John Heinz

Henry John Heinz III was born on October 23, 1938, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the only child of Joan (Diehl) and H. J. "Jack" Heinz II, heir to the H. J. Heinz Company. His parents divorced in 1942. Heinz moved to San Francisco, California, with his mother and stepfather, U.S. Navy Captain Clayton Chot "Monty" McCauley. Although he was raised and primarily resided in San Francisco throughout his childhood, Heinz often spent the summer months with his father in Pittsburgh. In 1956, Heinz graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy. He then attended and graduated from Yale University, where Theodore Stebbins was his roommate, in 1960, majoring in history, arts and letters. Heinz subsequently graduated from Harvard Business School in 1963. As a Harvard Business School student, he met his future wife, Teresa Simões Ferreira, who attended the University of Geneva, over summer break. He was fourth cousin of Donald Trump (their great-grandfathers were first cousins and originated from Kallstadt, Germany). ==Career==

U.S. Air Force After graduating from the Harvard Business School in 1963, Heinz served in the United States Air Force Reserve and was on active duty during the same year. Also in 1974, he declined to challenge Democratic governor Milton Schapp. U.S. Senate Heinz opted not to run for re-election to his seat in the House of Representatives, announcing on December 10, 1975 to run for Pennsylvania's open United States Senate seat created by the retirement of incumbent Hugh Scott. In the primary, Heinz faced opposition from Arlen Specter. During the campaign, the Supreme Court issued a ruling in Buckley v. Valeo, allowing candidates to spend with few restrictions, benefitting Heinz. During the campaign, Heinz came under fire for having accepted illegal donations totaling $6,000 from Gulf Oil, which Heinz returned, claimed was an accident and denied legal culpability. Heinz would defeat Specter in the primary, performing strongly in western Pennsylvania. Heinz faced congressman William Green III in the general election. Heinz was criticized by Green for his wealth and spending. Heinz defeated Green in November. He was subsequently re-elected in 1982 and in 1988. He was a member of the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, the Committee on Finance, the National Commission on Social Security Reform, the National Commission on Health Care Reform, the Northeast Coalition, and the Steel Caucus. He also served as chairman of the Subcommittee on International Finance and Monetary Policies, the Special Committee on Aging, and the Republican Conference Task Force on Job Training and Education. Heinz voted in favor of the Robert Bork Supreme Court nomination. He was elected chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee for two terms, 1979–1981 and 1985–1987. The New York Times noted that Heinz built a solid record in the Senate as "a persistent defender of the nation's growing elderly population and of the declining steel industry", that he was "instrumental in pushing through legislation that put the Social Security system on sounder financial footing", and "played a major role in strengthening laws regulating retirement policies, pension plans, health insurance and nursing homes", and "pushed successfully for trade laws that encourage American exports and protect American products, like steel, from foreign imports". ==Death==

On April 4, 1991, Heinz and six other people, including two children, were killed when a Sun Co. Aviation Department Bell 412 helicopter and a Piper Aerostar, with Heinz aboard, collided in mid-air above Merion Elementary School in Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania. All aboard both aircraft, as well as two children at the school, were killed. The helicopter was attempting to investigate a problem with the landing gear of Heinz's plane, and while moving in for a closer look, collided with the plane, causing both aircraft to lose control and crash. The subsequent NTSB investigation attributed the cause of the crash to poor judgment by the pilots of the two aircraft involved. Following a funeral at Heinz Chapel in Pittsburgh and a Washington, D.C. memorial service that was attended by President George H. W. Bush and Vice President Dan Quayle, Senator Heinz's remains were interred in the Heinz family mausoleum in Homewood Cemetery, located in the Point Breeze neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. remarked: "He really believed he could make the world a better place, such a contrast to the jaded resignation of our time. He could send the Senate leadership up a wall faster than anyone I've seen." Heinz's son André said at the services: "Dad, I am so grateful for the time we had, and I miss you and I love you." In 1995, Teresa, Heinz's widow, married Heinz's Senate colleague, future Democratic presidential nominee and Secretary of State John Kerry. == Legacy ==

at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh The Tinicum Wildlife Preserve was renamed to the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum in Heinz's honor following his death. The 1,200 acre (4.9 km2) refuge includes the largest remaining freshwater tidal marsh in Pennsylvania, as well as other habitats that are home to a variety of plants and animals native to Southeastern Pennsylvania. Heinz was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 1991. In 1993, his family established the Heinz Awards, which honors individual innovation in five categories. One of the Jefferson Awards for Public Service annual awards, for "Greatest Public Service by an Elected or Appointed Official", is named in his honor. Several institutions bear his name, including: • Senator H. John Heinz III Archives at the Carnegie Mellon University Libraries in Pittsburgh • Heinz College at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh • H. John Heinz III Center for Science, Economics and the Environment in Washington, D.C. • Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh • H. J. Heinz Campus of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Pittsburgh Healthcare System in Pittsburgh ==Electoral history==