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Very incomplete list!
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George Acheff (1889-1969) —
of Flint, Genesee
County, Mich.
Born in Bulgaria,
February
21, 1889.
Communist. Naturalized U.S. citizen; candidate for Michigan
state senate 13th District, 1934.
Bulgarian ancestry.
Died in July, 1969
(age 80
years, 0 days).
Burial location unknown.
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Joseph Richard Begich (1930-2019) —
also known as Joseph R. Begich; Joe Begich —
of Eveleth, St. Louis
County, Minn.
Born in Eveleth, St. Louis
County, Minn., January
17, 1930.
Democrat. Served in the U.S. Army during the Korean conflict; mining
foreman; farmer; mayor
of Eveleth, Minn., 1965-74; member of Minnesota
state house of representatives, 1975-92 (District 6-A 1975-82,
District 6-B 1983-92).
Croatian ancestry.
Died, in a nursing
home at Eveleth, St. Louis
County, Minn., August
10, 2019 (age 89 years, 205
days).
Interment at Eveleth Cemetery, Eveleth, Minn.
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Mark Peter Begich (b. 1962) —
also known as Mark Begich —
of Anchorage,
Alaska.
Born, in Old Providence Hospital,
Anchorage,
Alaska, March
30, 1962.
Democrat. Mayor
of Anchorage, Alaska, 2003-09; defeated, 1994, 2000; U.S.
Senator from Alaska, 2009-15; defeated, 2014; candidate for Governor of
Alaska, 2018.
Alaska
Native and Croatian ancestry.
Still living as of 2022.
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Nicholas Joseph Begich (1932-1972) —
also known as Nick Begich —
of Anchorage,
Alaska.
Born in Eveleth, St. Louis
County, Minn., April 6,
1932.
Democrat. Member of Alaska
state senate, 1963-71; U.S.
Representative from Alaska at-large, 1971-72; died in office
1972; alternate delegate to Democratic National Convention from
Alaska, 1972.
Alaska
Native and Croatian ancestry.
Disappeared
while on a campaign
flight from Anchorage to Juneau, and presumed killed in a plane
crash, somewhere in Alaska, October
16, 1972 (age 40 years, 193
days). The wreckage was never
found.
Cenotaph at Congressional
Cemetery, Washington, D.C.
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Helen Delich Bentley (1923-2016) —
also known as Helen Delich —
of Lutherville, Baltimore
County, Md.; Towson, Baltimore
County, Md.
Born in Ruth, White Pine
County, Nev., November
28, 1923.
Republican. Newspaper
reporter; campaign manager for Nevada U.S. Sen. James
G. Scrugham, 1942; chair, Federal Maritime Commission, 1969; U.S.
Representative from Maryland 2nd District, 1985-95; defeated,
1980, 1982, 2002; candidate for Governor of
Maryland, 1994.
Female.
Eastern
Orthodox. Serbian ancestry. Member, Theta
Sigma Phi.
Died in Timonium, Baltimore
County, Md., August
6, 2016 (age 92 years, 252
days).
Burial location unknown.
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Michael Anthony Bilandic (1923-2002) —
also known as Michael A. Bilandic —
of Chicago, Cook
County, Ill.
Born in Chicago, Cook
County, Ill., February
13, 1923.
Democrat. Served in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II; mayor
of Chicago, Ill., 1976-79; defeated in primary, 1979; Judge,
Illinois Appellate Court, 1984-90; justice of
Illinois state supreme court, 1990-2000.
Croatian ancestry.
Died, of cardiac
arrest, in Northwestern Memorial Hospital,
Chicago, Cook
County, Ill., January
15, 2002 (age 78 years, 336
days).
Interment at St.
Mary's Cemetery, Evergreen Park, Ill.
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Rod R. Blagojevich (b. 1956) —
also known as Rod Blagojevich;
"Blago" —
of Chicago, Cook
County, Ill.
Born in Chicago, Cook
County, Ill., December
10, 1956.
Democrat. Lawyer;
member of Illinois
state house of representatives, 1993-96; U.S.
Representative from Illinois 5th District, 1997-2003; delegate to
Democratic National Convention from Illinois, 2000,
2004,
2008;
Governor
of Illinois, 2003-09; solicited
bribes from potential candidates for appointment to Barack
Obama's vacant U.S. Senate seat; arrested
by federal agents in December 2008, and set for trial on
federal corruption charges; in January 2009, based on charges
that he abused
his authority and attempted to sell
authorizations, vetoes, and appointments, he was impeached
by the Illinois House, convicted
by a unanimous vote of the Illinois Senate, and prohibited
from holding public office in the state; tried in
federal court in 2010-11, and after a mistrial, was ultimately found
guilty on eighteen counts, including bribery
and extortion;
sentenced
to 14 years in federal prison; an appeal later overturned five of the
eighteen convictions, but did not change his prison sentence.
