Editing David Bonior

{{short description|American politician (born 1945)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2011}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name                = David Bonior
| image               = DavidEBonior.jpg
| caption             = Bonior in 2004
| office              = [[Party leaders of the United States House of Representatives|House Minority Whip]]
| leader              = [[Dick Gephardt]]
| term_start          = January 3, 1995
| term_end            = January 3, 2002
| predecessor         = [[Newt Gingrich]]
| successor           = [[Nancy Pelosi]]
| office1             = [[Party leaders of the United States House of Representatives|House Majority Whip]]
| leader1             = [[Tom Foley]]
| term_start1         = September 11, 1991
| term_end1           = January 3, 1995
| predecessor1        = [[William H. Gray III]]
| successor1          = [[Tom DeLay]]
| office2             = [[Party leaders of the United States House of Representatives|House Democratic Chief Deputy Whip]]
| leader2             = [[Jim Wright]]<br>[[Tom Foley]]
| term_start2         = January 3, 1987
| term_end2           = September 11, 1991
| predecessor2        = [[William Vollie Alexander Jr.|Bill Alexander]]
| successor2          = [[Butler Derrick]]<br>[[Barbara Kennelly]]<br>[[John Lewis]]
| state3              = [[Michigan]]
| term_start3         = January 3, 1977
| term_end3           = January 3, 2003
| predecessor3        = [[James G. O'Hara]]
| successor3          = [[Candice Miller]]
| constituency3       = {{ushr|MI|12|12th district}} (1977–1993)<br>{{ushr|MI|10|10th district}} (1993–2003)
| state_house4        = Michigan
| district4           = [[Michigan's 75th House of Representatives district|75th]]
| term_start4         = 1973
| term_end4           = 1977
| predecessor4        = David M. Serotkin
| successor4          = David H. Evans
| birth_name          = David Edward Bonior
| birth_date          = {{birth date and age|1945|6|6}}
| birth_place         = [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]], U.S.
| death_date          = 
| death_place         = 
| party               = [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
| spouse              = Judy Bonior
| education           = [[University of Iowa]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])<br>[[Chapman University]] ([[Master of Arts|MA]])
| allegiance          = {{flag|United States}}
| branch              = {{flag|United States Air Force}}
| serviceyears        = 1968–1972
| rank                = [[Staff sergeant|Staff Sergeant]]
| module              = {{Listen|pos=center|embed=yes|filename=House Minority Whip David Bonior on the Death of Rep. George Crockett Jr.ogg|title=David Bonior's voice|type=speech|description=David Bonior on the death of his former House colleague, [[George Crockett Jr.]]<br>Recorded September 9, 1997}}
| otherparty          = [[Democratic Socialists of America]]
}}
'''David Edward Bonior''' (born June 6, 1945) is an [[Politics of the United States|American politician]] from the U.S. state of [[Michigan]]. First elected to the [[U.S. House of Representatives]] in 1976, Bonior served as [[Party whips of the United States House of Representatives|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 Party (United States)|Democratic]] opposition to the [[North American Free Trade Agreement]] (NAFTA),<ref>Akers, Mary Ann. [http://blog.washingtonpost.com/sleuth/2008/01/where_are_they_now_david_bonio.html Where Are They Now? David Bonior, Bill Clinton] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081010214340/http://blog.washingtonpost.com/sleuth/2008/01/where_are_they_now_david_bonio.html |date=October 10, 2008 }} washingtonpost.com ''The Sleuth.'' 2008-01-16. Retrieved 2008-08-08.</ref> and was known for his tenacity in opposing Republican [[Speaker of the United States House of Representatives|Speaker of the House]] [[Newt Gingrich]], against whom Bonior filed more than seventy-five ethics charges.<ref>[http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/1997/gen/resources/players/bonior/ ''CNN-Time'' All Politics. Players: David A. (sic.) Bonior], 1997-03-03. Retrieved 2008-08-08.</ref>

