Richard R. Chrysler (born April 29, 1942) is an American businessman and former politician who was a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

from 1995 until 1997.

Biography

Chrysler was born in

Saint Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (often abbreviated St. Paul) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County, Minnesota, Ramsey County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, ...

, and graduated from Brighton High School in

Brighton, Michigan Brighton is a city in Livingston County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, its population was 7,446. Brighton forms part of the South Lyon-Howell-Brighton Urban Area. It is one of two incorporated cities in Livingston County ...

. He became vice-president of

Hurst Performance Hurst Performance, Inc. was an American manufacturer and marketer of automobile performance parts, most notably for muscle cars. History Hurst Performance was originally named Hurst-Campbell. The company was established in 1958 as an auto repa ...

and the founder and president of Cars and Concepts (which bought out Hurst), and Richard Chrysler Industries (RCI). In 1986, he campaigned for governor of Michigan as a Republican, but lost a hard-fought primary to Wayne County Executive William Lucas. Chrysler lost his first campaign for the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

Bob Carr Robert John Carr (born 28 September 1947) is an Australian retired politician and journalist who served as the 39th Premier of New South Wales from 1995 to 2005, as the leader of the New South Wales Labor Party, New South Wales branch of the A ...

in 1992, in a race described as "the most expensive Congressional race in Michigan that cycle." After Carr gave up his seat to run for Senate, however, Chrysler was elected in 1994 as a Republican member of the Amway caucus from

Michigan's 8th congressional district Michigan's 8th congressional district is a United States congressional district in Central Michigan. The district was first created in 1873, after redistricting following the 1870 census. From 2003 to 2013, it consisted of all of Clinton, Ing ...

to the

104th Congress The 104th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from January 3, 19 ...

. He served from January 3, 1995, to January 3, 1997. While in Congress, he sponsored eight bills and co-sponsored 183 more, including the

Defense of Marriage Act The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) was a United States federal law passed by the 104th United States Congress and signed into law by President Bill Clinton on September 21, 1996. It banned federal recognition of same-sex marriage by limitin ...

. He supported the

Contract with America The Contract with America was a legislative agenda advocated by the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party during the 1994 United States House of Representatives elections, 1994 congressional election campaign. Written by Newt Gingri ...

, and proposed replacing the

federal income tax The United States federal government and most state governments impose an income tax. They are determined by applying a tax rate, which may increase as income increases, to taxable income, which is the total income less allowable deductio ...

and

capital gains tax A capital gains tax (CGT) is the tax on profits realized on the sale of a non-inventory asset. The most common capital gains are realized from the sale of stocks, bonds, precious metals, real estate, and property. In South Africa, capital g ...

with a 15%

sales tax A sales tax is a tax paid to a governing body for the sales of certain goods and services. Usually laws allow the seller to collect funds for the tax from the consumer at the point of purchase. When a tax on goods or services is paid to a govern ...

. He was defeated by

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

Debbie Stabenow Deborah Ann Stabenow ( ; née Greer; born April 29, 1950) is an American politician who served from 2001 to 2025 as a United States senator from Michigan. A member of the Democratic Party, she was Michigan's first female U.S. senator. Before he ...

in the 1996 election for the

105th Congress The 105th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1997, ...

. Following his political career, Chrysler returned to the automotive industry, exploring battery technologies for electric vehicles. "We've been getting ready for four years now," he told

Crain's Detroit Business Crain Communications Inc. is an American publishing conglomerate based in Detroit, Michigan, United States, with 13 foreign subsidiaries. History Gustavus Dedman "G.D." Crain Jr. ( Gustavus Demetrious Crain Jr.; 1885–1973), previously the ci ...

in 1996. "It's time to get going. This market is on the verge of exploding."

Electoral history

*1996 Race for U.S. House of Representatives - 8th District **

(D), 53.76% **Dick Chrysler (R) (inc.), 44.14% **Doug MacDonald ( L), 1.45% **Patricia R. Allen ( NL), 0.64% *1994 Race for U.S. House of Representatives - 8th District **Dick Chrysler (R), 51.61% **Bob Mitchell (D), 44.89% **Gerald R. Turcotte, Jr. (L), 2.05% **Susan Ilene McPeak (NL), 1.45% *1992 Race for U.S. House of Representatives - 8th District **

(D) (inc.), 47.60% **Dick Chrysler (R), 46.33% **Frank McAlpine (I), 4.27% **Michael E. Marotta, (L), 1.80% *1986 Race for Governor (Republican Primary) ** Bill Lucas, 44.50% **Dick Chrysler, 34.03% ** Colleen Engler, 10.98% **Dan Murphy, 10.49%

References

The Political Graveyard
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Chrysler, Dick 1942 births Living people Politicians from Saint Paul, Minnesota Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Michigan Businesspeople from Saint Paul, Minnesota Candidates in the 1986 United States elections 20th-century Michigan politicians 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives