James Ross Lightfoot (born September 27, 1938) is an American businessman-broadcaster who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Iowa.

Jim Ross Lightfoot
Member of the
U.S. House of Representatives
from Iowa
In office
January 3, 1985 – January 3, 1997
Preceded byTom Harkin
Succeeded byLeonard Boswell
Constituency5th district (1985–1993)
3rd district (1993–1997)
Personal details
Born (1938-09-27) September 27, 1938 (age 86)
Sioux City, Iowa, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Children4
Residence(s)White Oak, Texas, U.S.
Military service
Branch/service United States Army
UnitUnited States Army Reserve

Early life

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Lightfoot was born in the Florence Crittenton Home for Unwed Mothers in Sioux City, Iowa. He was raised on a farm near Farragut, Iowa, where he graduated from Farragut High School in 1956.

Career

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Early career

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Lightfoot served eight years in the United States Army and United States Army Reserve. He began his career working for IBM as a customer engineer and was eventually transferred to Tulsa, Oklahoma. He also worked as an officer in the Tulsa Police Department.

Returning to his native Iowa in the early-1960s, Lightfoot became a broadcaster on KMA radio, the flagship station of May Broadcasting Company. While at KMA, Lightfoot was also well known as a rodeo announcer and sought-after speaker for various organizations’ events.

U.S. House of Representatives

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He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1984, after five-term incumbent Tom Harkin gave up the seat to make a successful run for the United States Senate. Lightfoot served there for six terms, compiling a mostly conservative voting record. During his last term, he served as chairman of the subcommittee of the United States House Committee on Appropriations which funded the Treasury Department, Postal Service, White House and other federal agencies. Lightfoot also spent eight years on the United States House Transportation Subcommittee on Aviation dealing with transportation issues. He holds commercial pilot and flight instructor ratings, which have allowed him a wide perspective on the aviation industry.

1996 U.S. Senate election

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In 1996, conforming to a promise to only serve twelve years in the House of Representatives, he left his seat to run for the Senate against Harkin. His entry into the race came in March. At a severe financial disadvantage, Lightfoot lost the race, after strong pre-election campaigning on Harkin's behalf by Bill Clinton, who carried Iowa by ten points in the presidential election.[1]

1998 Iowa gubernatorial campaign

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In 1998, at the request of the Republican Party,[who?] he ran against then State Senator Tom Vilsack for governor of Iowa. Lightfoot led in polling for most of the campaign, but Harkin's campaigning on Vilsack's behalf enabled Vilsack to win narrowly.[2]

Later career

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In December 1998, Lightfoot became the vice president of Forensic Technology, Inc.[3]

Lightfoot was a senior policy advisor for federal government relations with the Washington, D.C., office of Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney. He was a non-attorney professional in the firm's Federal Government Relations division.[citation needed]

In 2009, Lightfoot started his own consulting firm, Lightfoot Strategies.[4]

Personal life

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Lightfoot and wife Nancy reside in White Oak, Texas. They have four children and four grandchildren.[citation needed]

References

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  1. ^ Maisel, Louis Sandy; Buckley, Kara Z. (2005). Parties and Elections in America: The Electoral Process. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-0-7425-2670-9.
  2. ^ Payton, Tony (2004). Campaign War Stories. Allegiance Press. ISBN 978-1-59467-238-5.
  3. ^ Zeleny, Jeff (December 30, 1998). "High-tech police job lures Lightfoot". The Des Moines Register. p. 1. Retrieved June 24, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ Bureau, JAMES Q. LYNCH, Lee-Gazette Des Moines (July 5, 2010). "Former Iowa congressman still following political scene". Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier. Retrieved April 7, 2021. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Iowa's 5th congressional district

1985–1993
Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Iowa's 3rd congressional district

1993–1997
Succeeded by
Party political offices
Preceded by Republican nominee for U.S. Senator from Iowa
(Class 2)

1996
Succeeded by
Preceded by Republican nominee for Governor of Iowa
1998
Succeeded by
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded byas Former US Representative Order of precedence of the United States
as Former US Representative
Succeeded byas Former US Representative