Representative Joseph K. Knollenberg

Joseph Kastl Knollenberg (November 28, 1933 – February 6, 2018) was an American politician from Michigan who served as a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from 1993 to 2009. Over eight consecutive terms in Congress, he represented Michigan’s 11th congressional district and, following redistricting, Michigan’s 9th congressional district, participating actively in the legislative process and representing the interests of his Oakland County constituents during a significant period in American political and economic history.

Knollenberg was born in Mattoon, Illinois, the son of Helen E. (née Kastl; 1903–1990), a teacher, and William Herman Knollenberg Jr. (1902–1975), a farmer. Raised Catholic, he grew up on a farm with 12 siblings, an upbringing that instilled in him a familiarity with rural life and small-town values. He attended local schools in Illinois before enrolling at Eastern Illinois University, where he was a member of the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity. He graduated from Eastern Illinois University in 1955.

Following his graduation, Knollenberg served in the United States Army from 1955 to 1957. Stationed in Germany, he attained the rank of corporal and specialized in petroleum chemistry, gaining technical experience during the early years of the Cold War. After completing his military service, he embarked on a career in the insurance industry that would span more than three decades. He initially worked for New York Life Insurance Company as an assistant manager and later joined Sears, where he continued in the insurance field. In the late 1980s, he founded his own firm, the Knollenberg Agency, solidifying his professional standing in business before entering full-time elective politics.

Knollenberg’s political involvement began at the local party level. He became active in Republican politics in Oakland County, Michigan, and served as chairman of the Oakland County Republican Party from 1978 to 1982. In 1992, he signed on as campaign manager for longtime Congressman William Broomfield, who had represented most of Oakland County in Congress since 1957. At a strategy meeting with Knollenberg and other advisers, Broomfield announced that he would not seek a 19th term and urged Knollenberg to run in his place in the 11th District, which had been renumbered from the 18th District after the 1990 census. Despite being the only candidate in a three-way Republican primary without prior elected office, Knollenberg won the nomination by more than 13 points.

Taking office on January 3, 1993, Knollenberg entered Congress from what was then one of the most Republican districts in Michigan and the nation, becoming only the third person to represent the 11th District. He was reelected six times without serious difficulty in the 1990s and early 2000s, never dropping below 55 percent of the vote, and was re-elected to his seventh term in 2004 with 58 percent. Following redistricting in the 2000s, his district was renumbered as the 9th congressional district and its political character shifted: while it lost heavily Democratic Southfield, it picked up equally Democratic Pontiac and lost a Republican-leaning spur of Wayne County, making the district more competitive. Prior to this redistricting, his elections had been widely considered relatively easy, reflecting the traditionally Republican leanings of Troy, the largest city in his district.

During his congressional service from 1993 to 2009, Knollenberg developed a generally conservative voting record and became known as a staunch supporter of free trade and business interests. He strongly supported the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and was a leading opponent of President George W. Bush’s steel tariffs, aligning himself with manufacturers and importers concerned about trade barriers. He also supported President Bush’s broader stance on protecting manufactured goods in international trade. In foreign affairs, he was recognized by Armenia in 2002 with the Mkhitar Gosh Medal, awarded by the president of Armenia, reflecting his work on issues of concern to the Armenian-American community and U.S.-Armenia relations. In the domestic policy arena, he drew attention in the later years of his career for voting against expanding the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), a position that later became a focal point of criticism in campaign advertising. On September 29, 2008, amid the financial crisis, he voted against the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, the legislation authorizing the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP). In the House, he served on the powerful Appropriations Committee, including the Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs and the Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies, where he rose to the position of ranking member.

As the political landscape of his district changed, Knollenberg began to face more competitive elections. In 2006 he was challenged in the Republican primary by moderate Republican Patricia Godchaux. In the general election that year, his Democratic opponent was Nancy Skinner, a popular liberal talk radio host in the Detroit area, with Matthew R. Abel of the Green Party and Adam Goodman of the Libertarian Party also on the ballot. Knollenberg spent approximately $2.7 million on his 2006 campaign and was nearly defeated, winning only 52 percent of the vote to Skinner’s 46 percent; Abel received 0.9 percent and Goodman 1.3 percent. This was the closest a Democrat had come to winning the district in 48 years, since Broomfield’s narrow reelection in 1958. The narrow margin and demographic shifts led the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee to target his seat for 2008, focusing on districts where Republican incumbents had received less than 55 percent of the vote.

In January 2006, Knollenberg had announced his intent to seek reelection in 2008, and he proceeded with that plan despite the growing competitiveness of his district. The Democratic nominee in 2008 was Gary Peters, a former state senator and former Michigan lottery commissioner. Nancy Skinner initially considered a rematch but withdrew to clear the field for Peters. In March 2008, Jack Kevorkian, the controversial assisted-suicide advocate, announced he would challenge Knollenberg as an independent candidate. Adam Goodman again ran as the Libertarian nominee, and Douglas Campbell was the Green Party nominee. Kevorkian, Goodman, and Campbell each raised and spent less than the mandatory federal reporting threshold. In the general election on November 4, 2008, amid a strong Democratic tide in the Detroit metropolitan area and nationally, Knollenberg was defeated, receiving 43 percent of the vote to Peters’ 52 percent. Barack Obama carried Oakland County by a 15-point margin, six percentage points more than Peters’ margin over Knollenberg. Analysts and opponents pointed to advertisements criticizing his vote against expanding SCHIP as a potential factor in his defeat. His loss ended 16 years of service in the House of Representatives.

Knollenberg married Sandra “Sandie” Moco in September 1962 at St. Frances Cabrini Church in Allen Park, Michigan. The couple had two sons, Stephen and Martin. Continuing the family’s involvement in public service, his son Martin Knollenberg was elected in November 2006 to the Michigan House of Representatives from the 41st District, winning by a margin of 58 percent to 42 percent. After leaving Congress in January 2009, Joseph K. Knollenberg lived in Michigan, remaining a figure of note in state Republican circles and remembered for his long tenure representing Oakland County in Washington.

Joseph Kastl Knollenberg died on February 6, 2018, at a care facility in Troy, Michigan, due to complications from Alzheimer’s disease. He was 84 years old.