James D. (Mike) McKevitt Papers

James Douglas ''Mike'' McKevitt was born October 26, 1928 in Spokane, Washington. He attended schools in Washington State and received a B.A. in political science from the University of Idaho in 1951. Academics were delayed while McKevitt served as a combat intelligence officer during the Korean War. After his discharge, he moved to Denver, Colorado to attend the University of Denver Law School. He received his law degree in 1956.

McKevitt practiced law in Boulder, Colorado until 1958, when he began his career in public service with an appointment as assistant attorney general for the State of Colorado. He held that position until 1967 when he was appointed by Governor John Love to the position of District Attorney for the City of Denver. In 1970 he was elected to the House of Representatives, the only Republican to represent the 1st Congressional District since 1946. While in Congress, he served on the Judiciary, Interior and Small Business Committees. In 1972, he was unsuccessful in his re-election bid against Patricia Schroeder.

When he left office, McKevitt remained in Washington, D.C., serving as assistant attorney general for legislative affairs and, in 1973, counsel to the White House Energy Policy Office, which was headed by former Governor Love. In 1974 he became the federal legislation director of the National Federation of Independent Business. From 1986 to 1989, he practiced law in Washington, D.C. before founding McKevitt & Schneier, a lobbying firm.

McKevitt was a founding member of the Korean War Veterans Memorial Board, and was a driving force in the completion of the project. He also served on the board of the United Service Organizations (USO), the U.S. Capitol Historical Society and the International Consortium for the Research on the Health Effects of Radiation. He was past president of the University Club of Washington, parliamentarian of the 1986 White House Conference on Small Business and a member of the Bowen Commission on Medicare. In his spare time, he loved sailing in Chesapeake Bay.

McKevitt married Doris Lester in 1952, and they raised two daughters. Doris McKevitt died in 1995. He later married Judith Woolley. McKevitt died September 28, 2000. He was survived by his wife and his two daughters, Julia Graf and Kate McLagan. He was buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery.