Walter Capps
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Walter Holden Capps (May 5, 1934 – October 28, 1997) was an American academic and politician. He served as a Democratic member of 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 ...
, representing California's 22nd congressional district from January 1997 until his death nine months later.


Education

Capps received both a master's degree and PhD from
Yale Divinity School Yale Divinity School (YDS) is one of the twelve graduate and professional schools of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. Congregationalist theological education was the motivation at the founding of Yale, and the professional school has ...
. On May 30, 1997, Capps received an
honorary doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...
from the Faculty of Theology at
Uppsala University Uppsala University (UU) () is a public university, public research university in Uppsala, Sweden. Founded in 1477, it is the List of universities in Sweden, oldest university in Sweden and the Nordic countries still in operation. Initially fou ...
,
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
.


Academic career

Before entering politics, Capps taught for more than thirty years at the
University of California, Santa Barbara The University of California, Santa Barbara (UC Santa Barbara or UCSB) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Tracing its roots back to 1891 as an ...
. As a professor of religious studies he helped define the field, and cataloged the growth and changes in his 1995 book ''Religious Studies: The Making of a Discipline''. An anti-war activist during the 1960s, he later initiated a nationally renowned course titled "Religion and the Impact of Vietnam" in 1979.


Political career

Capps lost an election to Andrea Seastrand for the 22nd district in
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
in 1994, which was a landslide year for the Republicans, but he ran again in the following election. While driving home from a campaign event during the summer of 1996, Capps' vehicle was struck by a drunk supporter. Capps was seriously injured and was unable to actively campaign until the final few weeks of the race. During his absence from the campaign, his opponent, graciously, didn't make his health an issue. Ultimately, despite his absence from the campaign trail, Capps won, even as Bob Dole edged Bill Clinton in the district. On October 28, 1997, Capps collapsed after suffering a
heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...
at
Dulles International Airport Washington Dulles International Airport ( ) – commonly known by its former name of Dulles International Airport, by its airport code of IAD, or simply as Dulles Airport – is an international airport in the Eastern United States, located w ...
, and was pronounced dead at a hospital in
Reston, Virginia Reston is a census-designated place in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, and a principal city of both Northern Virginia and the Washington metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. census, Reston's population was 63,226. Founded in 1964, Rest ...
. Jesse Jackson attended his funeral. Capps was succeeded by his widow,
Lois Capps Lois Ragnhild Capps (née Grimsrud; January 10, 1938) is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 1998 to 2017. She is a member of the Democratic Party. The district, numbered as the 22nd District from 1998 to 200 ...
, who won in a special election in the spring of 1998. Subsequent legislation by Congresswoman Capps has mandated the presence of
automated external defibrillator An automated external defibrillator (AED) is a portable electronic device that automatically diagnoses the life-threatening cardiac Heart arrhythmia, arrhythmias of ventricular fibrillation (VF) and pulseless ventricular tachycardia, and is able ...
s in public places.


See also

*
List of United States Congress members who died in office (1950–99) There are several lists of United States Congress members who died in office. These include: *List of United States Congress members who died in office (1790–1899) *List of United States Congress members who died in office (1900–1949) *List ...


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Capps, Walter Holden 1934 births 1997 deaths 20th-century California politicians Activists from California American anti-war activists Burials at Santa Barbara Cemetery Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from California Politicians from Omaha, Nebraska Religious studies scholars University of California, Santa Barbara faculty Writers from California Writers from Omaha, Nebraska Yale Divinity School alumni 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives