Russ Stilwell was elected to the
Indiana House of Representatives in his first attempt at public
office in 1996. He was elected House Majority Leader in 2002
and House Democrat Floor Leader in 2004 and he has served on
numerous House Committees including Labor & Employment, Public
Policy, Road and Transportation, Rural Affairs and Agriculture,
Rules Committee and Ethics Committee. Russ has also been elected as
a participant at numerous State and National Democrat Conventions.
Russ and his wife Joanna, a self-employed small
business owner, reside in Boonville, Indiana. They have grown twin sons,
Matt who is a school teacher and coach in Jasper, IN and his wife Lisa, and Ben who is an
engineer in Evansville and his wife Amy. They have four grandchildren;
Taylor, Kailyn, Cole and Joey.
A third generation coal miner, Russ was
drafted into the U.S. armed forces shortly after High School. He was
honorably discharged from the U.S. Army in 1969 after serving in a combat
infantry unit in Vietnam. After returning home, Russ began work as a coal
miner in Warrick County. While working the evening shift at the mine,
Russ
returned to school under the G.I. Bill where he earned his B.S. degree in
Political and Social Science from the University of Southern Indiana.
A good listener, a common sense approach to problems and a
tireless voice for Hoosiers,
Representative Stilwell continued working in the coal mines until he
was promoted to a position representing coal miners for his union in
the 1980's. He retired from the United Mineworkers after a 35-year
career. He was the union’s national Political Coordinator overseeing
several states.
Representative Stilwell also was selected
as one of 75 Americans who oversaw the first free and fair elections in
South Africa in 1994. He also was appointed by former Gov. Evan Bayh to two
terms to the Indiana Air Pollution Control Board, and is a former member of
the State Utility Regulatory Nominating Commission and the State Solid Waste
Facility Site Approval Authority. Representative Stilwell is a member of VFW,
American Legion, Elks, Red Cross, Community Activities and the Methodist Church.
