Joe Lieberman | |
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United States Senator from Connecticut |
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In office January 3, 1989 – January 3, 2013 |
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Preceded by | Lowell Weicker |
Succeeded by | Chris Murphy |
Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee | |
In office January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2013 |
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Preceded by | Susan Collins |
Succeeded by | Tom Carper |
In office June 6, 2001 – January 3, 2003 |
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Preceded by | Fred Thompson |
Succeeded by | Susan Collins |
In office January 3, 2001 – January 20, 2001 |
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Preceded by | Fred Thompson |
Succeeded by | Fred Thompson |
21st Attorney General of Connecticut | |
In office January 5, 1983 – January 3, 1989 |
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Governor | William O'Neill |
Preceded by | Carl Ajello |
Succeeded by | Clarine Riddle |
Personal details | |
Born |
Joseph Isadore Lieberman February 24, 1942 Stamford, Connecticut, U.S. |
Political party |
Democratic (1989–2006) Independent (2006–present) |
Spouse(s) | Betty Haas (1965–1981) Hadassah Freilich (1982–present) |
Children | 4 |
Alma mater | Yale University (B.A., J.D.) |
Religion | Judaism |
Signature |
Joseph Isadore "Joe" Lieberman (born February 24, 1942) is an American politician and former United States Senator from Connecticut. A former member of the Democratic Party, he was the party's nominee for Vice President in the 2000 election. Currently an Independent, he remains closely associated with the Democratic Party.
Born in Stamford, Connecticut, Lieberman is a graduate of Yale University and Yale Law School. He was elected as a "reform Democrat" in 1970 to the Connecticut Senate, where he served three terms as Majority Leader. After an unsuccessful bid for the U.S. House of Representatives in 1980, he served as state Attorney General from 1983 to 1989. Lieberman defeated moderate Republican Lowell Weicker in 1988 to win election to the Senate and was re-elected in 1994 and 2000. Lieberman was the Democratic nominee for Vice President in the 2000 United States presidential election, running with presidential nominee Al Gore, and becoming the first Jewish candidate on a major American political party presidential ticket.
In the 2000 presidential election, Gore and Lieberman won the popular vote by a margin of more than 500,000 votes but lost the deciding Electoral College to the Republican George W. Bush / Dick Cheney ticket 271–266. The U.S. Supreme Court settled the legal controversy over the Florida vote recount by ruling 5–4 to stop recounting votes, effectively ensuring Bush's election. It was the only time in history that the Supreme Court has ruled on a case directly related to a presidential election. Lieberman also unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination in the 2004 presidential election.