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John Anton Blatnik
in 1950s
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Minnesota's 8th district
In office January 3, 1947 – December 31, 1974
Preceded by	William Pittenger
Succeeded by	Jim Oberstar
Member of the Minnesota Senate
In office 1940–1944
Personal details
Born	(1911-08-17)August 17, 1911 Chisholm, Minnesota
Died	December 17, 1991(1991-12-17) (aged 80) Forest Heights, Maryland
Political party	Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party
Spouse(s)	Gisela Hager Evelyn Castiglioni

John Anton Blatnik (August 17, 1911 – December 17, 1991) was a United States Congressman from Minnesota. He was a member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL), which is affiliated with the Democratic Party.

Early life

Blatnik was born in Chisholm, Minnesota, to Slovene immigrant parents. He graduated from Winona State Teachers College (today Winona State University) and worked as a chemistry teacher in Chisholm.

Career

From 1940 to 1944, he served in the Minnesota State Senate and volunteered to serve in the United States Army Air Corps in 1942. While in the Army Air Corps (the predecessor to the Air Force), he was chief of the Office of Strategic Services's mission with Tito's Yugoslav partisans for almost a year.

In 1946, Blatnik was elected to Congress representing Minnesota's 8th District in the northeastern part of the state, running on the newly unified ticket of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. He was reelected 13 times without much difficulty. He served in the 80th, 81st, 82nd, 83rd, 84th, 85th, 86th, 87th, 88th, 89th, 90th, 91st, 92nd, and 93rd congresses, (January 3, 1947 – December 31, 1974).

In 1963, Blatnik, introduced a bill to make Leif Erikson Day a nationwide observance. The following year Congress adopted this unanimously.

Blatnik voted for the Civil Rights Act of 1964. He was an early supporter of the Saint Lawrence Seaway and helped develop the original legislation to build it. He served as chairman of the Public Works Committee (now known as the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee) during his last two terms in Congress. As chairman, he shepherded the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, better known as the Clean Water Act, to passage in 1972.

Upon retirement, Blatnik endorsed his long-time administrative assistant, Jim Oberstar, to replace him in Congress; Oberstar won easily in the 1974 election.

Personal life and death

In 1955, Blatnik married the former Gisela Hager. They had three children. Blatnik died in Forest Heights, Maryland on December 17, 1991. He was survived by his second wife, the former Evelyn Castiglioni.

Legacy

The bridge for Interstate 535 crossing the Superior Bay and the Saint Louis Bay between Wisconsin and Minnesota was renamed the John A. Blatnik Bridge in his honor on September 24, 1971.

See also

• U.S. Congressional Delegations from Minnesota

References

1. "United States Census, 1920", FamilySearch, retrieved March 18, 2018
2. "clinton / glossary / o / john blatnik". April 18, 2005. Archived from the original on April 18, 2005.
3. "H.R. 7152. CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1964. ADOPTION OF A ... -- House Vote #182 -- Jul 2, 1964". GovTrack.us.

External links

• John Blatnik at Minnesota Legislators Past & Present

• United States Congress. "John Blatnik (id: B000550)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• Blatnik's role in environmental policy, from Minnesota Public Radio
• Official Remarks by Congressman Glenn M. Anderson in honor of Blatnik
• John A. Blatnik, Oral History Interview – 2/4/1966
• The John A. Blatnik Papers, including extensive records of his congressional service, are available for research use at the Minnesota Historical Society.

v t e Chairs of the United States House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
Public Buildings and Grounds (1837–1947)	Towns Petrikin Boardman Pratt Ficklin Faran Houston Bowdon Stanton Craige Ball Keitt Train Rice Covode Hopkins Beatty Halsey Platt Holman Cook Shallenberger Stockslager Dibble Milliken Bankhead Milliken Mercer Gillet Bartholdt Sheppard Clark Langley Elliott Lanham
Rivers and Harbors (1883–1947)	Willis Blanchard Henderson Blanchard Catchings Hooker Cooper Burton Alexander Sparkman Small Kennedy Dempsey Mansfield
Roads (1913–1947)	Shackleford Dunn Dowell Almon Cartwright Robinson
Flood Control (1916–1947)	Humphreys Rodenberg Schall Reid Wilson Whittington
Transportation and Infrastructure* (1947–)	Dondero Whittington Buckley Dondero Buckley Fallon Blatnik Jones Johnson Howard Anderson Roe Mineta E. Shuster Young Oberstar Mica W. Shuster DeFazio Graves
Note	Alternately named Public Works in 80th through 93rd Congresses and Public Works and Transportation in 94th through 103rd Congresses.

• 1911 births
• 1991 deaths
• People from Chisholm, Minnesota
• American people of Slovenian descent
• Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Minnesota
• Democratic Party Minnesota state senators
• Winona State University alumni
• Civilian Conservation Corps people
• People of the Office of Strategic Services
• United States Army Air Forces soldiers
• Military personnel from Minnesota
• United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II
• 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives
• 20th-century members of the Minnesota Legislature