Christopher Dodd

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Christopher Dodd
Senior Senator from Connecticut
Incumbent
Assumed office  January 5, 1981 Serving with Joe Lieberman
Preceded by	Abraham A. Ribicoff
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Connecticut's 2nd district
In office January 3, 1975 – January 3, 1981
Preceded by	Robert H. Steele
Succeeded by	Sam Gejdenson
Born	May 27, 1944 (1944-05-27) (age 64) Willimantic, Connecticut
Nationality	American
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Jackie Marie Clegg
Religion	Roman Catholic
Website	Chris Dodd

Christopher John Dodd (born May 27, 1944) is an American lawyer and politician from Connecticut, who is currently serving as a Democrat in the U.S. Senate.

Dodd served as a U.S. Representative from Connecticut from 1975 until 1981, when he became a Senator. He served as general chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 1995 to 1997. He is now the state's senior Senator. He currently serves as Chairman of the Senate Banking Committee.^[1]

Currently Dodd is not only the longest-serving Senator in Connecticut's history, but also 14th most senior of current Senators and one of just three from the 1980 freshman class who are still serving (the others are Republicans Arlen Specter and Chuck Grassley).^[2]

[edit] Early life and education

Dodd was born in Willimantic, Connecticut. His parents were Grace Mary Dodd née Murphy and U.S. Senator Thomas Joseph Dodd; all eight of his great-grandparents were born in Ireland.^[3] Dodd is a Roman Catholic. He is the fifth of six children;^[4] his eldest brother, Thomas J. Dodd Jr., is an emeritus professor of the School of Foreign Service of Georgetown University, and served as the U.S. ambassador to Uruguay and Costa Rica under President Bill Clinton.

Dodd attended Georgetown Preparatory School, a Jesuit boys' school in Bethesda, Maryland. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in English Literature from Providence College in 1966. He served as a Peace Corps volunteer in a small rural town in the Dominican Republic from 1966 to 1968. While there, he became fluent in Spanish. ^[5] Dodd then joined the U.S. Army Reserve, and served until 1975.

In 1972, Dodd earned a Juris Doctor at the University of Louisville, where he served as vice magistrate of the law school's student body. The following year, he was admitted to the Connecticut bar, and began practicing law in New London.

[edit] Personal life

In July 1970, Dodd married Susan Mooney; they divorced in October 1982. Afterwards, he dated at different times Bianca Jagger, Erin Carter, and Carrie Fisher.^[6] In 1999, he married his second wife, Jackie Marie Clegg, who is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The couple has two daughters, Grace (born September 2001) and Christina Dodd (born May 2005).

Dodd lives in East Haddam when Congress is not in session.

Senator Dodd is also the godfather of singer/actress Christy Carlson Romano, who once interned in his office.

[edit] U.S. Congressman

Dodd was part of the "Watergate class of '74" which CNN pundit David Gergen credited with bringing "a fresh burst of liberal energy to the Capitol."^[7] Elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Connecticut's second congressional district, and reelected twice, he served from January 4, 1975 to January 3, 1981. During his tenure in the House, he served on the House Select Committee on Assassinations.

[edit] U.S. Senator

Senator Dodd giving a speech at Naval Submarine Base New London, July 1985.

Dodd was elected to the Senate in the 1980 election and was subsequently reelected in the 1986, 1992, 1998, and 2004 elections. He is the first Senator from Connecticut to serve five consecutive terms. From 1995 to 1997, he served as General Chairman of the Democratic National Committee. As General Chairman, Dodd was the DNC's spokesman. Donald Fowler served as National Chairman, running the party's day to day operations.

During his tenure, Dodd has taken special interest in children’s and family issues, founding the first Senate Children’s Caucus ^[8] and authoring the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) ^[9], which guarantees employees unpaid leave in the event of illness a sick family member, or the birth or adoption of a child. To date, more than 50 million employees have taken advantage of FMLA protections. He is currently working to support a bill that would provide paid family and medical leave. ^[10] For his work on behalf of children and families, the National Head Start association named him “Senator of the Decade” in 1990^[11].

