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Mike Gravel: Difference between revisions
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updated with/added content from wikipedia:Special:Permalink/1031837446. See that -page for attribution history.
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(updated with/added content from wikipedia:Special:Permalink/1031837446. See that -page for attribution history.) |
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| successor2 = Michael F. Beirne | | successor2 = Michael F. Beirne | ||
| birth_name = Maurice Robert Gravel | | birth_name = Maurice Robert Gravel | ||
| birth_date = {{birth date | | birth_date = {{birth date|1930|5|13}} | ||
| birth_place = [[Springfield, Massachusetts|Springfield]], [[Massachusetts]], U.S. | | birth_place = [[Springfield, Massachusetts|Springfield]], [[Massachusetts]], U.S. | ||
| death_date = | | death_date = {{death date and age|2021|6|26}} | ||
| death_place = | | death_place = [[Seaside, California]] | ||
| party = [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] (before 2008; 2010–present)<br />[[Libertarian Party (United States)|Libertarian]] (2008–2010) | | party = [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] (before 2008; 2010–present)<br />[[Libertarian Party (United States)|Libertarian]] (2008–2010) | ||
| spouse = {{marriage|Rita Martin|1959|1981|end=div}}<br />{{Marriage|Whitney Stewart|1984}} | | spouse = {{marriage|Rita Martin|1959|1981|end=div}}<br />{{Marriage|Whitney Stewart|1984}} | ||
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| rank = [[File:US-O2 insignia.svg|10px]] [[First lieutenant|First Lieutenant]] | | rank = [[File:US-O2 insignia.svg|10px]] [[First lieutenant|First Lieutenant]] | ||
}} | }} | ||
'''Maurice Robert''' "'''Mike'''" '''Gravel''' ( | '''Maurice Robert''' "'''Mike'''" '''Gravel''' (May 13, 1930 – June 26, 2021) is an American politician who served as a [[United States Senate|United States Senator]] from Alaska from 1969 to 1981. A former member of the [[Libertarian Party (United States)|Libertarian Party]], he ran for U.S. president in the 2008 election. | ||
Born and raised in Springfield, Massachusetts, by French-Canadian immigrant parents, Gravel served in the U.S. Army in West Germany, and later graduated from the Columbia University School of General Studies. He moved to Alaska in the late 1950s, becoming a real estate developer and entering politics. He served in the Alaska House of Representatives from 1963 to 1967 and also became Speaker of the Alaska House. Gravel was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1968. | Born and raised in Springfield, Massachusetts, by French-Canadian immigrant parents, Gravel served in the U.S. Army in West Germany, and later graduated from the Columbia University School of General Studies. He moved to Alaska in the late 1950s, becoming a real estate developer and entering politics. He served in the Alaska House of Representatives from 1963 to 1967 and also became Speaker of the Alaska House. Gravel was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1968. | ||
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As a Libertarian candidate, Gravel faced resistance to his liberal past and unorthodox positions;<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.spectator.org/dsp_article.asp?art_id=13249 |title=Will the Real Libertarian Please Stand Up? |author=Philip Klein |magazine=The American Spectator |date=May 21, 2008 |access-date=May 26, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080526112141/http://www.spectator.org/dsp_article.asp?art_id=13249 |archive-date=May 26, 2008}}</ref> nevertheless, he garnered more support than he had as a Democrat, placing second and third in two April 2008 straw polls.<ref name="libdebate1">{{cite news |url=http://www.gravel2008.us/content/straw-poll-results |title=Straw Poll Results |publisher=Mike Gravel for President 2008 |date=April 8, 2008 |access-date=April 8, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080409183243/http://www.gravel2008.us/content/straw-poll-results |archive-date=April 9, 2008}}</ref> In the May 25 balloting at the [[2008 Libertarian National Convention]] in Denver, Gravel finished fourth out of eight candidates on the initial ballot, with 71 votes out of a total 618; he trailed former Congressman and eventual winner [[Bob Barr]], author [[Mary Ruwart]], and businessman [[Wayne Allyn Root]].<ref name="lp-vote">{{cite web |url=http://www.lp.org/media/printer_588.shtml |title=Press Releases: Presidential and VP Vote Totals – Updated Live! |publisher=[[Libertarian Party (United States)|LP.org]] |date=May 25, 2008 |access-date=May 25, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080528033121/http://www.lp.org/media/printer_588.shtml |archive-date=May 28, 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Gravel's position did not subsequently improve and he was eliminated on the fourth ballot.<ref name="lp-vote" /> Afterwards he stated that "I just ended my political career," but he vowed to continue promoting his positions as a writer and lecturer.