==Early life==
Bonior was born in Detroit, Michigan, the son of Irene (Gavreluk) and Edward Bonior.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pLiQ3FEHEfUC&q=Irene%20Gavreluk%20Bonior&pg=PA126|title=Walking to Mackinac|first=David E.|last=Bonior|date=January 1, 2001|publisher=University of Michigan Press|isbn=0472087975|access-date=October 24, 2016|via=Google Books}}</ref> He traces his family history from [[Ukraine]] and [[Poland]].<ref name=macomb>{{dead link|date=October 2016}}{{cite web|title=A Family Journey into Industrial America|url=http://www.macomb.edu/Calendar/2012-09-21+Family+Journey.htm|publisher=Macomb Community College|access-date=7 September 2012}}{{dead link|date=September 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref name=ukrweek>[http://www.ukrweekly.com/old/archive/1991/499111.shtml GREETINGS, CONGRATULATIONS AND BEST WISHES] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203014356/http://www.ukrweekly.com/old/archive/1991/499111.shtml |date=December 3, 2013 }}, ''[[The Ukrainian Weekly]]'' (8 December 1991)</ref> He graduated from [[Notre Dame High School (Harper Woods, Michigan)|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 [[Master of Arts|M.A.]] from [[Chapman University|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, though not in [[Vietnam War|Vietnam]]. He was a founder of the Vietnam Era Veterans Caucus on Capitol Hill and was a strong supporter of the Vietnam veterans' movement.

==Political career==
Bonior was a [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] member of the [[Michigan State House of Representatives]] from 1973 to 1976. In 1976, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from [[Michigan's 12th congressional district|Michigan's 12th District]] (based in [[Macomb County]]) for the [[95th United States Congress|95th]] and to the twelve succeeding Congresses, serving from January 3, 1977, to January 3, 2003. His district was renumbered as the 10th in 1993, after Michigan lost a House seat as a result of the [[1990 United States census]].

From 1991 to 2002, Bonior was the House Democratic Whip. He served as [[Majority Whip of the United States House of Representatives|Majority Whip]] in the [[102nd United States Congress|102nd]] and [[103rd United States Congress|103rd]] Congresses. He was [[Minority Whip of the United States House of Representatives|Minority Whip]] for the [[104th United States Congress|104th]] through [[107th United States Congress|107th]] Congresses. While the Democrats were in the majority, Bonior was the third-ranking Democrat in the House, behind [[Speaker of the United States House of Representatives|Speaker]] [[Tom Foley]] and [[House Majority Leader]] [[Dick Gephardt]].  While they were in the minority, Bonior was second-in-command behind Gephardt.

In Congress, Bonior generally had a progressive voting record, but opposed abortion in most cases.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1141/is_1_39/ai_94079351|title=FindArticles.com - CBSi|access-date=October 24, 2016}}</ref> In 1991 he strongly supported recognition of [[Ukraine]] as an independent nation and was critical of the [[Presidency of George H. W. Bush#Dissolution of the Soviet Union|Bush administration]] on that matter.<ref name=ukrweek/>

For most of his tenure in Congress, Bonior represented a fairly compact district in [[Macomb County, Michigan|Macomb]] and [[St. Clair County, Michigan|St. Clair]] counties northeast of Detroit.  However, after the [[2000 United States Census]], Michigan lost one of its 16 seats in the House of Representatives. The redistricting task process was controlled by the [[United States Republican Party|Republican]] majority in the state legislature, and Bonior's home in [[Mount Clemens]] was shifted from the 10th District to the 12th District. That district had long been represented by Democrat [[Sandy Levin]], a longtime friend of Bonior's.  At the same time, the state legislature radically altered the 10th, extending it all the way to [[the Thumb]]. The new district was considerably more rural and Republican than its predecessor; [[George W. Bush]] narrowly won the old version of the 10th federal congressional district, but would have won the new modern version of the federal 10th congressional district by a large margin. By all accounts, the 10th had been redrawn for the popular Republican [[Michigan Secretary of State]] and Macomb County resident [[Candice Miller]].{{citation needed|date=October 2020}}

Due to this, Bonior did not run for reelection to the House, and chose to run for [[Governor of Michigan]], stepping down as House Democratic Whip in January 2002; [[Nancy Pelosi]] of California succeeded him as Whip. He lost in a heavily contested Democratic Party primary between former Governor [[James Blanchard]], and then-[[Michigan Attorney General]] and eventual party nominee [[Jennifer Granholm]], who went on to win the general election. As expected, Miller easily won Bonior's House seat and held it until eventually retiring in 2016. Proving how Republican-dominated the new district is, no Democratic nominee has won more than 40% of the vote since Bonior retired.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Michigan's 10th Congressional District |url=https://ballotpedia.org/Michigan%27s_10th_Congressional_District |access-date=2023-01-15 |website=Ballotpedia |language=en}}</ref>

