Jon Tester
| Jon Tester | |
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United States Senator from Montana |
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Assumed office January 3, 2007 Serving with Steve Daines |
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| Preceded by | Conrad Burns |
| Ranking Member of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee | |
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Assumed office January 3, 2017 |
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| Preceded by | Richard Blumenthal |
| Chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee | |
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In office January 3, 2015 – January 3, 2017 |
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| Leader | Harry Reid |
| Preceded by | Michael Bennet |
| Succeeded by | Chris Van Hollen |
| Chair of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs | |
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In office February 12, 2014 – January 3, 2015 |
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| Preceded by | Maria Cantwell |
| Succeeded by | John Barrasso |
| President of the Montana Senate | |
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In office January 3, 2005 – January 3, 2007 |
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| Deputy | Dan Harrington |
| Preceded by | Bob Keenan |
| Succeeded by | Mike Cooney |
| Member of the Montana Senate from the 15th district |
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In office January 3, 2005 – January 3, 2007 |
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| Preceded by | ??? |
| Succeeded by | Jim Peterson |
| Member of the Montana Senate from the 45th district |
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In office January 3, 1999 – January 3, 2005 |
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| Preceded by | ??? |
| Succeeded by | Jim Shockley |
| Personal details | |
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August 21, 1956 Havre, Montana, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Sharla Bitz |
| Education | University of Great Falls (BA) |
| Website | Senate website |
Jonathan "Jon" Tester (born August 21, 1956) is the senior United States Senator from Montana, serving since 2007. He is a member of the Democratic Party.
Tester was first elected to the Senate in 2006, beating Republican incumbent Conrad Burns in one of the closest Senate races of that year. He won re-election in 2012 against Rep. Denny Rehberg in another close race. Tester previously served as the president of the Montana Senate and worked as a music teacher and farmer. He became the senior Senator in 2014 when Max Baucus resigned. He is currently the dean of the Montana congressional delegation.
Tester was born in Havre, Montana, one of three sons of Helen Marie (née Pearson) and David O. Tester. His father was of English descent and his mother of Swedish ancestry. Tester grew up in Chouteau County, near the town of Big Sandy, Montana, on land that his grandfather homesteaded in 1912. At the age of 9, he lost the middle three fingers of his left hand in a meat-grinder accident. In 1978, he graduated from the University of Great Falls with a B.S. in music.
Tester then worked for two years as a music teacher in the Big Sandy School District before returning to his family's farm and custom butcher shop. He and his wife continue to operate the farm; in the 1980s, they switched from conventional to organic farming, raising wheat, barley, lentils, peas, millet, buckwheat, and alfalfa. Tester served five years as chairman of the Big Sandy School Board of Trustees and served on the Big Sandy Soil Conservation Service (SCS) Committee and the Chouteau County Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service (ASCS) Committee.
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Wikipedia