Jake Garn

Jake Garn
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Name	Jake Garn
Caption	United States Senator from Utah
State	Utah
Term start	December 21, 1974
Term end	January 3, 1993
Predecessor	Wallace F. Bennett
Successor	Bob Bennett
Office2	Mayor of Salt Lake City
Term start2	1972
Term end2	1974
Predecessor2	J. Bracken Lee
Successor2	Conrad B. Harrison
Birth name	Edwin Jacob Garn
Birth date	12 October 1932
Birth place	Richfield, Utah, U.S.
Party	Republican
Spouse	Kathleen Brewerton (m. 1957; div. 1978), Hazel Rhoades (m. 1980)
Education	University of Utah (BS)
Branch	United States Navy
Serviceyears	1956–1979
Rank	Captain
Unit	United States Naval Reserve

Jake Garn. Edwin Jacob Garn is a former American politician and naval aviator who served as a United States Senator from Utah from 1974 to 1993. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the mayor of Salt Lake City and was a captain in the United States Naval Reserve. Garn is also notable for flying as a Payload Specialist on the Space Shuttle mission STS-51-D in 1985, becoming the first sitting member of Congress to travel to space.

Early life and education

Edwin Jacob Garn was born in Richfield, Utah, to Jacob Henry Garn and Hazel Bernice Thompson. He was raised in the city and attended local public schools before enrolling at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. At the university, he was a member of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in business and finance in 1955. His early career was in the insurance industry, where he worked as an agent and executive, laying the groundwork for his later involvement in community and political affairs in Utah.

Military and NASA career

Garn received his commission through the Naval Aviation Cadet program and served as a naval aviator and flight instructor in the United States Navy and later the United States Naval Reserve. He accumulated over 10,000 flight hours in various military and civilian aircraft. In 1984, NASA selected him to be a Payload Specialist for the Space Shuttle mission STS-51-D. He flew aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery in April 1985, participating in experiments related to the effects of spaceflight on the human body. This mission made him the first sitting member of the United States Congress to travel to space, and the Garn scale, a humorous measure of space sickness, was informally named for his experience.

United States Senate career

Appointed to fill the vacancy caused by the retirement of Wallace F. Bennett, Garn was sworn into the United States Senate in December 1974. He won a full term in 1976 and was re-elected in 1982 and 1988. During his tenure, he served on several influential committees, including the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, which he chaired from 1981 to 1987, and the Senate Committee on Appropriations. He was a staunch conservative, advocating for a strong national defense, deregulation in the financial sector, and the Strategic Defense Initiative. He chose not to seek re-election in 1992 and was succeeded by Bob Bennett.

Post-Senate activities and legacy

After leaving the United States Senate, Garn served on corporate boards and remained active in public policy discussions, particularly regarding space and financial services. He has been a member of the NASA Advisory Council and served on the board of the Space Foundation. His legacy is closely tied to his unique dual role as a legislator and space traveler, which brought significant public attention to the Space Shuttle program. The Garn–St Germain Depository Institutions Act of 1982, a major banking deregulation law he co-sponsored, remains a notable part of his legislative record, though its role in the Savings and loan crisis is debated by economists.

Personal life

Garn married Kathleen Brewerton in 1957, with whom he had four children; the couple divorced in 1978. He married Hazel Rhoades in 1980. A lifelong member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he has been active in its leadership and community service roles. His interests include flying, and he remains a prominent figure in Utah political and civic circles. Garn has received numerous awards, including the NASA Space Flight Medal and the Distinguished Flying Cross. Category:1932 births Category:Living people Category:United States Senators from Utah Category:Republican Party United States senators Category:Mayors of Salt Lake City Category:United States Naval Reserve officers Category:NASA astronauts Category:People from Richfield, Utah Category:University of Utah alumni