Dennis Hastert facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dennis Hastert
Official portrait, 2005
51st Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
In office January 6, 1999 – January 3, 2007
Preceded by	Newt Gingrich
Succeeded by	Nancy Pelosi
Leader of the House Republican Conference
In office January 6, 1999 – January 3, 2007
Preceded by	Newt Gingrich
Succeeded by	John Boehner
House Republican Chief Deputy Whip
In office January 3, 1995 – January 3, 1999
Leader	Newt Gingrich
Preceded by	Bob Walker
Succeeded by	Roy Blunt
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's 14th district
In office January 3, 1987 – November 26, 2007
Preceded by	John Grotberg
Succeeded by	Bill Foster
Member of the Illinois House of Representatives from the 82nd district
In office January 1983 – January 1987
Preceded by	Constituency established
Succeeded by	Edward Petka
Member of the Illinois House of Representatives from the 39th district
In office January 1981 – January 1983 Serving with Suzanne L. "Sue" Deuchler, Lawrence "Laz" Murphy
Preceded by	William L. Kempiners Allan L. "Al" Schoeberlein
Succeeded by	Kenneth C. Cole
Personal details
Born	John Dennis Hastert (1942-01-02) January 2, 1942 (age 83) Aurora, Illinois, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Jean Kahl ​ (m. 1973)​
Children	2
Education	North Central College Wheaton College, Illinois (BA) Northern Illinois University (MS)
Signature

John Dennis Hastert (/ˈhæstərt/ HASS-tərt; born January 2, 1942) is an American former politician, teacher, and wrestling coach who represented Illinois's 14th congressional district from 1987 to 2007 and served as the 51st Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1999 to 2007. Hastert was the longest-serving Republican Speaker of the House in history. After Democrats gained a majority in the House in 2007, Hastert resigned and began work as a lobbyist.

Early life and early career

Hastert was born on January 2, 1942, in Aurora, Illinois, the eldest of two sons of Naomi (née Nussle) and Jack Hastert. Hastert is of Luxembourgish and Norwegian descent on his father's side, and of German descent on his mother's.

Hastert grew up in a rural Illinois farming community. His middle-class family owned a farm supply business and a family farm; Hastert bagged and hauled feed and performed farm chores. As a young man, Hastert also worked shifts in the family's Plainfield restaurant, The Clock Tower, where he was a fry cook. Hastert became a born-again Christian as a teenager, during his sophomore year of high school. Hastert attended Oswego High School, where he was a star wrestler and football player.

Hastert briefly attended North Central College, but later transferred to Wheaton College, a Christian liberal arts college. Because of a wrestling injury, Hastert never served in the military. In 1964, Hastert graduated from Wheaton with a B.A. in economics. In 1967, he received his M.S. in philosophy of education from Northern Illinois University (NIU).

Hastert (top left) while he was a high school wrestling coach in 1976

Career

Hastert presiding over the House of Representatives during the 109th Congress.

Hastert (top right) during President George W. Bush's 2003 State of the Union address.

Hastert's official portrait as Speaker, painted by Laurel Stern Boeck. The mace of the United States House of Representatives is in the background, and the historic House silver inkstand in the foreground. This portrait was unveiled in 2009.

From 1965 to 1981, Hastert was a high school teacher and coach at Yorkville High School in Yorkville, Illinois. He lost a 1980 bid for the Illinois House of Representatives but ran again and won a seat in 1981. He was first elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1986 and was re-elected every two years until he retired in 2007. Hastert rose through the Republican ranks in the House, becoming chief deputy whip in 1995 and speaker in 1999. As Speaker of the House, Hastert supported the George W. Bush administration's foreign and domestic policies. After Democrats took control of the House in 2007 following the 2006 elections, Hastert declined to seek the position of minority leader, resigned his House seat, and became a lobbyist at the firm of Dickstein Shapiro.

In May 2015, Hastert was indicted on federal charges of structuring bank withdrawals to evade bank reporting requirements and making false statements to federal investigators and was later sentenced to 15 months in prison. Hastert became the highest-ranking elected official in U.S. history to serve a prison sentence.

Personal life

Marriage and family

Hastert has been married to Jean Hastert (née Kahl) since 1973. They have two children, Ethan and Joshua. Hastert's older son, Joshua, was a lobbyist for the firm PodestaMattoon, representing clients ranging from Amgen, a biotech company, to Lockheed Martin, a defense contractor.

Hastert's son Ethan ran in 2010 as a Republican for his father's old congressional seat (Illinois' 14th congressional district), but was defeated in the primary by Illinois State Senator Randy Hultgren. Hultgren received 55 percent of the vote, while Hastert received 45 percent. In 2011, Ethan won a seat on the village board of Elburn, Illinois. Ethan left the Elburn village board in 2014 because he and his family moved to nearby Campton Hills. As of 2015, Ethan was a partner at the Chicago office of the law firm Mayer Brown.

Electoral history

Congressional elections

Speaker of the House elections

See also

• List of federal political scandals in the United States