Mr. Schroeder goes to Washington

York High School Graduate soaks up political atmosphere

This is the fifth of a 12-part series focusing on York High School graduates of 1954 who are preparing to celebrate their 45th reunion. Some have gone on to fame and fortune, while others have stayed in Elmhurst and tried to make a difference in thelr hometown. Today's installment features James W. Schroeder, a deputy under secretary of farm and foreign agricultural services at the U.S. Department of Agricuiture in Washington, D.C. James Schroeder also is married to former Democratic U.S. Rep. Patricia Schroeder, who served in the House of Representatives from 1972 to 1996. Before becoming involved in politics, Schroeder developed a love for hlstory and international studies as a student at York High School and Princeton and Harvard universities. By Marie Lazzara Press Publications

James Schroeder, a graduate of York High School's Class ot '54, tackles international and domestic agricuitural isssues in the United States Department of Agriculture in Washington, D.C. Schroeder developed a love of world history, soclal studes and athletics at York.

In his occupation, York High School graduate James Schroeder plays a major role in overseeing this country's internationai. agricultural policies.

He works in the U. S. Department of Agriculture in Washington, D.C., far away from his Elmhurst birthplace.

Among his duties as deputy undersecretary of farm and foreign agricultural services is to take part in trade negotiations with other countries. For example, he is the point man for relations with Mexico as part of the North American Free Trade Agreement, and is part of the negotiating team talking with China about that country possibly becoming part of the World Trade Organization.

World history, poiitical science and English were some of Schroeder's favorite subjects at York. He said the high school offered him many opportunities to expand his athletic and cultural horizons.

Taking the ball
Schroeder grew up in a family of four. His father, Paul, was a dentist, and his mother, Thelma, was a homemaker and a former junior high school teacher. His younger sister, Sandra, also attended York.

Schroeder has fond memories of playing football, basketball and track at York. He said his school athletic career actually began at the elementary level.

"Basketball was the main sport (in the elementary schools)," Schroeder said. "We had a team at Washington (EIementary School) where I played in fifth and sixth grade, and then in junior high school, there was a league. There were no football programs in the elementary or junior highs as there are today. Basically, there was no track either, so when you got to high school, basketball was the big thing. But then a lot of us gravitated into football and track as well."

As a York senior, he was part of the football team that tied for the West Suburban Conference championship with two other local high schools. One of the other schools was Lyons Township High School.

"York had pretty good basketball teams, whereas in football, for years York had not been very good, except when we (our class) came along" he said.

"We had a lot of good athletes in our class," he added.

Schroeder's high school football career began late, due to concerns his parents had about the sport.

"In my freshman year, I wanted to go out for football," he said. "My father was a dentist, and my mother thought I'd get my teeth knocked out. I was the manager for the freshman-sophomore team, but then by sophomore year, I convinced them that I really should start playing."

Schroeder didn't waste time at York. His other activities included being vice president of the student council, a member of the National Honors Society, an Eagle Scout and a student traffic court judge. In the student "court system," students accused of breaking driving violations at the school pleaded their case before peers such as Schroeder.

Student Council Vice President Jim Schroeder
(lower right corner) and other committee members
listen to fellow student talk about school events.

Schroeder describes the early 1950s as an "idyllic time" for teen agers.

"It was a fairly 'Norman Rockwellian' time," he said. "There was no such thing as drugs. Maybe by the time we were juniors and seniors people went out and snuck a beer once in a while. There was no hard liquor. The only people that smoked even cigarettes, as I can recall, were girls. It seems like by the time we were sophomores, all the girls were smoking cigarettes. The guys generally didn't smoke because of athletics.

"I get a kick out of this current rash of litigation (saying,) 'Cigarettes are bad for you,' as if that somehow is astounding and a revelation. It seems to me that everyone has always known that cigarettes were not particularly good for people. They were called 'coffin nails.' Most guys didn't smoke."

While growing up in Elmhurst, Schroeder made friends wherever he went -- whether it was at school the playing field or First Congregational Church.

It was through his church that he met people of different races, befriending African-American athletes who went to school in LaGrange.

"It (Elmhurst) was white, middle class suburbia," he said. "There were no blacks, Hispanics or Asians, really. That's why some of my extracurricular work was valuable. It's always a good experience to meet people who are different than you are."

James Schroeder
York High School Senior, 1954.

As for entertainment, he traveled to Chicago's Wabash Street to hear the latest sounds of Dixieland jazz and visited the York Theatre to see Elizabeth Taylor on the silver screen. His parents introduced him to classical music.

"I played piano up until freshman or sophomore year, when I got into sports," he said. "My father played the violin in college and my mother played the piano. So I grew up listenmg to symphonies and operas. I like jazz. I like all kinds of music; it depends on what mood I'm in."

