Berkley Bedell, Date of Birth, Place of Birth

Berkley Bedell

United States Congressman

Date of Birth: 05-Mar-1921

Place of Birth: Spirit Lake, Iowa, United States

Profession: politician

Nationality: United States

Zodiac Sign: Pisces

Berkley Warren Bedell (March 5, 1921 – December 7, 2019) was an American Democratic Party politician and businessman who served as the U.S.
Representative for Iowa's 6th congressional district from 1975 to 1987.
After starting a successful business in his youth, Berkley Fly Co., he ran for Congress in 1972, but was defeated by incumbent Wiley Mayne.
In 1974 however, Bedell beat Mayne and was elected to the U.S.
House. He 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 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.He did not seek reelection in 1986 after contracting Lyme disease from a tick bite.
Though he no longer served in Congress, Bedell remained active in Iowa politics, strongly supporting Howard Dean in 2004 over John Kerry.
In the 2008 presidential election, he met several times with Chris Dodd, but endorsed Barack Obama in the end.