==Post-congressional career==
Following his retirement from the House, Bonior became a professor of [[trade union|labor studies]] at [[Wayne State University]],<ref>Wayne State University Public Relations. [http://www.media.wayne.edu/2003/02/19/former-us-congressman-david-bonior-donates-personal-papers-to-wayne-state-universitys-walter-p-reuther-library Former U.S. Congressman David Bonior donates personal papers to Wayne State University's Walter P. Reuther Library]. 2003-02-19. Retrieved 2008-08-08.</ref> and founded [[American Rights at Work]], a [[trade union|union]] advocacy organization, of which he currently serves as chairman.<ref>American Rights at Work. [http://www.americanrightsatwork.org/david-bonior.html David Bonior] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081011222948/http://www.americanrightsatwork.org/david-bonior.html |date=October 11, 2008 }}. Retrieved 2008-08-08.</ref> In 2006, former Senator [[John Edwards]] chose Bonior to run his [[John Edwards presidential campaign, 2008|campaign for the presidency in 2008]].<ref>Christensen, Rob. [http://www.newsobserver.com/114/story/520248.html Edwards aide seen as pit bull] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080613055010/http://www.newsobserver.com/114/story/520248.html |date=June 13, 2008 }}. ''Raleigh News & Observer'' 2006-12-11. Retrieved 2008-08-08</ref> Bonior served as [[campaign manager]] for the duration of Edwards' candidacy.  Upon the election of Barack Obama in November 2008, Bonior was a member of the President-Elect's economic advisory board.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/06/us/politics/08transition.html?ei=5070&emc=eta1 |title=Obama Seeks Speedy Action on Economy |last1=Zeleny |first1=Jeff |author-link=Jeff Zeleny |last2=Calmes |first2=Jackie |date=7 November 2008 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=4 February 2015}}</ref>

[[File:MI 10th congressional district (106th Congress).PNG|thumb|right|Bonior's Congressional District from 1993 to 2003]]

He has also become a [[restaurateur]], owning and operating the restaurants Agua 301 and Zest.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://thekojonnamdishow.org/shows/2015-02-04/how_congress_has_shaped_d_c_s_dining_culture |title=How Congress Has Shaped D.C.'s Dining Culture |last=Nnamdi |first=Kojo |author-link=Kojo Nnamdi |date=4 February 2015 |work=The Kojo Nnamdi Show |publisher=[[WAMU]] |access-date=4 February 2015}}</ref>

Bonior is a member of the ReFormers Caucus of [[Issue One]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.issueone.org/reformers/|title=ReFormers Caucus - Issue One|access-date=October 24, 2016}}</ref>

Bonior and his wife were described as "longtime" members of the [[Democratic Socialists of America]] in 2015.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/detroitdsa/pages/70/attachments/original/1441479259/March_2015_DSA_Newsletter.pdf?1441479259|title=DSA Hosts Book Signing Event for Bonior Memoir|date=March 2015|first=David|last=Green|work=[[Democratic Socialists of America]]|access-date=November 26, 2018}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[List of Democratic Socialists of America who have held office in the United States]]

==References==
{{wikisource author}}
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{CongLinks | congbio=B000619}}
*{{C-SPAN|1399}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Bonior, David}}
[[Category:1945 births]]
[[Category:American politicians of Polish descent]]
[[Category:American politicians of Ukrainian descent]]
[[Category:Candidates in the 2002 United States elections]]
[[Category:Chapman University alumni]]
[[Category:Democratic Party members of the Michigan House of Representatives]]
[[Category:Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Michigan]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Members of Congress who became lobbyists]]
[[Category:Members of the Democratic Socialists of America from Michigan]]
[[Category:People from Mount Clemens, Michigan]]
[[Category:Sigma Alpha Epsilon members]]
[[Category:United States Air Force airmen]]
[[Category:University of Iowa alumni]]
[[Category:Wayne State University faculty]]
[[Category:Left-wing populism in the United States]]
[[Category:20th-century members of the Michigan Legislature]]
[[Category:20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives]]