John Spratt: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia

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{{Short description|American politician (born 1942)}}

{{Infobox officeholder

|name = John Spratt

|image = File:John Spratt, official portrait, 111thCongressional Congressphoto.jpg

|state = [[South Carolina]]

|district = {{ushr|SC|5|5th}}

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|predecessor1 = [[Jim Nussle]]

|successor1 = [[Paul Ryan]]

|office2 = Ranking Member of the [[United States House Committee on the Budget|House Budget Committee]]

|term_start2 = January 3, 1995

|term_end2 = January 3, 2007

|predecessor2 = [[John Kasich]]

|successor2 = [[Paul Ryan]]

|office3 = [[Category:MembersParty leaders of the United States House of Representatives|House fromDemocratic SouthAssistant to the CarolinaLeader]]▼

|term_start3 = January 3, 2003

|term_end3 = January 3, 2007

|leader3 = [[Nancy Pelosi]]

|predecessor3 = [[Rosa DeLauro]]

|successor3 = [[Xavier Becerra]]

|birth_name = John McKee Spratt Jr.

|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1942|11|1}}

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|serviceyears = 1969–1971

|mawards = [[Meritorious Service Medal (United States)|Meritorious Service Medal]]

|module = {{Listen|pos=center|embed=yes|filename=Rep. John Spratt Speaks in Support of H.R.5, the College Student Relief Act of 2007.ogg|title=John Spratt's voice|type=speech|description=Spratt speaks in support of H.R.5, the College Student Relief Act of 2007<br/>Recorded January 17, 2007}}

}}

'''John McKee Spratt Jr.''' (born November 1, 1942) is an American politician who was the [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. representative]] for {{ushr|SC|5}} from 1983 to 2011. The 5th Congressional District covers all or part of 14 counties in north-central [[South Carolina]]. The largest cities are [[Rock Hill, South Carolina|Rock Hill]] and [[Sumter, South Carolina|Sumter]]. He is a member of the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]].

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==Early life, education and career==

Spratt was born in [[Charlotte, North Carolina]], and raised in [[York, South Carolina]]. His father founded the Bank of [[Fort Mill]] and the [[York, South Carolina|York]] law firm where he would eventually practice. His only sibling is Jane Bratton Spratt McColl, wife of [[Hugh McColl]], former chairman and chief executive officer of [[Bank of America]] Corporation.<ref>[https://guides.law.sc.edu/MemoryHoldTheDoor-VolumeII/SprattJohnMcKee "Memory Hold the Door: John McKee Spratt, 1907-1973," University of South Carolina School of Law, law.sc.edu, 12 June 2008.<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

After graduating from [[York Comprehensive High School|York High School]], he earned a [[bachelor's degree]] in history from [[Davidson College]] in 1964. He served as student body president at both schools. Spratt then earned an [[Master of Arts|MA]] degree in philosophy, politics, and economics from [[Oxford University]] ([[Corpus Christi College, Oxford|Corpus Christi College]]) in 1966 while studying on a [[Marshall Scholarship]], and an [[Bachelor of Laws|LLB]] degree from [[Yale Law School]] in 1969.

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Spratt returned to York in 1971 to practice at the law firm of Spratt, McKeown, and Spratt. He was county attorney and school board attorney, and president of the Bank of [[Fort Mill, South Carolina|Fort Mill]]. He also ran a small insurance agency and owned a farm in Fort Mill.

Spratt married Jane Stacy of [[Filbert, South Carolina]]. They have three daughters named Susan, Sarah, and Catherine. They also have five grandchildren named Lily, Jack, Max, Grace, and James. Spratt has long been a member of [[Presbyterianism|First Presbyterian Church]] in [[York, South Carolina]]. He has also been active in the [[United Way of America|United Way]] and other civic and charity organizations.

==U.S. House of Representatives==

[[File:John spratt bw.jpg|thumb|Earlier congressional photo of Spratt]]

For his work in Congress, Spratt won praise from [[Columbia, South Carolina|Columbia]]'s newspaper ''[[The State (newspaper)|The State]]'', which called him "one of his party's most reliable 'bridges' to the Republican side."<ref>"Spratt Finds Bridge Over Party Divide," The State, Columbia, SC, 1 April 1996.</ref> ''[[National Journal]]'' featured him on its cover as "a stand-out" in Congress, comparing his legislative skills to the "best infielders in baseball."<ref>"Congress's Designated Hitters," National Journal, 28 January 1989, No. 4, p.174.</ref> In a [[Washingtonian (magazine)|''Washingtonian'']] magazine survey, Congressional staff voted him a "Workhorse" and "House Member I'd Like to See Win the Presidency in 2008."<ref>[http://www.washingtonian.com/articles/mediapolitics/1666.html "Best and Worst of Congress," Washingtonian, 01 September 2006, Vol. 41, No. 12.]</ref>

