Campaign fund-raiser for Bush to speak at dinner

Jack Oliver, a Cape Girardeau native who raised record amounts of money in George W. Bush's presidential campaign, will be the keynote speaker at the 32nd annual Lincoln Day Dinner Saturday.

The dinner, the largest event sponsored by the Cape Girardeau County Republican Women's Club, will be at 6:30 p.m. at the Arena Building.

Oliver, 33, is deputy director of the Republican National Committee, working directly under Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore, the RNC chairman, and fellow Missourian Ann Wagner, the national co-chair. He was also Bush's campaign finance manager.

Running the party

Oliver describes his basic duties as running the day-to-day operations of the Republican Party and overseeing a $100 million annual operation. Also a political strategist, he travels around the country, speaking on behalf of the party.

"I'm always excited to come home," he said, adding he tries to visit Cape Girardeau about once a month. "As soon as we get the president re-elected, I'm coming home to stay."

Oliver split time between here and St. Louis while growing up. He attended high school in St. Louis where his mother, Rosemary Oliver, lives. But he spent most of his summers and weekends in the City of Roses where his father, John Oliver, is an attorney.

John Oliver said his son maintains a home here and is a registered voter.

"He comes back to his real home all the time," John Oliver said.

And the fact that he's coming home to speak is particularly exciting to the Republican Women's Club, the group's president said.

"I've heard he gives an excellent speech," said Diane Diebold. "I've had an opportunity to meet him, but I've not heard him speak. I'm looking forward to it. It's not very often we can get someone from a national level to come and speak. But he'll be able to give us a snapshot picture of what's going on nationally and what they're seeing for the future."

Susan Dodd, club treasurer, said she expects at least 350 people to attend Saturday's event. She expects Oliver to offer insight on how local activists can help candidates.

A quick climb

When asked how he was able to climb the political ladder so quickly, Oliver deflected the credit.

"It doesn't have anything to do with me," he said. "I'm very lucky and blessed to have worked with phenomenal people."

Oliver's previous political experience includes running the Missouri campaign for presidential hopeful Bob Dole in 1996 and serving U.S. Sens. Kit Bond and John Ashcroft and the late U.S. Rep. Bill Emerson.

Oliver also helped current Senate President Pro Tem Peter Kinder get his office set up and running after he was first elected to the Missouri Senate in 1992, he said.

Kinder had high praise for Oliver.

"He is a man of enormous talent, energy and savvy," he said. "That's why he got the call from Austin in the winter of 1999. I advised him to take it. He was all poised to run John Ashcroft's re-election race in 2000, but I told him this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity ... It is an extraordinary position for anyone from Cape Girardeau to do these things at such a young age."

John Oliver credits his son's hard work.

"Part of it is, in fact, who he has been lucky enough to work for," said John Oliver. "That provided him with the opportunity. But his primary road to success has been his work ethic. And he's obviously talented in what he does. He's got his grandmother's and his mother's ability to deal with people and that is what gets him there."

bmiller@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 127