Christopher Dodd
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Christopher John Dodd (born May 27, 1944), is an American politician. Dodd, a Democrat, has been a U.S. Senator from Connecticut since 1981.
Early life, career, and family
Senator Christopher Dodd was born in Willimantic, Connecticut to Irish-American parents. His parents were Senator Thomas Joseph Dodd and Grace Murphy Dodd. Dodd attended Georgetown Preparatory School, the prestigious Jesuit boys school in Bethesda, Maryland. After graduating with a bachelor's degree in English Literature from Providence College in 1966, Dodd served as a Peace Corps volunteer in a small rural town in the Dominican Republic until 1968. After leaving the peace corps, Dodd joined U.S. Army Reserve, where he would stay until 1975. In 1972, Dodd graduated from law school at the University of Louisville. The following year, he was admitted to Connecticut bar, and began practicing law in New London.Senator Dodd is also the godfather of actress Christy Carlson Romano, who once interned in his office. His brother, Thomas J. Dodd, is an emeritus professor of the School of Foreign Service of Georgetown University, and served as U.S. ambassador to Uruguay and Costa Rica under president Bill Clinton.
U.S. House of Representatives
In 1974, Dodd was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Connecticut's second congressional district. He was reelected twice, serving from January 3, 1975 to January 3, 1981. During his tenure in the U.S. House, he served on the House Select Committee on Assassinations.
U.S. Senator
Dodd was elected to the U.S. Senate in the 1980 election and was subsequently reelected in the 1986, 1992, 1998, and 2004 elections. 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. He is the first Senator from Connecticut to serve five consecutive terms.Dodd lives in East Haddam when Congress is not in session, is fluent in Spanish, and is a Roman Catholic. His wife is Jackie Marie Clegg. She held high posts at the Export-Import Bank of the United States. The couple has two daughters, Grace and Christina.
Dodd had been rumored to be strongly considering a run for Governor of Connecticut in 2006. He decided not to seek this post. Dodd briefly considered running for President in 2004, but ultimately decided against such a campaign. 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 been a long time supporter of tort reform measures.
In April 2006, Dodd told the Associated Press he's considering running for president in 2008, saying, "it's an itch. Could grow, could disappear." On May 22, 2006 he told the Hartford Courant he had met with key backers , including congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, and was assembling a team to prepare for the 2008 presidential campaign. In June of 2006, he held his first major Presidential fundraiser, stunning many beltway commentators by raising over $1 million in one night. [link] And Dodd plans to attend a Florida state Democratic convention in July 2006, which the Hartford Courant newspaper terms a first step in garnering support. [link]
Senator Dodd is considered left of center with respect to Latin America. His record especially with regard to the Sandinistas in Nicaragua and the Farabundo Martà rebels in El Salvador has led to conflict with Republican Administrations. He is highly critical of the embargo and restrictions the U.S. has towards the country of Cuba. He favors more lenient immigration laws.
In 2006 Dodd faced some criticism from Democrats for not pledging to support the winner of the Democratic primary race between Joe Lieberman and Ned Lamont. (This would permit him to endorse Joe Lieberman should he run for the US Senate as an independent.)
External links
- [Senate office website]
- [2004 reelection website]
- [Peace Corps biography of Chris Dodd]
- [Project Vote-Smart profile]
- *[Detailed voting recorstatements]
- *[Interest group ratings]
- [record maintained by the Washington Post]
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