Representative Kenneth Bentley Kramer

Kenneth Bentley Kramer (born February 19, 1942) is an American lawyer, politician, and jurist from Colorado who served as a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from 1979 to 1987. Born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1942, he was raised in the suburb of Skokie, Illinois. His early years in the Chicago area preceded a career that would span state and federal legislative service as well as senior executive and judicial appointments in the federal government.

Kramer attended the University of Illinois, where he completed his undergraduate education before pursuing legal studies at Harvard University. He received his Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School and, in 1966, was admitted to the bar. Following his admission, he began practicing law and quickly advanced in the legal profession. By 1970, he had become an assistant district attorney for Colorado’s Fourth Judicial District, a role that placed him in public service in the Colorado Springs area and provided experience in criminal prosecution and the administration of justice.

Kramer entered elective office in 1972, when he was elected to the Colorado House of Representatives. He served three consecutive terms in the state legislature, from 1972 until 1978. During these years in the Colorado House, he developed a reputation as a Republican legislator and built the political base that would support his later campaigns for national office. His state legislative service coincided with a period of growth and change in Colorado, and it positioned him as a prominent political figure in the state’s emerging Republican leadership.

In 1978, Kramer was elected to the United States House of Representatives from Colorado’s 5th congressional district, succeeding William L. Armstrong, who had been elected to the United States Senate. He took office in January 1979 and served four consecutive terms, remaining in the House until January 1987. As a member of the House of Representatives, Kenneth Bentley Kramer participated in the democratic process and represented the interests of his constituents in Colorado’s 5th district during a significant period in American history that included the late Carter administration and the Reagan years. A member of the Republican Party, he contributed to the legislative process over eight years in Congress, engaging in national policy debates and supporting the priorities of his district and party.

In 1986, Kramer chose not to seek reelection to the House and instead ran for the United States Senate from Colorado. He retired from his House seat at the conclusion of his fourth term to pursue this statewide office. In the general election, he was defeated by Democrat Tim Wirth. Following this unsuccessful Senate bid, Kramer returned to Colorado Springs, Colorado, where he resumed work as an attorney in private practice, drawing on his background in law and legislative affairs.

Kramer’s later career included significant service in the federal executive branch and the judiciary. On June 10, 1988, President Ronald Reagan nominated him to be Assistant Secretary of the Army (Financial Management and Comptroller), a senior position responsible for overseeing the Army’s financial operations. The United States Senate confirmed his nomination by unanimous consent on October 14, 1988. In 1989, President George H. W. Bush nominated and appointed Kramer as a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, a federal court with nationwide jurisdiction over decisions on veterans’ benefits. He served on that court for many years and became its chief judge in 2000. Kramer held the position of chief judge until his retirement from the court in 2004, concluding a public career that had encompassed legislative, executive, and judicial responsibilities at both the state and federal levels.

In his personal life, Kenneth Bentley Kramer is married to Louise Kotoshirodo Kramer. His long record of service—as a state legislator, four-term U.S. Representative, senior Defense Department official, and federal appellate judge for veterans’ claims—reflects a career deeply rooted in law, public policy, and the representation of both his Colorado constituents and the nation’s veterans.