Jim Kolbe
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) |
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.
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 | change source]- ↑ 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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