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Leonard L. Boswell (D-Iowa)

U.S. Representative (since January 1997)

(Congress Bio Directory)

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Background

At a Glance

Career History: Iowa state Senate (1984-1996); Army (1956-1976)
Birthday: January 10, 1934
Hometown: Harrison County, Mo.
Alma Mater: Graceland College, B.A. 1969
Spouse: Dody
Religion: Reorganized Latter Day Saints

Committees: Transportation and Infrastructure; Agriculture
DC Office: 1427 Longworth House Office Building, 202-225-3806
State/District Office: Des Moines, 505-282-1909
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Path to Power

Boswell was born in 1934, raised on farms in rural southwest Iowa.

In 1956, Boswell was drafted into the Army, eventually rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel. He served two one-year tours of duty as a helicopter pilot in Vietnam and spent seven years in Europe for NATO stationed in Germany and Portugal. After retiring from service in 1976, he taught at the Command and General Staff College in Fort Leavenworth, Kan.

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Boswell settled on his family farm back in Iowa, where he served as the local farmer's cooperative chair, leading it through the farm crisis of the 1980s.

State Politics

Boswell was elected as a state senator in 1984, representing a Republican district. He served as the chairman of the state Appropriations Committee before being elected the Senate president in 1992.

In 1994, Boswell ran for the lieutenant governor post in a failed bid with gubernatorial candidate Bonnie Campbell (D).

1996 House Race

In 1996, Boswell ran for the 3rd district seat being vacated by then-Rep. Jim Lightfoot (R-Iowa) who would run unsuccessfully against Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa). After winning his party's primary, Boswell faced former Iowa Republican Party Chairman Mike Mahaffey in the general election.

Boswell flew around the district in his four-seater Piper Comanche 250, an aircraft that would be a prominent symbol of his congressional tenure. Running on a platform focusing on balancing the federal budget by at least partially slashing defense programs, Boswell won the seat 49 to 48 percent.

Reelection Races

Since then, Boswell has defended his district with varying degrees of comfort. In 2000, he won with 63 percent of the vote, the highest vote share he has ever received.

In June 2001, Boswell's 3rd district was remade in a non-partisan manner, incorporating less than a quarter of his previous constituents and excluding Decatur County, home of his family farm, which was placed into the safe Republican 5th. Boswell moved to Des Moines, staying with his district and forcing state Sen. Matt McCoy (D), who said previously he'd run, out of the race.

Still, reelections didn't come easy. Boswell fended off attorney Stan Thompson (R) in 2002 and 2004, before eking out 52 percent of the vote in 2006, a strong Democratic year nationally, against Jeff Lamberti (R), co-president of the state Senate.

In 2005, Boswell was absent from the House for three months due to the removal of a non-cancerous abdominal tumor and chemotherapy. He also spent four weeks in the hospital in summer 2008. Boswell's 2008 Republican challenger Kim Schmett, who he defeated 56 to 42 percent, made his health an issue during the campaign.

Boswell sits on two House committees: Agriculture and Transportation and Infrastructure.

The Issues

During the 110th Congress, Boswell voted with Democrats 96.5 percent of the time.

After the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the government cannot ban political spending by corporations because it restricted free speech, Boswell introduced a resolution in January 2010 seeking to overturn it.

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The Network

Boswell works closely with other members of Iowa's congressional delegation, including Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and Democratic Reps. Bruce Braley and David Loebsack.

Boswell also is closely connected with Tom Vilsack, secretary of the Department of Agriculture and the former Democratic governor of Iowa. "His nomination is good for Iowa, and the country," Boswell said upon Vilsack being named to the post.

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