Travellng abroad
Schroeder said his guidance counselor, Bert Michelsen, encouraged him to apply for the American Field Service Scholarship, which is a student-exchange program.

In the summer of his junior year, Schroeder and other American students boarded a ship for Europe. He visited Hanover, Germany, and stayed with a family for about six to eight weeks.

"I got to meet a lot of kids from all over the country," he said. "It broadened my horizons significantly, both in terms of what I was doing with the rest of my life and what was out there. I was fortunate.

"The family I stayed with was definitely upper class. This was 1953 and this is still occupied Germany. Vast areas of the country looked like urban-renewal areas. They had occupation forces all over the place."

Schroeder said he met a lot of students who attended prep schools on the East Coast.

Meeting those students influenced his decision to attend Princeton University, which was an all-male school at the time. He was able to attend Princeton thanks to an ROTC scholarship.

After taking core classes during his first two years, he studied at the university's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, which blended history, economics and politics.

In the summers, he attended naval training as a midshipman. When he finished his time at Princeton, he worked as a commissioned Navy ensign for three years in Norfolk Va. He traveled to South America and the Mediterranean and rose to the rank of lieutenant junior grade.

"In the 1950s and 1960s, if you asked any male what was the No. 1 issue in his head after he turned 18, it was joining the military," he said. "Everybody was either going to get drafted or have to serve in some program."

In 1961, Schroeder chose to enter Harvard University to study law.

"I felt then as I do now: that a law degree is good for anything," he said. "I didn't have this burning desire to practice law, but at least I thought a law degree was a good basic education and credential to have."

It was in the fall of 1961 that he met his wife, Patricia Scott, who later became Colorado U.S. Rep. Patricia Schroeder.

"In those days, there were about 530 in a class at Harvard, and about 16 were women," he said. "The women were fairly visible, and it didn't take long to figure out who the few girls were in your class or in the school. Coming back from the Navy, I thought it was great to be in this coeducational situation."

Schroeder saw his future wife at a party and later decided to ask her out after a chance meeting at the university's library.

"One night in the library, she came in and asked me to get a book off the shelf," he said. "I said, 'OK, you want to go out to dinner next weekend?' We went out in November and hit it off. We got engaged in April and got married the next August."

After graduation, the Schroeders searched for a place to live and work. They moved to Denver after looking into other states. Jim worked with other attorney friends, while Patricia became a field attorney for the federal government's National Labor Relations Board.

She later taught at the University of Colorado, worked for the state of Colorado as a personnel board hearing officer, and volunteered for social organizations such as Rocky Mountain Planned Parenthood. It was during the mid-1960s and early 1970s that the couple had a son, Scott, and a daughter, Jamie.

Schroeder said he and his wife have both been active in politics for. a long time. He made an unsuccessful bid for a Colorado legislature seat in 1970 and previously has worked as a Denver district captain, which oversees political workers.

In 1972, Schroeder helped his law partner, Floyd Haskell, make a successful run for the U.S. Senate. At the same time, Schroeder and other Democratic activist friends were searching for a progressive candidate for the House of Representatives. His friends suggested Patricia for the job. With encouragement and support from friends and family, she won the Democratic primary and the general election.

Patricia Schroeder's surprise victory prompted the couple to move to Washington, D.C. in 1973.

A politician's life
As she served her constituency, James Schroeder worked at a Washington, D.C. firm, where he practiced international law. In the summer of 1993, he joined President Bill Clinton's administration in the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

After 24 years in Congress, his wife retired from her post in 1996.

Since 1997, Patricia Schroeder has been president and chief executive offlcer of the Association of American Publishers.

"We spent about three months looking at (the viabilty of such a campaign)," he said. "She got a lot of publicity and was doing quite well in the polls, but we had a little problem with money. If we couldn't raise $2 million by Labor Day, my wife wasn't interested in a crusade. Unless we could be serious, she wasn't going do it. In September, she did announce that she would not run.

"I think it was politically the right thing to do. In a way it was a disappointment, but this is big-time stuff. If you do not have enough money, nobody will think you're serious."

With all the ups and downs of political life, James Schroeder takes a positive view of his wife's career in Congress.

"There's always crises and problems, but it makes life interesting," he said. "It was also good that I had my own job and my own interests. In any field, if one spouse is sort of left out completely over the years, that can be a problem."

Schroeder plans to come to the Class of '54 reunion this September. Among the things he looks forward to is seeing some old friends and revisiting the places he knew as a child and teenager.

"I was lucky and graced, if you will," he said. "I was probably the first American Field Service student that came from York. I was probably the second student from York that ever went to Princeton. The experiences I had were extraordinary.

"We did have an extraordinary class. We had some outstanding students and athletes "