Spratt co-authored the [[Balanced Budget Act of 1997]], putting the federal budget in surplus for the first time in 30 years.<ref>[http://www.treas.gov/press/releases/ls968.htm "Joint Statement of Lawrence H. Summers, Secretary of the Treasury, and Jacob J. Lew, Director of the Office of Management and Budget, on Budget Results for Fiscal Year 2000," U.S. Department of the Treasury, 24 October 2000.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100517233616/http://www.treas.gov/press/releases/ls968.htm |date=17 May 2010 }}</ref> In 2003, Spratt engineered an amendment which shifted $30 million in the defense appropriations bill to the Airborne Laser program.<ref>Costa, K. (2002). With Spratt amendment ...: HOUSE SHIFTS $30 MILLION FROM SPACE-BASED KINETIC INTERCEPTOR TO ABL. ''Inside the Air Force,'' ''13''(27), 13-15. Retrieved November 27, 2020, from <nowiki>http://www.jstor.org/stable/{{JSTOR|24789760</nowiki>}}</ref>

In the [[111th United States Congress|111th Congress]], Spratt supported legislation such as the

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==Political campaigns==

Spratt became active in Democratic politics at an early age, and was elected delegate to the [[1964 Democratic National Convention]]. Spratt was first elected to the [[United States House of Representatives]] in 1982, succeeding fellow Democrat [[Kenneth Lamar Holland|Kenneth Holland]]. He was reelected 13 more times. Although parts of the district were becoming friendlier to [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] candidates at the national level, the GOP was more or less nonexistent in this part of South Carolina at the local level for some time. As evidence, Spratt only faced a Republican opponent twice from 1984 to 1992, both of those times winning easily. In 1994, however, Spratt was nearly defeated by Republican Larry Bigham, only surviving by 6,300 votes. He defeated Bigham by a slightly larger margin in 1996, but from 1998 to 2008 Spratt usually won with relatively little difficulty due to his popularity and campaigning skills.<ref>{{cite web |last=Galderisi, |first=Paul. |title=Redistricting in the New Millennium, p. |page=194. (|date=2005). Retrieved from<nowiki/>|url=http://www.socsci.uci.edu/~bgrofman/140%20Grofman%20and%20Brunell.%20%202005%20%20The%20Art%20of%20the%20Dummymander....pdf}}</ref>

Spratt typically stayed out of presidential politics while he was a congressman because the national party was not popular in his district. For instance, he did not endorse any candidates in the [[2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Kuhn|first=David Paul|date=2008-01-22|title=Congress' only white S.C. Dem stays neutral|url=https://www.politico.com/story/2008/01/congress-only-white-sc-dem-stays-neutral-008049|access-date=2020-11-27|website=POLITICO|language=en}}</ref> Nonetheless, he was rumored to be President Obama's pick as White House Budget Director,; instead President Obama chose [[Peter R. Orszag]], whom Spratt had helped hire as the director of the Congressional Budget Office.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2008-12-05|title=John Spratt - Power Broker|url=https://www.wbtv.com/story/9467417/cover-story-john-spratt-power-broker|access-date=2020-11-27|website=wbtv|language=en-US}}</ref>

=== 2010 ===

In 2010, John Spratt's re-election chances was the subject of numerous articles. He was seen as particularly vulnerable due to his ties with the Democratic party leadership, his district's double-digit unemployment rate, and the district's growing Republican base.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Hook|first=Janet|date=2010-08-26|title=Defying an anti-incumbent mood, a veteran Democrat runs on his record|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2010-aug-26-la-na-south-carolina-20100827-story.html|access-date=2020-11-25|website=Los Angeles Times|language=en-US}}</ref> He was defeated that year by [[Mick Mulvaney]] by a margin of 55 percent to 45 percent—one of the largest margins of defeat for an incumbent in the [[2010 United States elections|2010 cycle.]]