Serbian ancestry.
Still living as of 2019.
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Leonard J. Bodack (b. 1932) —
of Pittsburgh, Allegheny
County, Pa.
Born in Pittsburgh, Allegheny
County, Pa., August
10, 1932.
Democrat. Member of Pennsylvania
state senate 38th District, 1979-2002; delegate to Democratic
National Convention from Pennsylvania, 1996,
2000.
Slovene ancestry. Member, American
Legion; Veterans of
Foreign Wars; Marine
Corps League; AFSCME;
Moose;
Lions.
Still living as of 2002.
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Relatives: Son
of Joseph J. Bodack and Mary Y. (Spehar) Bodack; married to Shirley
M. Wagner. |
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Carl Djerassi (1923-2015) —
of Portola Valley, San Mateo
County, Calif.; San
Francisco, Calif.
Born in Vienna, Austria,
October
29, 1923.
Democrat. Naturalized U.S. citizen; university
professor; chemist
and pharmaceutical
researcher;
helped develop the oral contraceptive pill; playwright;
delegate to Democratic National Convention from California, 1972.
Austrian
and Bulgarian ancestry. Member, Phi
Beta Kappa.
Inducted into National Inventors Hall of
Fame, 1978.
Died in San
Francisco, Calif., January
30, 2015 (age 91 years, 93
days).
Burial location unknown.
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Michael Stanley Dukakis (b. 1933) —
also known as Michael S. Dukakis —
of Brookline, Norfolk
County, Mass.
Born in Brookline, Norfolk
County, Mass., November
3, 1933.
Democrat. Served in the U.S. Army during the Korean conflict; member
of Massachusetts
state house of representatives, 1963-70; candidate for Lieutenant
Governor of Massachusetts, 1970; Governor of
Massachusetts, 1975-79, 1983-91; delegate to Democratic National
Convention from Massachusetts, 1980;
speaker, 1988;
candidate for President
of the United States, 1988.
Eastern
Orthodox. Greek and
Vlach ancestry.
Still living as of 2020.
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Paul Anthony Gosar (b. 1958) —
also known as Paul Gosar —
of Flagstaff, Coconino
County, Ariz.; Prescott, Yavapai
County, Ariz.
Born in Rock Springs, Sweetwater
County, Wyo., November
27, 1958.
Republican. Dentist;
U.S.
Representative from Arizona, 2011-18 (1st District 2011-13, 4th
District 2013-18).
Catholic.
Basque
and Slovene ancestry. Member, American
Dental Association.
Still living as of 2018.
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Pete Gosar —
Democrat. Candidate for Governor of
Wyoming, 2010.
Basque
and Slovene ancestry.
Still living as of 2010.
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Relatives: Son
of Antone John 'Tony' Gosar and Bernadette (Erramouspe) Gosar;
brother of Paul
Anthony Gosar. |
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Dennis J. Kucinich (b. 1946) —
also known as "Dennis the Menace" —
of Cleveland, Cuyahoga
County, Ohio.
Born in Cleveland, Cuyahoga
County, Ohio, October
8, 1946.
Democrat. Mayor
of Cleveland, Ohio, 1978-79; defeated, 1979; member of Ohio
state senate, 1995-96; U.S.
Representative from Ohio 10th District, 1997-; delegate to
Democratic National Convention from Ohio, 2000,
2004,
2008;
candidate for Democratic nomination for President, 2004,
2008.
Catholic.
Croatian ancestry.
Still living as of 2017.
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Ivan Lebamoff (1932-2006) —
of Fort Wayne, Allen
County, Ind.
Born in Fort Wayne, Allen
County, Ind., July 20,
1932.
Democrat. Lawyer; chair of
Allen County Democratic Party, 1968-75; delegate to Democratic
National Convention from Indiana, 1968,
1972;
mayor
of Fort Wayne, Ind., 1971-75; defeated, 1975.
Eastern
Orthodox. Macedonian ancestry. Member, Order of
the Coif; Phi
Alpha Theta; Phi
Delta Phi.
Died, in Hospice
Home of Northeast Indiana, Fort Wayne, Allen
County, Ind., May 18,
2006 (age 73 years, 302
days).
Interment at Lindenwood
Cemetery, Fort Wayne, Ind.
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Anthony Lucas (b. 1880) —
of Calumet Township, Houghton
County, Mich.
Born in Severin, Croatia,
January
2, 1880.
Republican. Lawyer;
member of Michigan
state house of representatives from Houghton County 1st District;
elected 1910.
Croatian ancestry.
Burial location unknown.
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Relatives:
Married 1905 to Mae A.
