Boschwitz, Rudy, 1930-

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Rudolph Eli Boschwitz (born November 7, 1930) is a German-born American businessman and politician. A member of the Republican Party, he served as a U.S. Senator from Minnesota between December 1978 and January 1991.

Born to a Jewish family in Berlin, Weimar Germany, his family fled from Nazi Germany when Boschwitz was three years old, settling in New Rochelle, New York, where he attended public schools before going on to the Pennington School in Pennington, New Jersey. Boschwitz attended Johns Hopkins University before earning B.S. and J.D. degrees from New York University. He was admitted to the New York State bar in 1954 and the Wisconsin bar in 1959. Boschwitz served in the United States Army Signal Corps from 1954 to 1955. In October 1963, he founded a plywood and home improvement retailer, Plywood Minnesota, which later became Home Valu Interiors; Boschwitz remains the company's chairman. Between 1971 and 1978, he served as a Republican National Committeeman. He was well known in Minnesota for operating a "flavored milk" booth at the Minnesota State Fair.

Boschwitz was elected as an Independent-Republican to the United States Senate in November 1978 and was subsequently appointed on December 30, 1978, to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Wendell Anderson, who was appointed to fill the seat after Walter Mondale was elected Vice President two years earlier. Boschwitz voted in favor of the bill establishing Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a federal holiday and the Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1987 (as well as to override President Reagan's veto). Boschwitz voted in favor of the nomination of Robert Bork to the U.S. Supreme Court. Re-elected in 1984, he was narrowly defeated in 1990 by Carleton College professor Paul Wellstone; Boschwitz lost a 1996 rematch with Wellstone.

In 1991, Boschwitz traveled to Ethiopia as the emissary of President George H. W. Bush. The negotiations Boschwitz led in Ethiopia resulted in Operation Solomon. Over 14,000 Jewish people were airlifted from Ethiopia to Israel. Operation Solomon took twice as many Beta Israel émigrés to Israel as Operation Moses and Operation Joshua combined. He was a top "Bush Pioneer" in 2000, fund-raising $388,193, and a "Bush Ranger" in 2004, raising at least $200,000 for George W. Bush's campaign fund in that election cycle. In 2005, Bush named Boschwitz as the United States Ambassador to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, which met at the U.N. in Geneva, Switzerland. Boschwitz presently serves on the Board of Directors of the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs, is an AIPAC Board Member, and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
referencedIn Congressional Files and Related Papers., 1950-1995 (bulk 1990-1992). Minnesota Historical Society
referencedIn Fraser (Donald M.) subject files., 1979-1994. Minnesota Historical Society
referencedIn Graenum Berger Papers, undated, [1825]-2002 (bulk 1923-2001) American Jewish Historical Society
referencedIn Minneapolis (Minn.). Office of the Mayor. Fraser (Donald M.) subject files, 1979-1994. Minnesota Historical Society, Division of Archives and Manuscripts
creatorOf Phillips, Jay, 1898-1992. Jay Phillips papers, 1920-1992 (bulk 1944-1992). Minnesota Historical Society Library
creatorOf Republican Party (Minn.). State Central Committee. Committee records, 1935-1977. Minnesota Historical Society Library
referencedIn Johnson IMPACE-MEA papers, 1973-1981. Minnesota Historical Society
referencedIn Minnesota. State Auditor. Arne Carlson files, 1978-1990. Minnesota Historical Society, Division of Archives and Manuscripts
creatorOf Boschwitz, Rudy, 1930-. Rudy Boschwitz papers, 1953-1993 (bulk 1978-1990). Minnesota Historical Society, Division of Archives and Manuscripts
creatorOf Boschwitz, Rudy, 1930-. Rudy Boschwitz : commercials , 1978-1990. University of Oklahoma, Political Community Archives
creatorOf Minnesota. Legislature. Videotapes and audio cassettes compiled for Tribune of the People, 1978-1986. Minnesota Historical Society, Division of Archives and Manuscripts
creatorOf Minnesota. Dept. of Health. Commissioner's Office. Correspondence, 1976-1999. Minnesota Historical Society Library
referencedIn Committee records., 1935-1977. Minnesota Historical Society
referencedIn 10/15/81, Senate Foreign Relations Committee--AWACS (T-30901) Jimmy Carter Library
referencedIn Alexandria (Minn.). Correspondence regarding the municipal airport, 1973-1988. Minnesota Historical Society, Division of Archives and Manuscripts
creatorOf Minnesota Nuclear Weapons Freeze Campaign. Organizational records, 1982-1992. Minnesota Historical Society, Division of Archives and Manuscripts
referencedIn Johnson, Roger I. Johnson IMPACE-MEA papers, 1973-1981. Minnesota Historical Society, Division of Archives and Manuscripts
referencedIn Minnesota. Governor (1979-1983 : Quie). Audio-visual materials, 1978-1983. Minnesota Historical Society, Division of Archives and Manuscripts
referencedIn American Association for Ethiopian Jews (AAEJ), records, undated, 1960-1961, 1963, 1965-1968, 1970-1995, 2001-2002 American Jewish Historical Society
Role Title Holding Repository
Relation Name
associatedWith Alexandria (Minn.). corporateBody
associatedWith American Association for Ethiopian Jews (AAEJ) corporateBody
memberOf Boschwitz family. family
associatedWith Durenberger, David. person
associatedWith Graenum Berger, 1908-1999 person
associatedWith Independent-Republicans of Minnesota. corporateBody
almaMaterOf Johns Hopkins University corporateBody
associatedWith Johnson, Roger I. person
associatedWith Minneapolis (Minn.). Office of the Mayor. corporateBody
associatedWith Minnesota. Dept. of Health. Commissioner's Office. corporateBody
associatedWith Minnesota. Governor (1979-1983 : Quie) corporateBody
associatedWith Minnesota. Legislature. corporateBody
associatedWith Minnesota Nuclear Weapons Freeze Campaign. corporateBody
associatedWith Minnesota. State Auditor. corporateBody
alumnusOrAlumnaOf New York University corporateBody
alumnusOrAlumnaOf New York university. School of law corporateBody
associatedWith People for Boschwitz (Minneapolis, Minn.). corporateBody
associatedWith Phillips, Jay, 1898-1992. person
associatedWith Republican National Committee (U.S.) corporateBody
associatedWith Republican Party (Minn.). State Central Committee. corporateBody
associatedWith Republican Party (United States : 1854- ). corporateBody
memberOf United States. Army. Signal Corps corporateBody
memberOf United States. Congress. Senate. corporateBody
associatedWith University of Oklahoma. Political Commercial Archive. corporateBody
associatedWith Weber, Vin (John Vincent). person
Place Name Admin Code Country
Baltimore MD US
Minneapolis MN US
Berlin 16 DE
New York City NY US
New Rochelle NY US
Pennington NJ US
Subject
Advertising, political
Agricultural laws and legislation
Agricultural laws and legislation
Budget
Budget
Political campaigns
Electioneering
Environmental policy
Health planning
Indians of North America
Indians of North America
Jews in public life
Jews in public life
Refugees
Refuseniks
Small business
Television advertising
Veterans
Occupation
Businessmen
Lawyers
Legislators
Politicians
Senators, U.S. Congress
Activity

Person

Birth 1930-11-07

Male

Germans,

Americans

English

Information

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