Hal Daub
Harold John Daub Jr. (born April 23, 1941) is an American lawyer and politician from Nebraska who served four terms in the United States House of Representatives and as the 48th Mayor of Omaha, Nebraska. In 2012, Daub was elected to the Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska system. He is a member of the Republican Party.
Hal Daub | |
|---|---|
| Chairman of the Social Security Advisory Board | |
| In office 2002–2006 | |
| President | George W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Mark Weinberger |
| Succeeded by | Mark Warshawsky |
| 48th Mayor of Omaha | |
| In office January 1995 – January 2001 | |
| Preceded by | P. J. Morgan |
| Succeeded by | Mike Fahey |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Nebraska's 2nd district | |
| In office January 3, 1981 – January 3, 1989 | |
| Preceded by | John Cavanaugh |
| Succeeded by | Peter Hoagland |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Harold John Daub Jr. April 23, 1941 Fort Bragg, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Education | Washington University (BS) University of Nebraska, Lincoln (JD) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch/service | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1966–1968 |
Background edit
Born at Fort Bragg, near Fayetteville, North Carolina, where his father was stationed in the military, Daub grew up in North Omaha. He graduated from Benson High School before receiving his B.S. from Washington University in St. Louis, in 1963, and his J.D. from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln College of Law, Lincoln, Nebraska in 1966. He served in the United States Army as an infantry captain from 1966 to 1968 in Korea.[1] Daub is a Distinguished Eagle Scout.[2] Daub settled in Omaha, where he went into private practice of law.
Political career edit
After moving to Omaha, Daub became active in the Republican Party. He ran for the United States House of Representatives in the Omaha-based 2nd congressional district in 1978, losing to incumbent Democrat John J. Cavanaugh III. Cavanaugh declined to run for re-election in 1980 and Daub ran for the seat again, defeating Democrat Richard Fellman.[3] Daub was reelected three times, in 1982, 1984, and 1986.
In March 1987, Nebraska's senior U.S. Senator Edward Zorinsky, a Democrat, died of a heart attack and Governor Kay A. Orr appointed businessman David Karnes to fill the seat. Daub challenged Karnes in the Republican primary for election to a full term in the Senate in 1988, but lost by nine points to Karnes, who then lost the general election to former Democratic Governor Bob Kerrey. In 1990, Daub challenged the state's other Democratic senator, J. James Exon, for reelection, easily winning the Republican nomination, but losing the general election by a substantial margin to Exon.
Ginni Thomas, wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, worked as an assistant for Daub in the 80s. Their families had known each other previously. Thomas eventually became Daub's legislative director.[4][5]
In 1995, Daub won a special election for Mayor of Omaha following the resignation of Mayor P.J. Morgan, and was narrowly elected to a full term in 1997, both times defeating city councilwoman Brenda Council. In 2001, he was defeated for reelection by insurance executive Mike Fahey in a close race. Daub then served as a member of the Social Security Advisory Board from 2002 to 2006 and joined Missouri-based law firm Blackwell Sanders Peper Martin LLP (now Husch Blackwell) in 2005.
In 2007, Daub briefly ran for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Senator Chuck Hagel; he exited the race to offer an early endorsement to Mike Johanns, former Nebraska governor and USDA secretary, who won the seat.[6]
In 2008, Daub announced he was running again for Mayor of Omaha in the 2009 election. In the April 2009 primary, he received the most votes;[7] however, in the May 2009 runoff election, he lost to Jim Suttle, with unofficial final results of 48.7% to 50.7%.[8] In that election, Democrats also gained control of the city council.
Daub served for five years on the board of Omaha's Metropolitan Entertainment and Convention Authority (MECA). In 2012, he was elected to the board of regents of the Nebraska University system. In 2018, he was defeated in his reelection bid by Barbara Weitz.
Daub has held several lobbyist positions including at Blackwell Sanders LLP, and Deloitte.[9]
Currently, Daub is a member of the ReFormers Caucus of Issue One.[10]
Controversy edit
As a University regent, Daub called for football players to be removed from the Nebraska Cornhuskers because they knelt during the national anthem in 2017 as a protest against police violence. Daub later denied having calling for the players' removal.[11] Coach Mike Riley said that Daub's view of the protest as unpatriotic was a misinterpretation.[12]
When senator Julie Slama reported in 2022 that she had been sexually assaulted by Charles Herbster, Daub remarked that he wanted to put Slama on a witness stand because "I'd like to ask her what she was wearing."[13] He was publicly criticized for this, and for saying that Slama "was trying to attract Herbster's attention because she was trying to get reelected in her own right," at the gathering where she says she was assaulted.[14][15]
References edit
- ^ Dunker, Chris. "NU president defends players' right to kneel following critical comments from regent", The Lincoln Journal Star, 28 September 2016. Accessed 18 June 2018.
- ^ . University of Nebraska. Archived from the original on 20 September 2018. Retrieved 19 September 2018.
- ^ "Election 80—New Faces in the House". Washington Post. November 23, 1980. Retrieved June 30, 2017.
- ^ Clarence and Ginni Thomas: Politics, Power and the Supreme Court (full documentary) | FRONTLINE, retrieved 2023-05-13
- ^ Blumenfeld, Laura (1991-09-10). "THE NOMINEES'S SOUL MATE". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2023-05-13.
- ^ "Hal Daub exits Senate race" Archived 2008-09-18 at the Library of Congress Web Archives, Omaha.com, Retrieved September 29, 2007
- ^ http://www.votedouglascounty.com/pdf/2009Primary/Results-Summary.htm[permanent dead link]
- ^ "2009 Election results" 2009-03-25 at the Wayback Machine, Vote Douglas County
- ^ "Revolving Door: Hal Daub Employment Summary | OpenSecrets". 10.33.1.124. Retrieved 2023-05-13.
- ^ "Issue One – ReFormers Caucus". Retrieved 2019-11-07.
- ^ Dunker, Chris (September 29, 2016). "Leaders come to defense". Lincoln Journal Star.
- ^ Heady, Chris (September 27, 2017). "One year later, former Husker Michael Rose-Ivey stands by his decision to kneel during national anthem". Omaha World-Herald.
- ^ Kipper, Jon (April 14, 2022). "Political world reacts to accusations that Herbster groped state senator, other women". 3 KMTV News Now.
- ^ Report, KETV Staff (2022-04-15). "Former Omaha Mayor Hal Daub says Sen. Julie Slama 'was trying to attract Herbster's attention'". KETV. Retrieved 2022-04-16.
- ^ Report, KETV Staff (2022-04-15). "Former Omaha Mayor Hal Daub says Sen. Julie Slama 'was trying to attract Herbster's attention'". KETV. Retrieved 2023-05-13.
External links edit
- United States Congress. "Hal Daub (id: D000065)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- Appearances on C-SPAN