John Bohlinger Jr. (born April 21, 1936) is an American politician and businessman who served as the 33rd
Lieutenant Governor of Montana from 2005 to 2013. He ran for the office as a
Republican on a
bipartisan
Bipartisanship, sometimes referred to as nonpartisanship, is a political situation, usually in the context of a two-party system (especially those of the United States and some other western countries), in which opposing Political party, politica ...
ticket
Ticket or tickets may refer to:
Slips of paper
* Lottery ticket
* Parking ticket, a ticket confirming that the parking fee was paid (and the time of the parking start)
* Toll ticket, a slip of paper used to indicate where vehicles entered a to ...
headed by
Democratic gubernatorial candidate
Brian Schweitzer
Brian David Schweitzer (born September 4, 1955) is an American farmer and politician who served as the 23rd Governor of Montana from 2005 to 2013. Schweitzer served for a time as chair of the Western Governors Association as well as the Democr ...
. Schweitzer and Bohlinger were elected to the governorship and lieutenant governorship in
2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...
; both were reelected in
2008
2008 was designated as:
*International Year of Languages
*International Year of Planet Earth
*International Year of the Potato
*International Year of Sanitation
The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...
. Due to term limits, they were unable to run in the
2012 election. Bohlinger switched to the
Democratic Party in 2013.
Early life, education and private career
Bohlinger was born in
Bozeman, Montana
Bozeman ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Gallatin County, Montana, United States. The 2020 United States census put Bozeman's population at 53,293, making it Montana's fourth-largest city. It is the principal city of the Bozeman, Montan ...
, in 1936 to John and Aileen Bohlinger. In 1941, the family moved to
Billings, Montana
Billings is the most populous Lists of populated places in the United States, city in the U.S. state of Montana, with a population of 117,116 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located in the south-central portion of the state, i ...
where his parents operated a women's apparel store, Aileen's.
While enrolled at Billings Senior High School, Bohlinger enlisted in the
United States Marine Corps Reserve
The Marine Forces Reserve (MARFORRES or MFR), also known as the United States Marine Corps Reserve (USMCR) and the U.S. Marine Corps Forces Reserve, is the reserve force of the United States Marine Corps. The Marine Corps Reserve is an expedit ...
. He went on to the
University of Montana
The University of Montana (UM) is a public research university in Missoula, Montana, United States. UM is a flagship institution of the Montana University System and its second largest campus. Fall 2024 saw total enrollment hit 10,811, marki ...
where he became a member of the
Sigma Chi
Sigma Chi () International Fraternity is one of the largest North American social Fraternities and sororities, fraternities. The fraternity has 244 active undergraduate chapters and 152 alumni chapters across the United States and Canada and has ...
fraternity
A fraternity (; whence, "wikt:brotherhood, brotherhood") or fraternal organization is an organization, society, club (organization), club or fraternal order traditionally of men but also women associated together for various religious or secular ...
, and earned a
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...
in business. The Marine Corps called him to service after his sophomore year and he completed his university career after completing his service with the Marine Corps. Bohlinger spent the next 33 years as a small businessman working in the family clothing business.
Early political career
Bohlinger served three terms in the
Montana House of Representatives
The Montana House of Representatives is, with the Montana Senate, one of the two houses of the Montana Legislature. Composed of 100 members, the House elects its leadership every two years.
Composition of the House
In the event that the parti ...
and was then twice elected to the
Montana Senate
The Montana State Senate is the upper house of the Montana Legislature, the state legislative branch of the U.S. state of Montana. The body is composed of 50 senators elected for four years. Half of the Senate is up for election every two years. ...
. He resigned his Montana Senate seat as he assumed the office of lieutenant governor.
Lieutenant Governor of Montana
On the 2004 Democratic gubernatorial ticket, Bohlinger, a
Republican, joined with
Democratic candidate Brian Schweitzer. There was no precedent in Montana for a gubernatorial ticket where the candidates belonged to different parties. The ticket prevailed, and Bohlinger was inaugurated as lieutenant governor of Montana, on January 3, 2005. The Schweitzer-Bohlinger team was reelected to a second term, on November 4, 2008.
2014 U.S. Senate election
On November 5, 2013, Bohlinger announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination in 2014 for Montana's Class II
U.S. Senate
The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...
seat, to succeed the retiring
Max Baucus
Maxwell Sieben Baucus ( Enke; born December 11, 1941) is an American politician who served as a United States senator from Montana from 1978 to 2014. A member of the Democratic Party, he was a U.S. senator for over 35 years, making him the long ...
. The Democratic nomination was won by U.S. Senator
John Walsh who had been appointed to fill the seat when Baucus resigned. Walsh dropped out of the race on August 7, following allegations of plagiarism. He was replaced by
Amanda Curtis
Amanda Gayle Curtis (née Morse, born September 10, 1979) is an American politician who serves as the president of the Montana Federation of Public Employees (MFPE), Montana's largest labor union.
Curtis describes herself as a socialist. She se ...
.
Personal
He was the husband of Bette Cobetto, who died of cancer on January 9, 2006. Bohlinger married Karen Seiler in Helena on January 12, 2008.
They have since divorced.
References
External links
Bohlinger– Biography
Schweitzer Bohlinger– Official 2008 campaign site
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bohlinger, John
1936 births
Lieutenant governors of Montana
Living people
Members of the Montana House of Representatives
Montana Republicans
Montana state senators
Politicians from Billings, Montana
Politicians from Bozeman, Montana
United States Marines
Montana independents
Montana Democrats
Candidates in the 2014 United States elections
United States Marine Corps reservists
Billings Senior High School alumni
20th-century members of the Montana Legislature
21st-century members of the Montana Legislature