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Dennis Hastert and Jean Kahl Marriage Profile

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Not expecting to ever leave their home state, when politics called Dennis and Jean Hastert to Washington, D.C., they made a decision to not move their family. Here's information about how Dennis proposed to Jean, when they married, and more.
Birthdates:

John Dennis Hastert: January 2, 1942 in Aurora, Illinois.

Jean Kahl: ??

How Dennis and Jean Met:

Dennis and Jean met in 1970 while they were both teaching at Yorkville High School.

Wedding Date:

Dennis and Jean were married in Jean's hometown, Shipman, Illinois on April 21, 1973.

Honeymoon:

Jean and Dennis honeymooned near Sarasota, Florida.
Children:

Jean and Dennis Hastert have two sons:

  • Joshua Hastert: Born in 1975 in Illinois. Joshua lives in Washington, D.C. and is a lobbyist.

  • Ethan Hastert: Born in 1978 in Illinois. Ethan graduated from law school at Northwestern University in 2005.

Religion:
Methodist.
Occupations:

Dennis: He has been Speaker of the House of Representatives since 1999. Previously Dennis was in the Illinois State House for six years. Prior to that he spent 16 years as a high school teacher of history, economics, government, and social studies. He was also a wrestling and football coach.

Jean: She is a retired elementary school gym teacher. She also taught kindergarten through third grade.

Interests:

Dennis' interests include "attending wrestling meets, fishing, restoring vintage automobiles, and carving and painting duck decoys."
Source: Speaker.house.gov

Residence:

Dennis and Jean live in Yorkville, Illinois along the Fox River between Oswego and Yorkville. Dennis flies home on weekends.

Autobiography:

Speaker: Lessons from Forty Years in Coaching and Politics
by Denny Hastert
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Quotes:
Dennis Hastert about meeting Jean: "We noticed each other right away, but at first nothing clicked ... But we went to the movies, attended sports events, and talked and talked and talked. And the more we were together, the more obvious it seemed to me that we complemented each other perfectly."
Source: Source: Speaker: Lessons from Forty Years in Coaching and Politics by Denny Hastert, page 45, 46

Dennis Hastert about proposing to Jean: "Over Christmas vacation in 1972, in the kitchen of the little home she had rented on River Road in Yorkville, I popped the question to her. Actually, instead of going down on bended knee to ask, 'Will you marry me?' I used an indirect, elliptical approach. 'Well, people think we ought to get married,' I said."
Source: Speaker: Lessons from Forty Years in Coaching and Politics by Denny Hastert, page 46

Dennis Hastert on why he and Jean didn't move to Washington, D.C.: "I just think back there is a better place to grow up. When you're home every weekend you do a better job representing the district."
Source: Chicago Daily Herald, 3-28-1993.

Dennis Hastert about the Marriage Protection Amendment: "For thousands of years the definition of marriage has been the union between one man and one woman. Marriage is the very foundation of our society where families are formed and communities are established."
Source: USnewswire.com

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