Kolbe, Jim, 1942-

James Thomas Kolbe (born June 28, 1942) is an American business executive and politician. As a member of the Republican Party, he notably served as the U.S. Representative for Arizona's 5th (1985-2003) and 8th (2003-2007) congressional districts.

Born in Evanston, Illinois and raised in rural Santa Cruz County, Arizona, he graduated from the United States Capitol Page School in 1960 after serving for three years as a United States Senate Page for Barry Goldwater. Kolbe went on to earn a B.A. degree from Northwestern University and an M.B.A. degree from Stanford University before serving in the United States Navy, including a year in Vietnam in the riverine, "Swift Boat," force. He was a special assistant to Illinois Republican Governor Richard B. Ogilvie. He then moved to Tucson, Arizona, where he was a business executive. In 1976, Kolbe ran for the Arizona Senate in a Tucson-area district and defeated a one-term Democrat who had been elected in the national Democratic wave of 1974. He served three terms in that body, and was majority whip from 1979 to 1982.

In mid-1982, Kolbe resigned from the state Senate to run in the newly created 5th congressional district. He lost to Democrat Jim McNulty, a member of the Arizona Board of Regents, by 2,400 votes. However, Kolbe sought a rematch in 1984. Buoyed by Ronald Reagan's massive national landslide that year (Reagan carried the 5th with 60 percent of the vote), Kolbe won by 6,000 votes, becoming the first—and until the 2014 elections, only—Republican to represent the Arizona-Mexico border region in the House. He was reelected 10 times, only facing serious opposition once. In 1998, former Tucson mayor Tom Volgy held Kolbe to only 51 percent of the vote. The district was renumbered the 8th district after the 2000 census.

In Congress, Kolbe was a moderate Republican. This served him well; although his district included most of Tucson's Republican-leaning suburbs, the brand of Republican politics practiced in Southeast Arizona has traditionally been a centrist and independent-minded one. Like his mentor, Goldwater, he is pro-choice. He was generally more supportive of environmental legislation than most Republicans, especially those from the West. He is a member of various moderate Republican groups such as the Log Cabin Republicans, the Republican Main Street Partnership, the Republican Majority For Choice, Republicans for Choice, Republicans For Environmental Protection and It's My Party Too. He is one of the four Republicans who voted against the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act which was passed by the House of Representatives with 281–142 votes on October 2, 2003. On November 23, 2005, Kolbe announced that he would not seek a 12th term in 2006.

Kolbe is now a fellow at the German Marshall Fund think tank and a consultant at Kissinger McLarty Associates. He focuses on issues that were his priorities when he was in Congress—trade, aid and migration. In the fall semesters 2007 to 2009, he taught a class on trade and globalization at the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law in Tucson. He is a member of the board of directors of the International Republican Institute. In September 2010, President Barack Obama appointed Kolbe to the Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations. Kolbe currently serves on the Board of Advisors for International Relief and Development Inc. He is also a Co-Chairman of the dollar coin alliance. Kolbe serves on the Board of Directors of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.

In 2016, Kolbe endorsed Libertarian Gary Johnson over Republican Donald Trump. Leaving the Republican Party in 2018, he went on to endorse Democrat Joe Biden in 2020.