The Center for Public Integrity has criticized Dodd for "being the leading advocate in the Senate on behalf of the accounting industry."^[12][13] Political consultant and commentator Dick Morris wrote that Dodd had received more from accounting firm Arthur Andersen than any other Democrat and bore responsibility for trying to shield accounting firms from investor fraud liability in cases such as the Enron scandal.^[14]

During the 1994 elections, the Republicans won the majority in both houses of Congress. Dodd therefore entered the minority for the second time in his Senate career. He ran for the now vacant position of Senate Minority Leader, but was defeated by South Dakota Senator Tom Daschle by one vote. Ironically, the vote was tied 23-23, and it was Colorado Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell who cast the deciding vote by absentee ballot in favor of Daschle. Shortly after that, Campbell switched parties and became a Republican.

Dodd briefly considered running for President in 2004, but ultimately decided against such a campaign, and was considered as a likely running mate for his friend, eventual Democratic nominee John Kerry. He was also considered a possible candidate for replacing Tom Daschle as Senate Minority Leader in 109th Congress, but he declined, and that position was instead filled by Harry Reid.

Dodd has announced in a letter to the Federal Election Commission that he is no longer a candidate for the Senate in 2010. ^[15]

[edit] 2008 Presidential campaign

Main article: Chris Dodd presidential campaign, 2008

On January 11, 2007, Dodd announced his candidacy for the office of President of the United States on the Imus in the Morning show. On January 19, 2007, Dodd made a formal announcement with supporters at the Old State House in Hartford.

Dodd speaking on the campaign trail, January 2007.

The watchdog group opensecrets.org has pointed out that the Dodd campaign is heavily funded by the financial services industry, which is regulated by committees Dodd chairs in the Senate.^[16][17]

In May, he trailed in state and national polls and acknowledged he wasn't keeping pace with rival campaigns' fund raising. However, he said that as more voters became aware of his opposition to the Iraq War, they would support his campaign.^[18] However, his prospects did not improve; a November 7, 2007 Gallup poll placed him at 1%. ^[19] Dodd dropped out of the primary race on the night of the January 3, 2008, Iowa caucuses after placing seventh with almost all precincts reporting.^[2]

Dodd has said he is not interested in running for Vice President of the United States of America, nor Senate Majority Leader.^[20] Dodd endorsed former rival Barack Obama on February 26, 2008.^[21]

[edit] Political positions

Main article: Political positions of Chris Dodd

Dodd favors a one-year troop withdrawal timetable to end the Iraq War^[22] and is against warrantless surveillance.^[23] Dodd has supported amending the Family Medical Leave Act to include paid leave, ^[24] restoring the rule of law to the U.S. immigration system,^[25] and a corporate carbon tax to combat global warming.^[26]

[edit] Committee Assignments

• United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations
  • Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, Peace Corps and Narcotics Affairs (Chairman)
  • Subcommittee on Near East and South and Central Asian Affairs
  • Subcommittee on European Affairs
• United States Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs (Chairman)
  • As Chairman of the committee, Dodd is an ex officio member of all subcommittees.
  • Subcommittee on Security and International Trade and Finance
• United States Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
  • Subcommittee on Children and Families (Chairman)
  • Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety
• United States Senate Committee on Rules and Administration
• Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe
• United States Congress Joint Committee on the Library

[edit] Electoral history

Main article: Electoral history of Christopher Dodd

[edit] See also

United States Army Portal

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Wikisource has original works written by or about:

Christopher Dodd

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Christopher Dodd

• U.S. Senate - Chris Dodd
• Presidential Campaign of Chris Dodd

v • d • e United States Senators from Connecticut Class 1: Ellsworth • Hillhouse • Dana • Boardman • Edwards • Foot • N. Smith • Niles • Betts • Huntington • R.S. Baldwin • Toucey • Dixon • Buckingham • Eaton • Hawley • Bulkeley • McLean • Walcott • Maloney • Hart • R.E. Baldwin • Benton • Purtell • T. Dodd • Weicker • Lieberman Class 3: Johnson • Sherman • Mitchell • Trumbull • Tracy • Goodrich • Daggett • Lanman • Willey • Tomlinson • P. Smith • Niles • T. Smith • Gillette • Foster • Ferry • English • Barnum • Platt • Brandegee • Bingham • Lonergan • Danaher • McMahon • Purtell • Bush • Ribicoff • C. Dodd