Rod Grams

Rod Grams ( born February 4, 1948 in Princeton, Minnesota, † October 8, 2013 in Crown, Isanti County, Minnesota ) was an American politician of the Republican Party, and television host and television producer. He represented the state of Minnesota in both chambers of Congress.

Life

Career

Grams graduated after attending the compulsory school from 1966 to 1968, the Brown College, afterwards, in the period 1970 to 1972 the Anoka - Ramsey Community College and most recently from 1974 to 1975, the Carroll College in Wisconsin.

Grams ' career began in television as a presenter, initially at KFBB - TV in Great Falls ( Montana). He also worked at WSAU - TV in Wausau (Wisconsin ) and at WIFR - TV in Rockford (Illinois ). In 1982 he was appointed chief editor of KMSP - TV in Minneapolis (Minnesota ); to 1991, he remained active in this capacity.

Parallel to his work in television to Grams stood out as an entrepreneur, the 1985 Sun Ridge Builders founded, one in the Minneapolis / St. Paul contracting firm, which he headed as CEO.

Political career

1992 Grams candidate who is a member of the Republican Party is successfully for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives and served from January 3, 1993 to January 3, 1995. 1994 was followed by his election as U.S. Senator and a six-year term of 3 January 1995 to 3 January 2001.

At the end of his term Grams was involved in a political scandal when his staff assistant Christine Erikstrup - Gunhus 2000 e-mails to 150 Democratic party officials sent in the Senate elections, in which they the Democratic candidate Mike Ciresi as "anti - unionists " and " destroyers of the environment " defamed. The e-mails were sent under the name Katie Stevens. Could be as a real Katie Stevens pried, this was not aware of the messages she has sent. During the investigation of the Sheriff of Anoka County finally came across Christine Erikstrup - Gunhus and two other employees of Rod Grams. Ciresi withdrew from the election campaign. Erikstrup - Gunhus was then indicted in June 2001 and sentenced to an unspecified fine.

Late life

It was no surprise that Grams in 2000 at the Senate elections his Democratic challenger Mark Dayton (43%: 49%) was defeated. He later divorced his first wife and married Christine Lolly Erikstrup - Gunhus. 2004 acquired Grams, who worked as a contractor again, three radio stations in Little Falls ( Minnesota).

2006 Grams ran again for a seat in the House of Representatives, but this was not successful because Grams 34%, his Democratic rival candidate Jim Oberstar got 64 % of the vote of his constituency.