Jim Kolbe
American politician (1942–2022)
James Thomas Kolbe (born June 28, 1942 – December 3, 2022) was an American politician. He was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives for Arizona's 5th congressional district from 1985 until 2003 and for the 8th congressional district from 2003 until 2007.
Jim Kolbe | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Arizona | |
| In office January 3, 1985 – January 3, 2007 | |
| Preceded by | James F. McNulty Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Gabby Giffords |
| Constituency | 5th District (1985-2003) 8th District (2003-2007) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | James Thomas Kolbe June 28, 1942 Evanston, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | December 3, 2022 (aged 80) |
| Political party | Republican (until 2018) Independent (2018–2022) |
| Spouse(s) |
Sarah Dinham
(m. 1977; div. 1992)Hector Alfonso (m. 2013) |
| Education | Northwestern University (BA) Stanford University (MBA) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1967–1969 (Active) 1970–1977 (Reserve) |
Kolbe came out as gay in August 1996 after his vote in favor of the Defense of Marriage Act.[1][2] He won re-election that year. In 2000, he became the first openly gay person to address the Republican National Convention.[3]
In 2018, Kolbe left the Republican Party as a protest from President Donald Trump.[4]
Kolbe supported Joe Biden for president in the 2020 presidential election.[5]
In December 2022, Kolbe died from a stroke.
References
change- ↑ Dunlap, David W. (August 3, 1996). "A Republican Congressman Discloses He Is a Homosexual". The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-11-25.
- ↑ "It's a Relief, Kolbe Says". Tucson Citizen, August 1, 1996. Retrieved August 4, 2016.
- ↑ Campbell, Julia (August 1, 2000). "Openly Gay Congressman Addresses Convention". ABC News.
- ↑ TucsonSentinel.com. "Former Rep. Jim Kolbe says he left Republican Party 18 months ago". TucsonSentinel.com. Retrieved 2021-07-23.
- ↑ Star, Jim Kolbe Special to the Arizona Daily. "Jim Kolbe: I'm a conservative and I'm voting for Joe Biden". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved 2020-10-27.
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