berkley Bedell did not seek reelection in 1986 after contracting Lyme disease from a tick bite.

Berkley Bedell graduated from Spirit Lake High School in 1939, where he earned spending money with a business in the midst of the Great Depression.

Berkley Bedell's business involved braiding dog hairs around fishhooks, the result of which could be sold as fish flies.

Berkley Bedell began tying the fly-fishing lures in his bedroom, then he moved the business into his parents' basement.

Berkley Bedell and Elinor married in Minneapolis on August 29,1943, and their son Kenneth was born in 1947, Thomas in 1950 and daughter Joanne in 1952.

Berkley Bedell served in the United States Army as first lieutenant and flight trainer from 1942 to 1945.

Berkley Bedell's business became larger, with hundreds of employees and international operations; he had become a millionaire by the 1960s.

Berkley Bedell served as member of the Spirit Lake Board of Education from 1957 to 1962.

Berkley Bedell held town halls regularly with his constituents, and he would let them vote on motions to decide what he would do in Congress on their behalf.

Berkley Bedell sponsored several bold initiatives during his tenure in the United States House of Representatives.

Berkley Bedell introduced legislation in 1977 that would require the barge industry to pay a fee for using the waterways which, Bedell pointed out, the Government paid millions of dollars to create and maintain.

In 1985, Berkley Bedell put forward an agricultural plan that he thought would increase production controls for farmers, thus raising prices for crops.

The Reagan Administration opposed the bill because of their opposition to production controls, and the President threatened to veto the farm bill if Berkley Bedell's plan was left in place.

Berkley Bedell claimed that certain large oil companies underpaid their "windfall taxes" in certain cases and wanted to pass legislation to increase regulations on these corporations.

Berkley Bedell promised to hold hearings after returning to Congress.

Berkley Bedell became angrier with the Reagan Administration as the decade wore on.

Berkley Bedell called his Central American policies "sheer lunacy", saying that the mining of harbors was an act of war.

Berkley Bedell was a sharp critic of Reagan's agricultural policies, calling for John Block to resign after calling his agricultural plan a failure that was "dead on arrival" in both the House and the Senate.

Berkley Bedell attacked the Department of Agriculture for "looking backward" when it dismissed the only expert on organic farming.

Berkley Bedell responded by denying any wrongdoing, saying that he has not been personally involved in the company in years.

Berkley Bedell decided not to seek reelection in 1986 after contracting Lyme disease from a tick bite.

Berkley Bedell said that it was unbelievable for the United States to settle disputes with war, and he said that an Iraq war would be similar to the Vietnam War.

Berkley Bedell was a member of the ReFormers Caucus of Issue One.

Berkley Bedell died in Naples, Florida, on December 7,2019, at age 98, from complications of a stroke he suffered three days earlier.