Gephardt, Richard Andrew (1941-…), was a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1977 to 2005. Gephardt, a Democrat, represented a district in Missouri. He served as the leader of the House Democrats from 1989 to 2003. He also was an unsuccessful candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1988 and 2004.
Gephardt was born on Jan. 31, 1941, in St. Louis, Missouri. He received a B.S. degree from Northwestern University in 1962 and a law degree from the University of Michigan in 1965. He served on the St. Louis city council from 1971 to 1976.
Gephardt was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1976, and he took office in 1977. He served on two important House committees, the Budget Committee and the Ways and Means Committee. He was elected chairman of the House Democratic Caucus in 1984 and again in 1986. As a congressman, Gephardt promoted tax reform, expansion of national health care, and arms control. He also supported legislation to penalize nations that restricted the importation of goods from the United States.
Gephardt first became the leader of the House Democrats, as majority leader, in 1989. He became minority leader in 1995, after the Democrats lost control of the House. In 2002, Gephardt announced that, though he would continue to serve in the House, he would not seek reelection as minority leader. His term as minority leader ended in January 2003. Early that same year, Gephardt announced that he would not run for another term in the House but instead would focus on his campaign for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination. He left office in January 2005, at the end of his 14th term.
