We often disparage politicians; it’s rare to find one working for the off-road industry. Spotlighting the late Gene Chappie, we find he was a one-of-a-kind Jeep enthusiast who became a politician. Gene was one of the original organizers and supporters of Jeepers Jamboree. Elected to the California Legislature in 1964, he immediately championed off-road recreation. At a time when many in the California State legislature were seeking ways to ban off-roading from state parks and other public lands, Chappie fought the growing tide by proposing landmark legislation, AB 2342. The Chappie-Z’berg Off-Highway Vehicle Act of 1971 was designed to identify and set aside areas specifically for the use of off-road vehicles. The beginning of the “Keep Public Lands Open to the Public” campaign. He served as an El Dorado County Supervisor, California State Legislature Assemblyman, and a United States Congressman.
In 1980, Gene upset the state’s House dean, Harold T. “Bizz” Johnson (D), to represent the voters of the 2nd District. Upon winning the election, Gene announced that he had been a loyal soldier of Gov. Ronald Reagan in the California legislature and planned to support the new Reagan presidency.
For the next six years in Congress, he was recognized as an accomplished legislator with a salty and irreverent wit. He looked after the agriculture and timber issues and other interests of his district, which stretched north from Sacramento to the Oregon border and served on the Agriculture, Merchant Marine, and Fisheries committees.
After three terms, he left the House, announcing, “I don’t want to be like some of these old codgers here who will leave Congress only when brought out on a stretcher.”
We really need more representatives like Gene Chappie in Congress nowadays!
Eugene Chappie, 1920 – 1992
