# Ken Kramer

Kenneth Bentley Kramer (born February 19, 1942) is an American lawyer, politician, and jurist from Colorado. He is a former Republican member of the United States House of Representatives, serving four consecutive terms from 1979 to 1987.

## Early life and education

Born in 1942, in Chicago, Kramer grew up in the city's suburb of Skokie, Illinois. He attended the University of Illinois, and after earning his degree, entered Harvard University, from which he received his Juris Doctor.

## Career

In 1966, he was admitted to the bar, and by 1970, he had risen to the position of assistant district attorney for the state's Fourth Judicial District.
In 1972, Kramer was elected to the Colorado House of Representatives and served for three terms until 1978.

### Congress

That year, he was elected to represent the state's 5th congressional district, filling the vacancy left by U.S. Senator-elect William Armstrong. Kramer held the seat for eight years.

### Senate race

In 1986, he retired to run for the United States Senate, but lost the election to Democrat Tim Wirth.

## Later career

Kramer returned to Colorado Springs, Colorado to be an attorney in private practice.
Since retiring, Kramer has held several positions. President Ronald Reagan nominated Kramer to be Assistant Secretary of the Army (Financial Management and Comptroller) on June 10, 1988; the United States Senate confirmed Kramer by unanimous consent on October 14, 1988. He was nominated by President George H. W. Bush and appointed as a Judge on the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims in 1989. He was chief judge of the court from 2000 until he retired in 2004. He is married to Louise Kotoshirodo Kramer.

## Electoral history

United States House of Representatives elections, 1978 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Ken Kramer | 91,933 | 59.78 |
| | Democratic | Gerry Frank | 52,914 | 34.41 |
| | Independent | L.W. Dan Bridges | 8,933 | 5.81 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 153,780 | 100.0 |
| | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold |
United States House of Representatives elections, 1980 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Ken Kramer (incumbent) | 177,319 | 72.41 |
| | Democratic | Ed Schreiber | 62,003 | 25.32 |
| | Libertarian | John A. Lanning | 5,578 | 2.27 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 244,900 | 100.0 |
| | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold |
United States House of Representatives elections, 1982 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Ken Kramer (incumbent) | 84,479 | 59.55 |
| | Democratic | Thomas Cronin | 57,392 | 40.45 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 141,871 | 100.0 |
| | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold |
United States House of Representatives elections, 1984 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Ken Kramer (incumbent) | 163,654 | 78.59 |
| | Democratic | William Geffen | 44,588 | 21.41 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 206,242 | 100.0 |
| | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold |
1986 U.S. Senate election results, Colorado :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Democratic | Tim Wirth | 529,449 | 49.91% | −0.42% |
| | Republican | Ken Kramer | 512,994 | 48.36% | −0.34% |
| | Independent | Michael Martin Bush | 11,127 | 1.05% | |
| | Socialist Workers | Michael R. Chamberlain | 3,756 | 0.35% | |
| | Independent American | Henry John Olshaw | 1,868 | 0.18% | −0.17% |
| | Prohibition | Calvin G. Dodge | 1,571 | 0.15% | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 16,455 | 1.55% | −0.09% |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,060,765 | | |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Swing | | |