Biography

Dr. Dan’s story is a familiar one to those from Northern Michigan.  Born in Iron River to a working class family, Dan learned values of hard work, self reliance, and family.  After his father was killed in a mining accident, when Dan was only five, the Benishek family had to pull together to raise Dan and his brother on a tight budget. As a boy, he worked in his grandmother’s business—the Iron River Hotel where he made beds, hauled beer, and cleaned.  His grandmother paid him $10 a week for his efforts, on the promise that he’d save it for the future.

After Dan graduated from West Iron High School in 1970, he went on to earn a B.S. in biology from the University of Michigan.  It was then that Dan decided to dedicate his career to healing others, so he obtained a medical degree from Wayne State Medical School and completed a Family Practice internship in Flint at St Joseph's Hospital.  He has served in private practice as a general surgeon in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula since 1983. In addition, he has worked part-time at the Oscar G. Johnson VA Medical Center in Iron Mountain for the past twenty years, helping to improve the health of Michigan veterans.

After treating families and veterans as a general surgeon in Iron Mountain for nearly 30 years, Dr. Dan felt compelled to run for Congress out of a desire to help put our nation back on the right track. Though he had never planned to enter politics, like many people in Northern Michigan, he could not justify staying on the sidelines while career politicians in Washington wasted your money on bills they didn’t even bother to read.

Since coming to Congress, Dr. Dan has been fighting every day to create jobs in Northern Michigan, to fulfill the commitment to our veterans, and to renew the promise of the American Dream for our children and grandchildren. When he isn’t working for you in Washington, Dan is an avid sportsman and a proud member of the National Rifle Association and the Gun Owners of America. 

Dan and his wife Judy live near Crystal Falls, Michigan, where they have five children and five grandchildren.  Prior to being sworn into Congress on January 5, 2011, Dr. Benishek had never sought nor held any public office.  Today, Dan still spends much of his time in the District, keeping in touch with the needs of the constituents who sent him to Washington.  Continue exploring the website to learn about the many ways that Congressman Benishek is looking out for you in Congress!

Please download high-resolution image of Dr. Benishek here. (JPG).