ENG:John Walter Olver (born September 3, 1936) is an American politician who was the U.S. Representative for Massachusetts's 1st congressional district from 1991 to 2013. Raised on a farm in Pennsylvania, Olver graduated from college at the age of 18 and went on to earn a Ph.D. in chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and later taught chemistry at the University of Massachusetts Amherst for eight years.
He served in both chambers of the Massachusetts General Court, being elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1968, and the Massachusetts Senate in 1972. He ran in a 1991 special election to succeed 17-term incumbent Congressman Silvio O. Conte, who died in office. He was the first Democrat to ever represent the 1st congressional district.
Olver ...
Congressman John Olver, left talks to Massachusetts Gov. Deval L. Patrick before a celebration of Olver's twenty years in office at a function at the Log Cabin in Holyoke. , positive
Congressman Olver voted for H.R. 674, a bill that will spur the hiring of veterans through provisions included in the President’s American Jobs Act, along with provisions from the Bishop/Murray Hiring Heroes Act (H.R. 1941) and the VOW Act (H.R. 2433).
“Making sure that our brave men and women are able to find employment when they return home is a top priority for everyone in Congress, and I was pleased to see this effort pass unanimously in the House last night,” said Congressman Olver. “Our veterans give us their best, and they deserve our best in return,” ...
Things are falling into place for Massachusetts Democrats, after two politicians cleared up their future plans Wednesday.
Senate candidate Alan Khazei — the best-funded primary opponent of Democratic favorite Elizabeth Warren — announced he was dropping out of the race. And Rep. John Olver (D-Mass.) announced that he will not seek reelection, in a move that eases a potentially tough redistricting process for the state’s line-drawers.
CityYear founder Khazei told the Boston Globe that he was dropping out of the primary to take on Sen. Scott Brown (R) in the face of ...
Olver's decision could lead to elimination of his district, averting a potential fight in the state over planned Congressional redistricting.
Olver, 75, who has represented western and central Massachusetts since 1991, said he had to reconsider an earlier pledge to run again because circumstances in his family had "substantially changed ... over the past six months."
In April, it was announced that Olver's wife, Rose, was being treated for ovarian cancer.
"I will retire from the House of Representatives at the conclusion of the current (112th) Congress," Olver said in a statement.
An Olver ...