Former U.S. Rep. Vern Ehlers of west Michigan dies at 83

WASHINGTON – Former U.S. Rep. Vern Ehlers, a nuclear physicist and former Calvin College professor who served more than 17 years in Congress as a moderate Republican representing a west Michigan district, died in Grand Rapids on Tuesday. He was 83.

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A well-liked and avuncular figure in Congress, Ehlers, who represented Michigan’s 3rd Congressional District, entered Congress in late 1993, being elected to replace Paul Henry, who died of brain cancer while in office. Ehlers retired at the end of his eighth full two-year term in 2011.

“They don’t make them like Vern anymore,” U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, said today on news of Ehlers’ death. “He was so well respected on both sides of the aisle, hard-working, and always a teacher at heart. He committed his life to the service of others.”

Said U.S. Rep. Justin Amash, R-Cascade Township, who replaced Ehlers in Congress representing the 3rd district: “Vern served our community with honor and did his best to represent everyone. My condolences to his loved ones. May his memory be eternal.”

Born Feb. 6, 1934, in Pipestone, Minn., Ehlers trained as a nuclear physicist at the University of California, Berkeley, after attending Calvin College. Earning his doctorate there, he went on to spend a decade teaching and engaging in scientific research before returning to Calvin College as a physics professor.

Ehlers entered government as a Kent County commissioner, serving from 1975-1983, before moving on to the Michigan House of Representatives, where he served a two-year term. He then went to the state Senate, where he served from 1985 to 1993, when he won a special election to replace Henry.

While in Congress, he rose to become chairman of the House Administration Committee, which oversees management and operational matters in the U.S. House. He also served on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and was a fervent supporter of the Great Lakes.

During a subcommittee meeting in 2007, when the prospects of legislation that could result in a water grab from the Great Lakes came up, the genial Ehlers cooly predicted that if that happened, “I would suspect we (in Michigan) would call up the militia and take up arms. We feel that serious about it."

As a legislator at both the state and federal levels, Ehlers helped to implement a statewide 911 protocol, rewrote the nation’s science policies and worked to advance scientific education, improve wetlands and address waste storage problems. Also, the Amtrak station in Grand Rapids is named for him.

Among his hobbies were photography and vegetable gardening, according to an obituary appearing on the website of the Zaagman Memorial Chapel in Grand Rapids. No details about his death were released, but he is survived by his wife Johanna and numerous relatives.

According to the obituary, a celebration of Ehlers’s life will take place Aug. 24, at 3 p.m. at Eastern Avenue Christian Reformed Church, 514 Eastern Ave SE, Grand Rapids. Memorial contributions may be made to any of the following: Vernon and Johanna Ehlers scholarship at Calvin College; John and Alice Ehlers scholarship at Calvin Theological Seminary; Grand Rapids Community Foundation, Challenge Scholars Program; or West Michigan Environmental Action Council (WMEAC).

Contact Todd Spangler at 703-854-8947 or at tspangler@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter at @tsspangler.