Senator H. John Heinz III
Carnegie Mellon's School of Urban and Public Affairs (SUPA) became the H. John Heinz III School of Public Policy and Management (the Heinz School) in April 1992. The school was renamed for the late Senator H. John Heinz III, who was killed in an airplane crash on April 4, 1991. The Senator's Congressional Papers are now housed within the Heinz School in the Heinz Archives.
The senator was the only child of philanthropist and industrialist H. J. Heinz II, chairman of the H. J. Heinz Company, the food processing corporation founded by the Senator's great grandfather. Senator Heinz's father, known as Jack, was himself an instrumental force in the economic revitalization of Pittsburgh through cultural development. Jack Heinz bought four empty vaudevillian theaters in downtown, creating the beginnings of the Cultural District, including Heinz Hall, home of the internationally-renowned Pittsburgh Symphony. Jack provided an important example to his son, who would eventually follow his father's lead in public service.
In the years Senator John Heinz spent living and working in Pittsburgh, he was an active participant in community and charitable endeavors, ranging from the arts to community development in the urban areas of western Pennsylvania. As chairman of the Heinz Charitable and Family Trust and trustee of the Howard and Vira Heinz Endowment, he continued the Heinz family tradition of combining entrepreneurial skill with community activism.
Heinz believed that "almost all the real vital decisions affecting our lives are being made in the public sector," so he became active in local Republican politics throughout the 1960's. Upon the sudden death of the representative from Pennsylvania's 18th Congressional District in April 1971, Heinz decided to pursue the unexpired term. He easily won the republican nomination, and then proceeded to win the special election in November by a huge margin. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives until 1976, when he won his first senatorial election. Heinz served in the US Senate until his death in 1991.
John Heinz was an accomplished legislator, serving on many committees in both houses. His most aggressive work was focused on retirement and the elderly, health care, international trade, finance and banking, environmental issues, human development and education. He remained a staunch supporter of Pennsylvania, focusing on important issues for the region, such as strengthening the manufacturing sector and re-educating displaced workers.
John Heinz was an inspiring public servant who often initiated bipartisan efforts to create legislation that would benefit those most in need of assistance. He did not run away from the challenges facing Pennsylvania and the nation, but sought to change the systems that were failing. The Senator once said, "In the testing process of life, there is a certain inevitability about the discoveries of your abilities and needs, what you want to take from this life and give to others. … Each of us has a duty to examine the problems and participate actively in the decision making. Today's challenges will require addressing complex problems and making difficult and sometimes painful choices. Complex, difficult, painful - but not impossible."
We at the Heinz School hold fast to the Senator's commitment to serving the public good and work to encourage those ideals in our students. We are proud to bear the name of H. John Heinz III and to continue to work with his wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry, and the Heinz Family Endowments to train the next generation of leaders seeking to improve people's lives in a variety of ways.