Frink. |
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Konstantina Lukes —
also known as Konnie Lukes; Konstantina
Bequary —
of Worcester, Worcester
County, Mass.
Born in Waterbury, New Haven
County, Conn.
Lawyer;
mayor
of Worcester, Mass., 2007-10; defeated, 1991, 1993, 1999, 2005,
2009, 2011.
Female.
Albanian
Orthodox. Albanian ancestry.
Still living as of 2012.
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Sophie Masloff (1917-2014) —
of Pittsburgh, Allegheny
County, Pa.
Born in Pittsburgh, Allegheny
County, Pa., December
21, 1917.
Democrat. Delegate to Democratic National Convention from
Pennsylvania, 1984,
1996,
2000,
2004,
2008;
mayor
of Pittsburgh, Pa., 1988-94; candidate for Presidential Elector
for Pennsylvania; member of Democratic
National Committee from Pennsylvania, 2004-08.
Female.
Jewish.
Romanian ancestry.
First
woman and first
Jewish mayor of Pittsburgh.
Died in Mt. Lebanon, Allegheny
County, Pa., August
17, 2014 (age 96 years, 239
days).
Burial location unknown.
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Mitchell Melich (1912-1999) —
of Moab, Grand
County, Utah.
Born in Bingham Canyon, Salt Lake
County, Utah, February
1, 1912.
Republican. Lawyer;
member of Utah
state senate, 1942-50; delegate to Republican National Convention
from Utah, 1952,
1960
(alternate); candidate for Governor of
Utah, 1964.
Serbian ancestry.
Died, of heart
disease, June 12,
1999 (age 87 years, 131
days).
Burial location unknown.
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George Lawrence Mikan Jr. (1924-2005) —
also known as George Mikan; "Mr.
Basketball" —
of Minnesota.
Born in Joliet, Will
County, Ill., June 18,
1924.
Republican. Professional basketball
player and coach for
the Minneapolis Lakers in the 1940s and 1950s; candidate for U.S.
Representative from Minnesota 3rd District, 1956; member,
Basketball Hall of
Fame.
Croatian ancestry.
Died, from complications of diabetes,
in Scottsdale, Maricopa
County, Ariz., June 1,
2005 (age 80 years, 348
days).
Interment at Lakewood
Cemetery, Minneapolis, Minn.; statue at Target Center, Minneapolis, Minn.
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Rudolph George Perpich (1928-1995) —
also known as Rudy Perpich; "Governor
Goofy" —
of Hibbing, St. Louis
County, Minn.
Born in Carson Lake (now part of Hibbing), St. Louis
County, Minn., June 27,
1928.
Democrat. Dentist;
member of Minnesota
state senate, 1963-71; Lieutenant
Governor of Minnesota, 1971-76; Governor of
Minnesota, 1976-79, 1983-91; defeated, 1978; delegate to
Democratic National Convention from Minnesota, 1984.
Catholic.
Croatian ancestry.
Died of colon
cancer, in Minnetonka, Hennepin
County, Minn., September
21, 1995 (age 67 years, 86
days).
Interment at Lakewood
Cemetery, Minneapolis, Minn.
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Edward G. Robinson (1893-1973) —
also known as Emanuel Goldenberg —
Born in Bucharest, Romania,
December
12, 1893.
Democrat. Actor;
honored guest, Democratic National Convention,
1960.
Jewish.
Romanian ancestry.
Died, from bladder
cancer, in Los Angeles, Los Angeles
County, Calif., January
26, 1973 (age 79 years, 45
days).
Entombed at Beth
El Cemetery, Glendale, Queens, N.Y.
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David Sam (b. 1933) —
of Duchesne, Duchesne
County, Utah.
Born in Hobart, Lake
County, Ind., August
12, 1933.
Lawyer;
Duchesne
County Attorney, 1966-72; Duchesne
County Commissioner, 1972-74; district judge in Utah 4th
District, 1976-85; U.S.
District Judge for Utah, 1985-99; took senior status 1999.
Mormon.
Romanian ancestry.
Still living as of 2017.
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Mark J. Sokolich (b. 1963) —
of Fort Lee, Bergen
County, N.J.
Born in 1963.
Democrat. Lawyer; mayor
of Fort Lee, N.J., 2008-.
Croatian ancestry.
Still living as of 2016.
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Augustus Daniel Splivalo (1840-1911) —
of California.
Born, of Italian and Dalmatian parents, in the South
Pacific Ocean off the coast of Chile, on his father's ship, the
Santa Teresa, May 24,
1840.
Lawyer;
member of California
state assembly 8th District, 1871-73.
Catholic.
Italian
and Dalmatian ancestry. Member, Freemasons.
Died, of nephritis,
in San
Francisco, Calif., December
12, 1911 (age 71 years, 202
days).
Interment at Holy
Cross Catholic Cemetery, Colma, Calif.
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Michael Anthony Stepovich (b. 1919) —
also known as Mike Stepovich —
of Fairbanks, Fairbanks
North Star Borough, Alaska.
Born in Fairbanks, Fairbanks
North Star Borough, Alaska, March
12, 1919.
Republican. Member of Alaska
territorial House of Representatives 4th District, 1951-52;
member of Alaska
territorial senate 4th District, 1953-58; Governor
of Alaska Territory, 1957-58; candidate for U.S.
Senator from Alaska, 1958; candidate for Governor of
Alaska, 1962 (Republican), 1966; delegate to Republican National
Convention from Alaska, 1964
(delegation chair).
Catholic.
Croatian ancestry.
Presumed deceased.
Burial location unknown.
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Vincent Thomas (1907-1980) —
also known as Vincent Thomasevich —
of San Pedro, Los Angeles, Los
Angeles County, Calif.
Born in Pass Christian, Harrison
County, Miss., April
16, 1907.
Democrat. Member of California
state assembly, 1941-78 (68th District 1941-74, 52nd District
1975-78); defeated, 1978; candidate for Presidential Elector for
California; delegate to Democratic National Convention from
California, 1948,
1960.
Croatian ancestry. Member, Elks; Redmen.
Died in San Pedro, Los Angeles, Los Angeles
County, Calif., January
31, 1980 (age 72 years, 290
days).
Interment at Green
Hills Memorial Park, Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.
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Melania Trump (b. 1970) —
also known as Melanija Knavs —
of Manhattan, New York
County, N.Y.; Palm Beach, Palm Beach
County, Fla.
Born in Novo Mesto, Yugoslavia (now Slovenia),
April
26, 1970.
Republican. Naturalized U.S. citizen; fashion
model; First Lady
of the United States, 2017-21.
Female.
Catholic.
Slovene ancestry.
Still living as of 2022.
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George Victor Voinovich (1936-2016) —
also known as George V. Voinovich —
of Cleveland, Cuyahoga
County, Ohio.
Born in Cleveland, Cuyahoga
County, Ohio, July 15,
1936.
Republican. Lawyer;
member of Ohio
state house of representatives, 1967-71; Lieutenant
Governor of Ohio, 1979; mayor
of Cleveland, Ohio, 1980-89; defeated in primary, 1971; Governor of
Ohio, 1991-98; U.S.
Senator from Ohio, 1999-; defeated, 1988.
Catholic.
Serbian ancestry.
Died June 12,
2016 (age 79 years, 333
days).
Interment at All Souls Cemetery, Chardon, Ohio.
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Rose Ann Vuich (c.1927-2001) —
of Dinuba, Tulare
County, Calif.
Born about 1927.
Democrat. Accountant;
farmer;
member of California
state senate, 1977-92.
Female.
Serbian ancestry.
First
woman member of the California Senate.
Died, from complications of Parkinson's
disease and Alzheimer's
disease, in Dinuba, Tulare
County, Calif., August
30, 2001 (age about 74
years).
Burial location unknown.
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Stephen P. Yokich (1935-2002) —
also known as Steve Yokich —
of St. Clair Shores, Macomb
County, Mich.
Born in Detroit, Wayne
County, Mich., August
20, 1935.
Democrat. Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Michigan,
1980,
1984,
1988,
2000;
President
of the United Auto Workers, 1995-2002.
Serbian and Lebanese
ancestry. Member, United
Auto Workers.
Suffered a stroke,
and died the next day, at St. John Hospital,
Detroit, Wayne
County, Mich., August
16, 2002 (age 66 years, 361
days).
Burial location unknown.
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Tracey A. Yokich (b. 1960) —
of St. Clair Shores, Macomb
County, Mich.
Born in 1960.
Democrat. Lawyer;
delegate to Democratic National Convention from Michigan, 1988;
member of Michigan
state house of representatives, 1991-96 (74th District 1991-92,
26th District 1993-96); Macomb
County Probate Judge, 2003-; elected () circuit
judge in Michigan 16th Circuit 2012.
Female.
Serbian and Lebanese
ancestry.
Still living as of 2012.
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George N. Zenovich (b. 1922) —
also known as George Zenovich —
of Fresno, Fresno
County, Calif.
Born in Fresno, Fresno
County, Calif., April
29, 1922.
Democrat. Served in the U.S. Army Air Force in World War II; lawyer;
member of California
state assembly 32nd District, 1963-70; delegate to Democratic
National Convention from California, 1968;
member of California
state senate 16th District, 1971-75.
Eastern
Orthodox. Serbian ancestry. Member, American Bar
Association; NAACP.
Presumed deceased.
Burial location unknown.
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