James Douglas "Mike" McKevitt (October 26, 1928 – September 28, 2000) was an American lawyer and politician who served one term as a U.S. Representative from Colorado from 1971 to 1973.

Mike McKevitt
Member of the Korean War Memorial Commission
In office
1987–1995
PresidentRonald Reagan
Counsel at White House Energy Policy Office
In office
1973–1974
PresidentRichard Nixon
Preceded byPosition created
Succeeded byRobert E. Montgomery Jr.
United States Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legislation
In office
1973–1973
PresidentRichard Nixon
Preceded byPosition created
Succeeded byW. Vincent Rakestraw
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Colorado's 1st district
In office
January 3, 1971 – January 3, 1973
Preceded byByron Rogers
Succeeded byPat Schroeder
District Attorney for Denver, Colorado
In office
1967–1971
Preceded byBert M. Keating
Succeeded byJarvis W. Secombe
Assistant Attorney General for Colorado
In office
1958–1967
Personal details
Born
James Douglas McKevitt

October 26, 1928
Spokane, Washington, U.S.
DiedSeptember 28, 2000(2000-09-28) (aged 71)
Washington, D. C., U.S.
Resting placeArlington National Cemetery
Political partyRepublican
OccupationAttorney

Early life and education

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Born in Spokane, Washington, McKevitt graduated from Grant High School in Sacramento, California. He received a B.A. from the University of Idaho (Moscow, Idaho) in 1951, and a law degree from the University of Denver School of Law in 1956.

Military

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He was in the United States Air Force from 1951 to 1953, rising to the rank of captain.

Career

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He was a lawyer in private practice. He served as assistant attorney general, Colorado state attorney general's office from 1958 to 1967. He served as District Attorney, Denver, Colorado from 1967 to 1971, during which time McKevitt became known for prosecuting and harassing Denver's "hippies" and the restaurants where they would eat.[1][2]

Congress

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McKevitt was elected as a Republican to the Ninety-second Congress (January 3, 1971 – January 3, 1973). That year, 20-year incumbent Democrat Byron Rogers had been defeated in the primary by a considerably more liberal Democrat, attorney Craig Barnes. Several of Rogers' more conservative supporters threw their support to McKevitt in the general election. The split in the party combined with McKevitt's popularity to allow McKevitt to win by 10,000 votes. However, McKevitt was a conservative Republican in a strongly Democratic district, and he was defeated for reelection to the Ninety-third Congress in 1972 by liberal Democrat Pat Schroeder.

Later career

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McKevitt remained in Washington for some time after his brief congressional term, serving as Assistant United States Attorney General, Office of Legislation in 1973, a counsel on energy policy the White House from 1973 to 1974, and a member of the Korean War Memorial Commission from 1987 to 1995.

Death and burial

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He died on September 28, 2000, in Washington, D.C. He was interred at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia.

Electoral history

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1970 United States House of Representatives elections, Colorado's 1st district[3]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Mike McKevitt 84,643 51.50%
Democratic Craig S. Barnes 74,444 45.30%
Raza Unida Salvadore Carpio, Jr. 5,257 3.20%
Majority 10,199 6.20%
Total votes 164,344 100%
Republican gain from Democratic
1972 United States House of Representatives elections, Colorado's 1st district[4]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Pat Schroeder 101,832 51.56%
Republican Mike McKevitt (incumbent) 93,733 47.46%
Raza Unida Maria Pauline Serna 1,629 0.82%
Socialist Workers Fern Gapin 301 0.15%
Majority 8,099 4.10%
Total votes 197,495 100%
Democratic gain from Republican

References

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  1. ^ Denver District Attorney's Office McKevitt vs Denver's "hippies"
  2. ^ [1] McKevitt vs Denver hippies' restaurants
  3. ^ "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 3, 1970" (PDF). Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives. Compiled from official sources by Benjamin J. Guthrie, under direction of W. Pat Jennings. May 1, 1971. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 5, 2007. Retrieved January 24, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  4. ^ "Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 7, 1972" (PDF). Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives. Compiled from official sources by Benjamin J. Guthrie, under direction of W. Pat Jennings. March 15, 1973. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 5, 2007. Retrieved January 24, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link)

  This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress

U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Colorado's 1st congressional district

1971–1973
Succeeded by