Dennis Cohoon
{{Short description|American politician}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|image =Dennis Cohoon 86thGA.jpeg
|imagesize =190px
|caption = Cohoon in 2015
| name =Dennis M. Cohoon
| state_house =Iowa
| district =87th
| term_start = January 12, 1987
| term_end = January 9, 2023
| preceded =
| succeeded =Matthew Rinker (redistricting)
|constituency3 = 60th district {{nowrap|(1987–1993)}}
100th district {{nowrap|(1993–2003)}}
88th district {{nowrap|(2003–2013)}}
87th district {{nowrap|(2013–2023)}}
| birth_date ={{birth date and age|1953|3|29|mf=y}}
| birth_place =Des Moines County, Iowa
| death_date =
| death_place =
| party =Democratic
| spouse =
| relations =
| children =
| residence =Burlington, Iowa
| alma_mater =Iowa Wesleyan College
| occupation =
| profession =
| religion =
| signature =
| website =[http://www3.legis.state.ia.us/ga/member.do?id=100 Cohoon's website]
| footnotes =
}}
Dennis M. Cohoon (born March 29, 1953) is an American politician who served as an Iowa State Representative from 1987 to 2023 representing several different seats in Burlington.{{cite web |title=Dennis M. Cohoon > All Years |url=https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislators/legislator/legislatorAllYears?personID=100 |website=The Iowa Legislature |access-date=13 January 2024}}
Education
Cohoon graduated from Burlington High School in 1971. After graduating high school, he attended Southeastern Community College where he earned an associate degree in business. He received his BA in business administration and business education with minors in special education and psychology from Iowa Wesleyan College. He has also done graduate work in special education at the University of Iowa.
Career
From 1973 to 1979 Cohoon served in the Iowa Army National Guard. In 1978, he began teaching in the Burlington School District. He spent 32 years teaching special education in the Burlington School District until retiring in 2010.
Cohoon served on several committees in the Iowa House - the Appropriations committee; the Education committee; the Local Government committee; and the Transportation committee. He also served as chair of the Transportation, Infrastructure, and Capitals Appropriations Subcommittee.
Cohoon was re-elected in 2006 with 7,201 votes, running unopposed. [https://web.archive.org/web/20070715101939/http://www.sos.state.ia.us/pdfs/GenOffResults.pdf]
Cohoon endorsed North Carolina Senator John Edwards for president in 2004.{{cite web |title=John Edwards-Campaign Organization, Iowa |url=https://p2004.org/edwards/edworgia.html |website=P2004 Race for the White House |access-date=24 January 2024}}
Cohoon endorsed Joe Biden for president in the 2008 and 2020 Democratic primaries.{{cite news |last1=Peters |first1=Gerhard |last2=Woolley |first2=John T. |title=Biden Campaign Press Release - Biden Gaining Steam in Homestretch to Iowa Caucuses |url=https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/biden-campaign-press-release-biden-gaining-steam-homestretch-iowa-caucuses |access-date=31 December 2023 |work=The American Presidency Project |date=28 December 2007}}{{cite news |last1=Barrow |first1=Bill |title=Biden centers campaign where he started: Trump’s character |url=https://apnews.com/article/b514f6905ee44d25bbbdd7146fca8c62 |access-date=31 December 2023 |work=Associated Press |date=9 August 2019}} Following the suspension of Biden's campaign in January 2008, Cohoon endorsed Barack Obama for president.{{cite web |title=Barack Obama-Organization, Iowa |url=https://p2008.org/obama/obamaorgia.html |website=P2008 Race for the White House}}
Personal life
Dennis Cohoon has collected Presidential memorabilia such as buttons, stamps, cards, and busts since he was seven years old. He is also a fan of University of Iowa Hawkeye basketball and the New York Yankees.{{cite web|title=DENNIS COHOON|url=http://iowahouse.net/our-members/dennis-cohoon/|publisher=Iowa House|access-date=2 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203014511/http://iowahouse.net/our-members/dennis-cohoon/|archive-date=3 December 2013|url-status=dead}}
Cohoon is the son of Meril, a railroad worker and Marie Cohoon, a homemaker. He has two sisters, Judy and Sally. He has been married to his wife Sue, a math teacher, since 1998 and together they have four step children.
