Paul Edmund Kanjorski (born April 2, 1937) is an American politician who was the U.S. representative for from 1985 until 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party.
The district included the cities of Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, and Hazleton, as well as most of the Poconos.
Before his election to Congress, Kanjorski was a trial attorney, city solicitor, and administrative law judge for workers' compensation. He also served in the United States Army Reserves.
Early life, education and career
Kanjorski was born in Nanticoke, near Wilkes-Barre. He is Polish-American. He attended public schools before enrolling at Wyoming Seminary, a private college preparatory school in Kingston. He finished his high school education at the Capitol Page School in Washington, D.C. He became a congressional page at age 15, first appointed by Republicans but ending up working on the Democratic side of the House. He witnessed the 1954 U.S. Capitol shooting incident, helping to bring stretchers into the chamber for the wounded.
Kanjorski attended Temple University in Philadelphia from 1957 to 1961, and briefly served in the United States Army Reserves from 1960 to 1961. He then attended Dickinson School of Law in Carlisle. He passed the Pennsylvania bar exam in 1966. Kanjorski completed his studies despite having dyslexia, once saying, "I always thought it was a blessing. It forced me to develop my memory."
Before entering politics, Kanjorski practiced law in Wilkes-Barre often helping coal miners and their widows obtain black lung benefits. Kanjorski also volunteered to advocate on behalf of victims of Hurricane Agnes which devastated the Wyoming valley in 1972. Kanjorski served as a worker's compensation administrative law judge for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Assistant Solicitor for the City of Nanticoke and served as assistant solicitor to several other communities.
U.S. House of Representatives
Committee assignments
Committee on Financial Services
Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Insurance, and Government-Sponsored Enterprises (chairman) Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Government Management, Organization, and Procurement Subcommittee on Information Policy, Census, and National Archives
Earmark controversy
Kanjorski encountered controversy over earmarks that he secured for water jet cutter research towards Cornerstone Technologies, a company founded by his nephew and staffed by Kanjorski's daughter and four other nephews. In 2004, former company president Bruce Conrad sued Cornerstone, alleging that Kanjorski and relatives schemed to take over Conrad's stake in the company.
In 2007, Politico revealed that the United States Navy wanted back a high-pressure pump that had been purchased by Cornerstone using taxpayer funds, but Cornerstone could not locate it. Later, the Navy concluded that Cornerstone did not produce anything valuable towards national defense.
Political positions
Like many Pennsylvania Democrats from outside Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, Kanjorski opposed gun control. He is also moderately conservative on abortion. However, he is strongly pro-labor, and has spoken out against the Iraq War. He has served on the Financial Services Committee since he entered Congress in 1985 and was the second-ranking Democrat on that committee at the time of his departure. He usually played behind-the-scenes roles in the advocacy or defeat of legislation and steers appropriations money toward improving the infrastructure and economic needs of his district. He is popularly known as "Kanjo."
On May 10, 2007, the usually moderate Kanjorski voted with fellow Democrats to begin the redeployment of all forces from Iraq, however the bill was defeated. As of the sixth anniversary of the September 11 attacks in 2001, Kanjorski's position on the war in Iraq appeared to be that he would vote for redeployment, but not as a condition of continued funding for the war until and unless the expected presidential veto of such a bill would be overridden.