Jerry Kleczka facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jerry Kleczka
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Wisconsin's 4th district |
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| In office April 3, 1984 – January 3, 2005 |
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| Preceded by | Clement Zablocki |
| Succeeded by | Gwen Moore |
| Member of the Wisconsin Senate from the 7th district |
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| In office January 3, 1983 – April 3, 1984 |
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| Preceded by | Kurt Frank |
| Succeeded by | John Plewa |
| Member of the Wisconsin Senate from the 3rd district |
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| In office January 6, 1975 – January 3, 1983 |
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| Preceded by | Casimir Kendziorski |
| Succeeded by | John Norquist |
| Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the 9th district |
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| In office January 1, 1973 – January 6, 1975 |
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| Preceded by | District created |
| Succeeded by | Phillip James Tuczynski |
| Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the 14th Milwaukee County district |
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| In office January 6, 1969 – January 1, 1973 |
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| Preceded by | Robert P. Kordus |
| Succeeded by | District abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Gerald Daniel Kleczka
November 26, 1943 Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Died | October 8, 2017 (aged 73) |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Bonnie |
| Alma mater | University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee |
| Occupation | Accountant |
Gerald Daniel Kleczka (/klɛtʃkɑː/; November 26, 1943 – October 8, 2017) was an American politician and Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from 1984 to 2005, representing Wisconsin's 4th congressional district. The district included the city of Milwaukee.
Life and education
After graduating from Milwaukee's Don Bosco High School, in 1961, he attended the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee for two years. Afterward, he served as an accountant and a member of the National Guard.
Politics
Kleczka was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly, serving from 1969 to 1974. Later, he was a member of the Wisconsin State Senate from 1975 to 1984. Kleczka was elected to the House in a special election following the death of Representative Clement J. Zablocki, defeating Milwaukee County District Attorney E. Michael McCann in the Democratic primary.
Tenure in Congress
While in Congress, Kleczka was a member of the United States House Committee on Ways and Means and later the United States House Committee on the Budget. He was known to be one of the more liberal members of Congress and helped to secure money for many programs for education, poverty relief, and housing improvements.
For his first 10-and-a-half terms, Kleczka represented a district that included most of the southern half of Milwaukee, as well as part of eastern Waukesha County. After the 2000 census, the 5th District, covering downtown and north Milwaukee and represented by fellow Democrat Tom Barrett, was eliminated, and most of its territory was merged with the 4th District. The new 4th was a more compact district located solely in Milwaukee County, and took in all of the city of Milwaukee; it was by far the most Democratic district in Wisconsin. While the 4th was more Barrett's district than Kleczka's, Barrett opted to run for governor, effectively handing the seat to Kleczka.
The pronunciation of Kleczka's name often proved baffling to the uninformed. Rep. Frank Annunzio (D-IL) repeatedly butchered it to the point that an exasperated Kleczka took to calling him "Rep. Annunciation".
Retirement and death
Kleczka announced his retirement in 2004, and did not run for reelection. He officially retired in January 2005 after ten terms in Congress, and was succeeded by State Senator Gwen Moore, also a Democrat.
After Kleczka retired, he moved to Middleton, Wisconsin with his wife. Kleczka died on October 8, 2017 from natural causes at a care facility, in the Madison, Wisconsin area.