Organizations
=Past memberships=
=Current memberships=
Electoral history
| class="wikitable collapsible" |state=collapse | |
| bgcolor=#cccccc
!colspan=22 style="background: #ccccff;" |Election results of Dennis Cohoon |
| Year
!Office !District !Election !Party !Votes !% ! !Opponent !Party !Votes !% ! !Opponent !Party !Votes !% ! !Opponent !Party !Votes !% |
|---|
| 1986
|Iowa House of Representatives |60 |{{Party shading/Democratic}} |D |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 1,079 |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 100.00% |
| 1986
|Iowa House of Representatives |60 |{{Party shading/Democratic}} |D |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 4,353 |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 56.97% | |{{Party shading/Republican}} | Steven R. Arnold |{{Party shading/Republican}} |R |{{Party shading/Republican}} | 3,288 |{{Party shading/Republican}} | 43.03 |
| 1988
|Iowa House of Representatives |60 |{{Party shading/Democratic}} |D |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 1,579 |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 100.00% |
| 1988
|Iowa House of Representatives |60 |General{{cite web |title=GENERAL ELECTION November 8, 1988 OFFICIAL CANVASS SUMMARY |url=https://sos.iowa.gov/elections/pdf/results/80s/1988gencanv.pdf |publisher=IOWA SECRETARY OF STATE |access-date=25 June 2024}} |{{Party shading/Democratic}} |D |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 7,064 |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 62.82% | |{{Party shading/Republican}} | Dianne Lerud |{{Party shading/Republican}} |R |{{Party shading/Republican}} | 4,180 |{{Party shading/Republican}} | 37.18% |
| 1990
|Iowa House of Representatives |60 |{{Party shading/Democratic}} |D |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 1,439 |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 100.00% |
| 1990
|Iowa House of Representatives |60 |General{{cite web |title= 1990 GENERAL ELECTION November 6, 1990 OFFICIAL CANVASS SUMMARY |url=https://sos.iowa.gov/elections/pdf/results/90s/1990gencanv.pdf |publisher=IOWA SECRETARY OF STATE |access-date=25 June 2024}} |{{Party shading/Democratic}} |D |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 5,630 |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 62.86% | |{{Party shading/Republican}} | Dianne K. Lerud |{{Party shading/Republican}} |R |{{Party shading/Republican}} | 3,325 |{{Party shading/Republican}} | 37.13% | |{{Party shading/Independent}} | Write-ins |{{Party shading/Independent}} |W-I |{{Party shading/Independent}} | 1 |{{Party shading/Independent}} | 0.01% |
| 1992
|Iowa House of Representatives |100 |{{Party shading/Democratic}} |D |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 874 |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 100.00% |
| 1992
|Iowa House of Representatives |100 |{{Party shading/Democratic}} |D |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 7,615 |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 64.43% | |{{Party shading/Republican}} | Sharon Marlow-Bennett |{{Party shading/Republican}} |R |{{Party shading/Republican}} | 4,204 |{{Party shading/Republican}} | 35.57% |
| 1994
|Iowa House of Representatives | 100 |{{Party shading/Democratic}} |D |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 1,125 |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 100.00% |
| 1994
|Iowa House of Representatives | 100 |{{Party shading/Democratic}} |D |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 5,299 |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 100.00% |
| 1996
|Iowa House of Representatives |100 |{{Party shading/Democratic}} |D |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 1,888 |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 100.00% |
| 1996
|Iowa House of Representatives | 100 |{{Party shading/Democratic}} |D |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 7,226 |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 99.99% | |{{Party shading/Independent}} | Write-ins |{{Party shading/Independent}} |W-I |{{Party shading/Independent}} | 1 |{{Party shading/Independent}} | 0.01% |
| 1998
|Iowa House of Representatives |100 |{{Party shading/Democratic}} |D |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 1,483 |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 100.00% |
| 1998
|Iowa House of Representatives | 100 |{{Party shading/Democratic}} |D |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 5,807 |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 100.00% |
| 2000
|Iowa House of Representatives |100 |{{Party shading/Democratic}} |D |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 2,536 |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 99.80% | |{{Party shading/Independent}} | Write-ins |{{Party shading/Independent}} |W-I |{{Party shading/Independent}} | 5 |{{Party shading/Independent}} | 0.20% |
| 2000
|Iowa House of Representatives |100 |{{Party shading/Democratic}} |D |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 7,673 |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 64.90% | |{{Party shading/Republican}} | Matthew Murray |{{Party shading/Republican}} |R |{{Party shading/Republican}} | 4,145 |{{Party shading/Republican}} | 35.06% | |{{Party shading/Independent}} | Write-ins |{{Party shading/Independent}} |W-I |{{Party shading/Independent}} | 5 |{{Party shading/Independent}} | 0.04% |
| 2002
|Iowa House of Representatives |88 |{{Party shading/Democratic}} |D |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 1,050 |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 99.81% | |{{Party shading/Independent}} | Write-ins |{{Party shading/Independent}} |W-I |{{Party shading/Independent}} | 2 |{{Party shading/Independent}} | 0.19% |
| 2002
|Iowa House of Representatives |88 |{{Party shading/Democratic}} |D |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 7,540 |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 98.92% | |{{Party shading/Independent}} | Write-ins |{{Party shading/Independent}} |W-I |{{Party shading/Independent}} | 82 |{{Party shading/Independent}} | 1.08% |
| 2004
|Iowa House of Representatives |88 |{{Party shading/Democratic}} |D |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 1,470 |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 99.53% | |{{Party shading/Independent}} | Write-ins |{{Party shading/Independent}} |W-I |{{Party shading/Independent}} | 7 |{{Party shading/Independent}} | 0.47% |
| 2004
|Iowa House of Representatives |88 |{{Party shading/Democratic}} |D |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 10,541 |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 99.15% | |{{Party shading/Independent}} | Write-ins |{{Party shading/Independent}} |W-I |{{Party shading/Independent}} | 90 |{{Party shading/Independent}} | 0.85% |
| 2006
|Iowa House of Representatives |88 |{{Party shading/Democratic}} |D |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 1,681 |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 99.23% | |{{Party shading/Independent}} | Write-ins |{{Party shading/Independent}} |W-I |{{Party shading/Independent}} | 13 |{{Party shading/Independent}} | 0.77% |
| 2006
|Iowa House of Representatives |88 |{{Party shading/Democratic}} |D |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 7,201 |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 99.31% | |{{Party shading/Independent}} | Write-ins |{{Party shading/Independent}} |W-I |{{Party shading/Independent}} | 50 |{{Party shading/Independent}} | 0.69% |
| 2008
|Iowa House of Representatives |88 |{{Party shading/Democratic}} |D |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 1,558 |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 99.62% | |{{Party shading/Independent}} | Write-ins |{{Party shading/Independent}} |W-I |{{Party shading/Independent}} | 6 |{{Party shading/Independent}} | 0.38% |
| 2008
|Iowa House of Representatives |88 |{{Party shading/Democratic}} |D |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 10,248 |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 73.65% | |{{Party shading/Independent}} | Write-ins |{{Party shading/Independent}} |W-I |{{Party shading/Independent}} | 173 |{{Party shading/Independent}} | 1.31% |
| 2010
|Iowa House of Representatives |88 |{{Party shading/Democratic}} |D |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 512 |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 81.92% | |{{Party shading/Independent}} | Write-ins |{{Party shading/Independent}} |W-I |{{Party shading/Independent}} | 2 |{{Party shading/Independent}} | 0.32% |
| 2010
|Iowa House of Representatives | 88 |{{Party shading/Democratic}} |D |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 5,702 |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 56.75% | |{{Party shading/Republican}} | Dave Selmon |{{Party shading/Republican}} |R |{{Party shading/Republican}} | 4,022 |{{Party shading/Republican}} | 40.03% | |{{Party shading/Independent}} | Write-ins |{{Party shading/Independent}} |W-I |{{Party shading/Independent}} | 7 |{{Party shading/Independent}} | 0.07% |
| 2012
|Iowa House of Representatives | 87 |{{Party shading/Democratic}} |D |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 867 |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 83.29% | |{{Party shading/Independent}} | Write-ins |{{Party shading/Independent}} |W-I |{{Party shading/Independent}} | 6 |{{Party shading/Independent}} | 0.58% |
| 2012
|Iowa House of Representatives | 87 |{{Party shading/Democratic}} |D |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 6,898 |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 45.69% | |{{Party shading/Independent}} | Dan Cahill |{{Party shading/Independent}} |Independent |{{Party shading/Independent}} | 5,234 |{{Party shading/Independent}} | 34.67% | |{{Party shading/Republican}} | Andrew Wilson |{{Party shading/Republican}} |R |{{Party shading/Republican}} | 2,489 |{{Party shading/Republican}} | 16.49% | |{{Party shading/Independent}} | Write-ins |{{Party shading/Independent}} |W-I |{{Party shading/Independent}} | 6 |{{Party shading/Independent}} | 0.40% |
| 2014
|Iowa House of Representatives | 87 |{{Party shading/Democratic}} |D |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 557 |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 80.96% | |{{Party shading/Independent}} | Write-ins |{{Party shading/Independent}} |W-I |{{Party shading/Independent}} | 2 |{{Party shading/Independent}} | 0.29% |
| 2014
|Iowa House of Representatives | 87 |{{Party shading/Democratic}} |D |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 6,786 |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 68.94% | |{{Party shading/Independent}} | Write-ins |{{Party shading/Independent}} |W-I |{{Party shading/Independent}} | 157 |{{Party shading/Independent}} | 1.60% |
| 2016
|Iowa House of Representatives | 87 |{{Party shading/Democratic}} |D |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 603 |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 86.89% | |{{Party shading/Independent}} | Write-ins |{{Party shading/Independent}} |W-I |{{Party shading/Independent}} | 6 |{{Party shading/Independent}} | 0.86% |
| 2016
|Iowa House of Representatives | 87 |{{Party shading/Democratic}} |D |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 9,333 |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 67.84% | |{{Party shading/Independent}} | Write-ins |{{Party shading/Independent}} |W-I |{{Party shading/Independent}} | 196 |{{Party shading/Independent}} | 1.42% |
| 2018
|Iowa House of Representatives | 87 |{{Party shading/Democratic}} |D |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 1,344 |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 84.79% | |{{Party shading/Independent}} | Write-ins |{{Party shading/Independent}} |W-I |{{Party shading/Independent}} | 8 |{{Party shading/Independent}} | 0.50% |
| 2018
|Iowa House of Representatives | 87 |{{Party shading/Democratic}} |D |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 6,010 |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 55.87% | |{{Party shading/Republican}} | Tim Goodwin |{{Party shading/Republican}} |R |{{Party shading/Republican}} | 4,596 |{{Party shading/Republican}} | 42.73% | |{{Party shading/Independent}} | Write-ins |{{Party shading/Independent}} |W-I |{{Party shading/Independent}} | 7 |{{Party shading/Independent}} | 0.07% |
| 2020
|Iowa House of Representatives | 87 |{{Party shading/Democratic}} |D |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 2,869 |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 93.79% | |{{Party shading/Independent}} | Write-ins |{{Party shading/Independent}} |W-I |{{Party shading/Independent}} | 13 |{{Party shading/Independent}} | 0.42% |
| 2020
|Iowa House of Representatives | 87 |{{Party shading/Democratic}} |D |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 9,992 |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 70.62% | |{{Party shading/Independent}} | Write-ins |{{Party shading/Independent}} |W-I |{{Party shading/Independent}} | 331 |{{Party shading/Independent}} | 2.34% |
| 2022
|Iowa House of Representatives | 99 |{{Party shading/Democratic}} |D |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 1,165 |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 93.35% | |{{Party shading/Independent}} | Write-ins |{{Party shading/Independent}} |W-I |{{Party shading/Independent}} | 5 |{{Party shading/Independent}} | 0.40% |
| 2022
|Iowa House of Representatives | 99 |{{Party shading/Democratic}} |D |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 5,007 |{{Party shading/Democratic}} | 46.99% | |{{Party shading/Republican}} | Matt Rinker |{{Party shading/Republican}} |R |{{Party shading/Republican}} | 5,468 |{{Party shading/Republican}} | 51.31% | |{{Party shading/Independent}} | Write-ins |{{Party shading/Independent}} |W-I |{{Party shading/Independent}} | 26 |{{Party shading/Independent}} | 0.24% |
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20070108155735/http://www3.legis.state.ia.us/ga/member.do?id=100 Representative Dennis Cohoon] official Iowa General Assembly site
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20101209140532/http://www.house.iowa.gov/cohoon/ Dennis Cohoon State Representative] official constituency site
{{s-start}}
{{s-par|us-ia-hs}}
{{succession box| title=60th District |before=Elaine Baxter | years=1987 – 1993 |after=William J. Brand}}
{{succession box| title=100th District |before=Emil Pavich | years = 1993 – 2003|after=Brad Hansen}}
{{succession box| title=88th District |before=Cecil Dolecheck | years = 2003 – 2013|after=Tom Sands}}
{{succession box| title=87th District |before=Tom Sands | years = 2013 – 2023|after=Matthew Rinker}}
{{s-end}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cohoon, Dennis}}
Category:Democratic Party members of the Iowa House of Representatives