Bert Andrew Bandstra (January 25, 1922 – October 23, 1995) served one term as a Democratic

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from south central

Iowa Iowa () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wiscon ...

, winning election in 1964 but losing elections in 1966 and 1968. Born in

Monroe County, Iowa Monroe County is a county located in the south central part of the U.S. state of Iowa. In the early 20th century, it was a center of bituminous coal mining and in 1910 had a population of more than 25,000. As mining declined, people moved elsew ...

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

immigrants, Bandstra attended New Sharon High School. He served in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

from 1942 to 1945, then returned to Iowa. He graduated in 1950 from Central College in

Pella, Iowa Pella is a city in Marion County, Iowa, United States, with a population of 10,464 at the time of the 2020 U.S. Census. Founded by immigrants from the Netherlands, it is forty miles southeast of Des Moines. Pella is the home of Central College, ...

, then received a

law degree A law degree is an academic degree conferred for studies in law. Such degrees are generally preparation for legal careers. But while their curricula may be reviewed by legal authority, they do not confer a license themselves. A legal license is gr ...

from the

University of Michigan Law School The University of Michigan Law School (Michigan Law) is the law school of the University of Michigan, a public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Founded in 1859, the school offers Master of Laws (LLM), Master of Comparative Law (MC ...

in Ann Arbor, Michigan in 1953. Returning to Iowa for private practice, he served as

County Attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a l ...

for

Marion County, Iowa Marion County is a county in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 33,414. The county seat is Knoxville. It is named for Francis Marion, a brigadier general from South Carolina in the American Revolutionary War. ...

from 1955 to 1959. He then served on the staff of Democratic

United States Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together the ...

Neal Edward Smith Neal Edward Smith (March 23, 1920 – November 2, 2021) was an American politician who was a member of the United States House of Representatives for the Democratic Party from Iowa from 1959 until 1995, the longest-serving Iowan in the United St ...

of Iowa from 1959 to 1964. In 1964, as part of a Democratic landslide, Bandstra was elected to represent

Iowa's 4th congressional district Iowa's 4th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Iowa that covers its northwestern part, bordering the states of Minnesota, South Dakota, and Nebraska, and the Missouri River. The district includes Sioux Ci ...

in the U.S. House of Representatives. defeating incumbent Republican

John Henry Kyl John Henry Kyl (May 9, 1919 – December 23, 2002) was an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Iowa's 4th congressional district from 1959 to 1965 and again from 1967 to 1973. ...

. In 1965 Bandstra proposed a resolution to alter the

National anthem A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and Europe ...

. Bandstra served only one term. Kyl regained his seat from Bandstra in 1966, and held off another challenge from Bandstra in 1968. Bandstra died on October 23, 1995, in Pella. He was interred in Oakwood Cemetery in Pella, Iowa.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bandstra, Bert Andrew 1922 births 1995 deaths University of Michigan Law School alumni Iowa lawyers American people of Dutch descent People from Pella, Iowa People from Monroe County, Iowa Central College (Iowa) alumni Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Iowa 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century American politicians United States Navy personnel of World War II