John Heinz
 John Heinz     (businessman, politician) | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | October 23, 1938 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | April 4, 1991 (Age 52) Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Cause of death | plane crash | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | US | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | Phillips Exeter Academy, Yale University, Harvard University | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Parents | Jack Heinz | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse | Teresa Simões-Ferreira | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Party | Republican | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Relatives | Drue English | ||||||||||||||||||||
US Senator who chaired review board that probed the Iran-Contra affair. Both he and Senator John Tower, who was investigating a variety of different CIA criminal activities and dirty dealings, died in two different plane accidents on the same day.
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Henry John Heinz III was an American businessman and politician who was United States senator from Pennsylvania from 1977 until his death in a 1991 plane crash. Heinz was previously the U.S. representative for Pennsylvania's 18th congressional district from 1971 to 1977.[1]
He was instrumental in getting the Clean Air Act passed by the US Senate in 1990.
Death
John Heinz chaired a three-man presidential review board that probed the Iran-Contra affair and had in his possession all the damning documents from that affair, while John Tower led the Tower Commission that investigated a variety of different CIA criminal activities and dirty dealings. Coincidentally, both John Heinz and John Tower died in plane wrecks on successive days in 1991 – Tower in Georgia, and Heinz in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.
John Simkin describes the circumstances of Heinz' death as follows: "On 4th April, 1991, Heinz flew to Philadelphia to conduct the first in a series of investigative hearings to examine the telemarketing of medical equipment to Medicare beneficiaries. His Piper Aerostar PA60, carrying him and four other adults developed landing-gear trouble, a helicopter was dispatched to examine the problem. The helicopter's blades accidentally hit the bottom of the plane. Both aircraft crashed to the ground killing everyone on board."[2]
