Bob Dornan | Former Congressman, Radio Host and Pro-life Advocate

Bob Dornan

Former Congressman, Radio Host and Pro-life Advocate

Fee Range
$5,000
Travels From
District of Columbia, United States

Bob Dornan
Biography

Robert K. Dornan was first elected to Congress in 1976, representing California's 27th C.D. in western Los Angeles County, and served from January 1977 to January 1983. (His seat was reapportioned out of existence). In 1982, Bob Dornan ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate; having entered the race 10 months late, he finished 4th in a field of 13 candidates. In 1984, he defeated an entrenched liberal incumbent to represent California's 38th Congressional District in central Orange County. Much of the 38th District was reapportioned into an even more Democratic 46th District in 1992, which Bob Dornan represented until 1997. During his entire congressional career Dornan was elected in districts that were overwhelmingly Democrat. Because of his extensive experience in national security, Dornan was chosen to serve as a member of the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence as the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Tactical and Technical Intelligence. He also served on the National Security Committee (Armed Services) as the Chairman of the Military Personnel Subcommittee. As a member of the National Security Committee, Bob Dornan has championed such vital defense programs as the B-1 "Lancer" and B-2 "Spirit" bombers, the F/A 18 "Hornet" and the V-22 "Osprey" tiltrotor. Other areas that Dornan saw involvement were the antiballistic missile defense, development of an effective ground combat identification system and maintaining proper levels of Guard and Reserve forces. Bob was also an active leader promoting President Reagan's Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI). During the Carter years, Bob Dornan was a leader in the congressional battle to restore the supersonic Strategic Air Command penetrator aircraft, the B-1B "Lancer," which was canceled by President Carter in June of 1977. During the Clinton administration, Dornan was a key leader in the successful effort to prevent the administration from eliminating the prohibition on homosexuals in the military, and was the sponsor of legislation to codify the ban. Bob Dornan passed legislation to place restriction on a president's ability to place U.S. forces under foreign command. This legislation was included in the House GOP's "Contract with America." Consistent with his life-long commitment to human rights, Bob Dornan has been a staunch defender of innocent pre-born life as the author of successful legislation to prevent federal abortions in the District of Columbia, in military hospitals (both in the U.S. and overseas), in federal prisons and on Native American Indian reservations. Dornan has also been the sponsor of the paramount "Human Life" amendment. Personal: Robert K. Dornan was born in New York City on April 3, 1933 to Harry Joseph and Mickey McFadden Dornan. The middle of three sons, he married Sallie Hansen of Santa Monica, California on her 21st birthday, April 16, 1955. The Dornan's currently have five children and fifteen grandchildren. After graduation from Loyola High School in Los Angeles in 1950 and attending Loyola University through 1952. Dornan, at age 19, volunteered for service in the United States Air Force. With silver wings in hand, Bob Dornan went on to serve as a fighter pilot with the world's first supersonic jet fighter wing. In 1958, Dornan left active duty and joined the California Air National Guard as an F-86 Sabrejet pilot and an intelligence officer, achieving the rank of captain. He survived two F-86 Sabrejet emergency parachute ejections as well as a smooth "dead stick" forced-landing of a flamed out F-100 "Supersabre" on a desert dry lakebed. Neither was forced due to pilot error. Bob Dornan has piloted every aircraft in the U.S. military arsenal, including the B-2 Spirit, B-1 Lancer, U-2 , SR-71 Blackbird, AV-8 Harrier, and F-15E Eagle. He has also piloted the Israeli Kfir, Israeli F-15 and F-16, the British Tornado Harrier and Hawk, and the French Mirage. In 1994 Dornan flew with the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds. As a broadcaster, Dornan produced and hosted his television public affairs programs in Los Angeles from 1965 to 1976. In 1968 and 1969, he was awarded Emmys for hosting a live four-hour daily political discussion program. Bob Dornan the citizen was active in domestic civil rights during the 1960s. He marched with Martin Luther King and registered black voters in the south. Dornan originated both the POW/MIA bracelet worn by more than 13 million Americans during the Vietnam War and the "Prisoner of Conscience" bracelet worn for Soviet Jewish and Christian dissidents. As a news correspondent, Bob Dornan traveled extensively, including 12 food-relief night flights to Biafra in 1969. He has traveled to Vietnam ten times, Laos and Cambodia four times during the Vietnam War, and made ten visits beyond the Iron Curtain. Awards and Honors: - "Taxpayers" from the National Taxpayer Union - Golden Bulldog Award - "Guardian of Small Business Award" from the National Federation of Independent Business - "Spirit of Enterprise Award" from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce - Other awards from the National Guard Association of the U.S.; the Disabled American Veterans; Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Security Council; the Zionist Organization of America; the Jewish National Fund; Cardinal Mindzenty Foundation, and the Tom Dooley Foundation.
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Bob Dornan

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