Hastert, Dennis

Hastert, Dennis Hastert, Dennis (John Dennis Denny Hastert) has ´t?rt [key], 1942â€", U.S. congressman, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives (1999â€"2007), b. Aurora, Ill. He attended Wheaton College (B.A., 1964) and Northern Illinois Univ. (M.S., 1967). After teaching high school and serving as a Republican member of the Illinois House of Representatives (1980â€"86), he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1986, where he chaired the government reform and oversight committee's subcommittees on criminal justice, international affairs, and national security. A plainspoken, congenial, and popular conservative, Hastert became chief deputy majority whip and won a reputation for integrity, patience, and cautious bipartisanship, which helped him forge political compromises. Hastert was lifted from relative obscurity in 1999 when the House Republican hierarchy, in search of an uncontroversial and trusted leader to succeed the ideological and pugnacious Newt Gingrich , chose him a s Speaker. In office Hastert proved generally to be conciliatory and collegial while nonetheless maintaining tight Republican control over the House legislative process. He was instrumental to the passage of Medicare overhaul legislation in 2003, but Majority Leader Tom DeLay tactics during its enactment led to ethics complaints. His so-called Hastert rule, that legislation required the support of a majority of the majority to be brought to a vote, subsequently impeded, however, legislative compromise. A number of Republican congressional scandals in 2005â€"6 hurt Hastert's standing among his fellow House Republicans, and following the party's loss of control of the House in the 2006 elections he announced that he would not seek a leadership post. His term as Speaker was the longest of any Republican. He retired from Congress in 2007. In 2015 he pleaded guilty to evading bank withdrawal reporting requirements; he was attempting to hide payments he made to cover up sexual abuse he committed when he was a high school teacher and coach. See his memoir (2004). The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. See more Encyclopedia articles on: U.S. History: Biographies