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/05/25/libertarians-pick-barr-as-presidential-nominee/ |title=Libertarians Pick Barr as Presidential Nominee |publisher=Fox News |date=May 25, 2008 |access-date=May 25, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080528190001/http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/05/25/libertarians-pick-barr-as-presidential-nominee/ |archive-date=May 28, 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> | As a Libertarian candidate, Gravel faced resistance to his liberal past and unorthodox positions;<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.spectator.org/dsp_article.asp?art_id=13249 |title=Will the Real Libertarian Please Stand Up? |author=Philip Klein |magazine=The American Spectator |date=May 21, 2008 |access-date=May 26, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080526112141/http://www.spectator.org/dsp_article.asp?art_id=13249 |archive-date=May 26, 2008}}</ref> nevertheless, he garnered more support than he had as a Democrat, placing second and third in two April 2008 straw polls.<ref name="libdebate1">{{cite news |url=http://www.gravel2008.us/content/straw-poll-results |title=Straw Poll Results |publisher=Mike Gravel for President 2008 |date=April 8, 2008 |access-date=April 8, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080409183243/http://www.gravel2008.us/content/straw-poll-results |archive-date=April 9, 2008}}</ref> In the May 25 balloting at the [[2008 Libertarian National Convention]] in Denver, Gravel finished fourth out of eight candidates on the initial ballot, with 71 votes out of a total 618; he trailed former Congressman and eventual winner [[Bob Barr]], author [[Mary Ruwart]], and businessman [[Wayne Allyn Root]].<ref name="lp-vote">{{cite web |url=http://www.lp.org/media/printer_588.shtml |title=Press Releases: Presidential and VP Vote Totals – Updated Live! |publisher=[[Libertarian Party (United States)|LP.org]] |date=May 25, 2008 |access-date=May 25, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080528033121/http://www.lp.org/media/printer_588.shtml |archive-date=May 28, 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Gravel's position did not subsequently improve and he was eliminated on the fourth ballot.<ref name="lp-vote" /> Afterwards he stated that "I just ended my political career," but he vowed to continue promoting his positions as a writer and lecturer.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/05/25/libertarians-pick-barr-as-presidential-nominee/ |title=Libertarians Pick Barr as Presidential Nominee |publisher=Fox News |date=May 25, 2008 |access-date=May 25, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080528190001/http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/05/25/libertarians-pick-barr-as-presidential-nominee/ |archive-date=May 28, 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> | ||
== Death == | |||
Gravel died of multiple myeloma at his home in Seaside, California, on June 26, 2021, at age 91.<ref name="USNWR">{{cite news |title=Mike Gravel, Former US Senator for Alaska, Dies at 91 |url=https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2021-06-27/mike-gravel-former-us-senator-for-alaska-dies-at-91 |magazine=US News & World Report |date=June 27, 2021 |agency=Associated Press}}</ref><ref name="nyt-obit">{{cite news |title=Mike Gravel, Unconventional Two-Term Alaska Senator, Dies at 91 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/27/us/politics/mike-gravel-dead.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=June 27, 2021 |author-first=Adam |author-last=Clymer}}</ref><ref name="wapo-obit">{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/mike-gravel-dead/2021/06/27/a496d870-13b4-11e9-90a8-136fa44b80ba_story.html |title=Mike Gravel, gadfly senator from Alaska with flair for the theatrical, dies at 91 |author-first=Chris |author-last=Power |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=June 27, 2021}}</ref> | |||
The obituary for him in ''The New York Times'' stated that Gravel was "a two-term Democratic senator from Alaska ... who was perhaps better known as an unabashed attention-getter" who later become known for "mounting long-shot presidential runs".<ref name="nyt-obit" /> The obituary in ''The Washington Post'' was similar, saying that Gravel was "an Alaska Democrat with a flair for the theatrical who rose from obscurity to brief renown" and later "ran quixotic campaigns for the presidency".<ref name="wapo-obit" /> The ''Anchorage Daily News'' quoted Gravel as saying of himself in 1989, "I'm an independent kind of guy. A rough and ready kind of guy. My glands work in a certain way that make me stand up, foolishly sometimes, and fight."<ref name="adn-obit">{{cite news |url=https://www.adn.com/politics/2021/06/27/mike-gravel-former-us-alaska-senator-dies-at-91/ |title=Mike Gravel, who represented Alaska in the U.S. Senate from 1969–1981, dies at 91 |newspaper=Anchorage Daily News |date=June 27, 2021}}</ref> | |||
== Awards and honors == | == Awards and honors == | ||
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* [[wikipedia:Mike Gravel|Mike Gravel]] on Wikipedia | * [[wikipedia:Mike Gravel|Mike Gravel]] on Wikipedia | ||
* [https://mikegravel.com/ Mike Gravel official website] | * [https://mikegravel.com/ Mike Gravel official website] | ||
* [https://www.gravelinstitute.org/ The Gravel Institute] | |||
{{Wikipedia-CC}} | {{Wikipedia-CC}} | ||
[[Category:1930 births]] | [[Category:1930 births]] | ||
[[Category:2021 deaths]] | |||