Mulvaney successfully weaponized Spratt's bipartisan credentials against him during the election.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2010-12-01|title=Packing Up the Past|url=https://www.rollcall.com/2010/12/01/packing-up-the-past/|access-date=2020-11-24|website=Roll Call|language=en}}</ref> He lamented that Spratt was no longer fiscally conservative like he had once been in 1997 when he helped balance the nation's budget and criticized his relationship with [[Nancy Pelosi]].<ref>{{Cite news|last=Seelye|first=Katharine Q.|date=2010-10-13|title=After 28 Years, a Congressman on the Ropes (Published 2010)|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/13/us/politics/13spratt.html|access-date=2020-11-24|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The National Republican Congressional Committee called John Spratt an "amnesiac" and stated he was forgetting what was going on in Washington.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2010-05-18|title=Republicans suggest Spratt losing his memory|url=https://wach.com/news/local/republicans-suggest-spratt-losing-his-memory-10-23-2015|access-date=2020-11-25|website=WACH}}</ref> Notably, [[Barack Obama|President Barack Obama]] flew into Charlotte with Spratt on Air Force One during the campaign.<ref>Will U.S. Rep Spratt be helped by Obama photo op? McClatchy DC. April 4, 2010. Retrieved from https://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/article24578920.html. (November 26, 2020).</ref> Spratt was among three Democratic U.S. House chairmen who lost that year to [[Tea Party movement|Tea Party candidates.]]

==Personal life==

Spratt was diagnosed in 2010 with [[Parkinson's disease]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Taylor|first=Jessica|date=2010-03-03|title=Spratt in early stages of Parkinson's disease|url=https://www.politico.com/story/2010/03/spratt-in-early-stages-of-parkinsons-disease-035204|access-date=2020-11-24|website=POLITICO|language=en}}</ref> Since his departure from Congress, Spratt has served as Visiting Distinguished Professor of Public Policy at [[Winthrop University]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.winthrop.edu/cas/faculty/default.aspx?id=19820 |title=Winthrop University: CAS Faculty Profile - Spratt, John M. Jr. |website=www.winthrop.edu |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130625192236/http://www.winthrop.edu/cas/faculty/default.aspx?id=19820 |archive-date=2013-06-25}} </ref> He also serves on the Boardboard of Directorsdirectors of the [[Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget]].<ref>[http://www.crfb.org/board-members Board Members, Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget]</ref> Spratt has 3 daughters- Susan, Sarah, and Catherine, and 5 grandchildren- Lily, Jack, Max, Grace, and James.

== Committee assignments ==

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**[[United States House Armed Services Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations|Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations]]

**[[United States House Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces|Subcommittee on Strategic Forces]]

*'''[[United States House Committee on the Budget|Committee on the Budget]]''' (Chairmanchairman)

==References==

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{{s-par|us-hs}}

{{s-bef|before=[[Kenneth Lamar Holland]]}}

{{s-ttl|title=Member of the [[List of United States Representatives from South Carolina|U.S. House of Representatives]]<br />from [[South Carolina's 5th congressional district]]|years=1983–2011}}

{{s-aft|after=[[Mick Mulvaney]]}}

|-

{{s-bef|before=[[John Kasich]]}}

{{s-ttl|title=Ranking Member of the [[United States House Committee on the Budget|House Budget Committee]]|years=1995–2007}}

{{s-aft|rows=2|after=[[Paul Ryan]]}}

|-

{{s-bef|before=[[Jim Nussle]]}}

{{s-ttl|title=Chair of the [[United States House Committee on the Budget|House Budget Committee]]|years=2007–2011}}

|-

{{s-ppo}}

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{{s-ttl|title=[[Party leaders of the United States House of Representatives|House Democratic Assistant to the Leader]]|years=2003–2007}}

{{s-aft|after=[[Xavier Becerra]]}}

{{s-prec|usa}}

{{s-bef|before=[[Collin Peterson]]|as=Former US Representative}}

{{s-ttl|title=[[United States order of precedence|Order of precedence of the United States]]<br>''{{small|as Former US Representative}}''|years=}}

{{s-aft|after=[[Rick Boucher]]|as=Former US Representative}}

{{s-end}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Spratt, John M., Jr.}}

[[Category:1942 births]]

[[Category:20th-century AmericanSouth Carolina politicians]]

[[Category:21st-century AmericanSouth Carolina politicians]]

[[Category:Alumni of Corpus Christi College, Oxford]]

[[Category:American Presbyterians]]

[[Category:Davidson College alumni]]

[[Category:Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from South Carolina]]

[[Category:Lawyers from Charlotte, North Carolina]]

[[Category:Living people]]

[[Category:Marshall Scholars]]

▲[[Category:Members of the United States House of Representatives from South Carolina]]

[[Category:Politicians from Charlotte, North Carolina]]

[[Category:South Carolina Democrats]]

[[Category:United States Army officers]]

[[Category:Yale Law School alumni]]