David Bonior | |
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House Minority Whip | |
In office January 3, 1995 – January 15, 2002 |
|
Leader | Dick Gephardt |
Preceded by | Newt Gingrich |
Succeeded by | Nancy Pelosi |
House Majority Whip | |
In office September 11, 1991 – January 3, 1995 |
|
Speaker | Tom Foley |
Preceded by | William H. Gray III |
Succeeded by | Tom DeLay |
House Democratic Chief Deputy Whip | |
In office January 3, 1987 – September 11, 1991 |
|
Speaker |
Jim Wright Tom Foley |
Preceded by | Bill Alexander |
Succeeded by |
Butler Derrick Barbara Kennelly & John Lewis |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan's 12th district | |
In office January 3, 1977 – January 3, 1993 |
|
Preceded by | James G. O'Hara |
Succeeded by | Sander Levin |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan's 10th district | |
In office January 3, 1993 – January 3, 2003 |
|
Preceded by | Dave Camp |
Succeeded by | Candice Miller |
Member of the Michigan House of Representatives | |
In office 1973–1976 |
|
Personal details | |
Born |
David Edward Bonior June 6, 1945 Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse(s) | Judy Bonior |
Military service | |
Service/branch | United States Air Force |
Years of service | 1968–1972 |
Rank | Staff Sergeant |
David Edward Bonior (born June 6, 1945) is an American politician from the US state of Michigan. First elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1976, Bonior served as Democratic whip in the House from 1991 to 2002, during which time Democrats were in both the majority (1991–1995) and minority (1995–2002), making Bonior the third and second highest-ranking Democrat in the House, respectively. During his tenure in office, Bonior was the public face of Democratic opposition to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and was known for his tenacity in opposing Republican Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, against whom Bonior filed more than seventy-five ethics charges.
Bonior was born in Detroit, Michigan, the son of Irene (Gavreluk) and Edward Bonior. He traces his family history from Ukraine and Poland. He graduated from Notre Dame High School in Harper Woods, Michigan, in 1963, where he excelled in sports. He received a B.A. from the University of Iowa, where he also played football and became a member of the Iowa Beta chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, in 1967. He received an M.A. from Chapman College in Orange, California, in 1972. He served in the United States Air Force during the peak of the Vietnam War, from 1968 to 1972. However, he did not serve in Vietnam. He was a founder of the Vietnam Era Veterans Caucus on Capitol Hill and was a strong support of the Vietnam veterans' movement.