Democrat John Olver was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1991, in a special election to replace Congressman Silvio Conte, who died just one month after taking office for his 17th term. Olver represents Massachusetts's 1st congressional district, a primarily rural district once considered the most Republican district in heavily Democratic Massachusetts. Olver has only faced one serious challenge to his Congressional seat—from Jane Swift in 1996 (Swift later became lieutenant governor of Massachusetts and then acting governor).
Olver served two terms as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1969 to 1973, and then nine terms in the Massachusetts Senate from 1973 to 1991.
In 2008, Olver is being challenged by Republican Nathan Bech.
Born John Walter Olver September 3, 1936 in Honesdale, Penn., Olver earned a B.S. from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, an M.S. from Tufts University, and a Ph.D. in chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He taught chemistry at Franklin Technical Institute, MIT and UMass Amherst.
Olver is married to Rose Olver, a gender and women's studies professor at Amherst College. Olver has lived in Amherst since 1963.
