Representative Raymond Peter Kogovsek

Raymond Peter Kogovsek (August 19, 1941 – April 30, 2017) was an American politician and a member of the Democratic Party who served as a U.S. Representative from Colorado for three consecutive terms from 1979 to 1985. Over the course of his service in the United States Congress, he represented the interests of his constituents during a significant period in American political history and contributed to the federal legislative process as a member of the House of Representatives.

Kogovsek was born on August 19, 1941. Details of his early life, including his family background and upbringing, are less extensively documented in public sources, but his later career reflects deep roots in Colorado and a long-standing engagement with public service and Democratic Party politics. His formative years preceded a period of major social and political change in the United States, developments that would shape the national context in which he later served in Congress.

Information about Kogovsek’s formal education is limited in the available public record, but his subsequent professional and political trajectory indicates a grounding in civic affairs and public policy that prepared him for elective office. By the time he entered national politics, he had established himself sufficiently within Colorado’s political landscape to secure election to the U.S. House of Representatives, suggesting prior experience and involvement in local or state-level political activity and party organization.

Kogovsek’s broader career is most notable for his tenure in the United States Congress, where he emerged as a Democratic representative from Colorado at the close of the 1970s. His election reflected both his personal political standing and the priorities of his district, which he would go on to represent through a period marked by shifting economic conditions, energy concerns, and evolving federal policy debates. In office, he participated in the drafting, consideration, and passage of legislation, working within the committee and floor processes that structure the work of the House of Representatives.

As a member of the House from 1979 to 1985, Kogovsek served during the final years of the Carter administration and the first term of the Reagan administration, a time of significant partisan realignment and ideological contest in Washington. Within this environment, he took part in the democratic process by voting on major national issues, engaging in oversight of the executive branch, and advocating for the needs and interests of his Colorado constituents. His three terms in office underscored the confidence his district placed in his representation and his alignment with the Democratic Party’s priorities during that era.

Kogovsek concluded his service in Congress in 1985 after three terms. His departure from the House marked the end of his direct role in federal legislative affairs, but his years in office left a record of participation in national policymaking at a time of considerable change in domestic and foreign policy. Following his congressional service, he remained identified in the public record as a former U.S. Representative from Colorado, a role that continued to define his public legacy.

Raymond Peter Kogovsek died on April 30, 2017. His life and career are preserved in part through entries in official federal reference works, including the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, which recognize his contributions as a Democratic member of the House of Representatives and his role in representing Colorado in the national legislature during the late twentieth century.