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Lamar Alexander
Image:Lamar Alexander official portrait.jpg
Senior Senator, Tennessee
Term of office: 2003–Present
Political party:	Republican
Preceded by:	Fred Thompson
Succeeded by:	Incumbent (2009)
Born:	July 2, 1940 Maryville, Tennessee
Spouse:	Honey Buhler
Religion:	Presbyterian

Andrew Lamar Alexander (born July 3, 1940) is the junior United States Senator from Tennessee and a member of the Republican Party. He has previously been the 45th Governor of Tennessee from 1979 to 1987 and U.S. Secretary of Education from 1991 to 1993 under President George H.W. Bush. He received a B.A. Degree from Vanderbilt University in 1962 and a J.D. from New York University Law School in 1965.

Alexander's parents were Andrew Lamar Alexander and the former Genevra F. Rankin. In 1969, he married Leslee K. "Honey" Buhler; the couple have four children: Andrew, Leslee, Kathryn, and William.

Contents 1 Early life 2 Political career 3 Return to Senate 4 Controversy and criticism 4.1 TRACS criticism 5 Notes 6 External links

[edit] Early life

Alexander was born and raised in Maryville, Tennessee, outside of Knoxville. In high school he was elected Governor of Tennessee Boys State.

[edit] Political career

Alexander worked in Republican politics on Senator Howard Baker's staff in Washington, DC. While a staffer, he was briefly roommates with future U.S. Senator Trent Lott. In 1970 he moved back to Tennessee becoming campaign manager for Memphis dentist Winfield Dunn's successful gubernatorial bid.

In the election of 1974, he was the Republican candidate for governor of Tennessee facing Democrat Ray Blanton, a former congressman and candidate for Senate two years earlier. Blanton attacked Alexander for his service under Nixon, who had resigned in disgrace several months earlier. He also portrayed Alexander as being too distant from average Tennesseeans, even though Alexander was the son of teachers.

The Tennessee State Constitution had been amended in early 1978 to allow a governor to succeed himself, but Blanton didn't run for reelection that year. Alexander ran again, and made a name for himself by walking across the state (1,000 miles) wearing a red and black plaid shirt. He defeated Knoxville banker Jake Butcher in November.

In early 1979, a furor ensued over pardons made by Blanton that appeared to be made out of pure politics; some of them smacked of bribery. Since the state constitution is somewhat vague on when a governor must be sworn in, several political leaders from both parties, including Lieutenant Governor John S. Wilder and State House Speaker Ned McWherter, arranged for Alexander to be sworn in several days earlier than the traditional inaguration day. Wilder later called the move "impeachment Tennessee-style." Soon after being sworn in, Alexander ordered the state Highway Patrol to seize control of the state capitol to prevent any maneuvers by Blanton to regain office.

Alexander made history by becoming the first person reelected to a second 4-year term by defeating Knoxville mayor Randy Tyree in the 1982 election carrying almost 70% of Knox County. Opting out of the 1984 U.S. Senate contest for the open seat of retiring Majority Leader Howard Baker, Alexander was constitutionally ineligible for a 3rd term and stepped down from the governorship in January 1987. Moving with his family to Australia for a time, he would soon return to Tennessee and became the president of the University of Tennessee (1988–1991), and United States Secretary of Education (1991–1993). He helped found a company that is now the nation's largest provider of worksite day care. He taught about the American character as a faculty member at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government.

He also made two unsuccessful runs for President of the United States, in the 1996 and 2000 election cycles. After dropping out of the 1996 presidential race, Alexander took an advisory role in the Dole/Kemp campaign.<ref>"Reading, Writing, and Reform" (transcript of a news-program debate among Bob Dole, Lamar Alexander, and Albert Shanker), 22 Aug 1996 http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/education/teachers_unions_8-22.html</ref> His second candidacy, in which he traveled around the U.S. in a Ford Explorer, eschewing a campaign bus or plane, lasted less than six months, being announced March 9, 1999, and withdrawn August 16, 1999, both times in Nashville.<ref>"Lamar Alexander" http://www.christcenteredmall.com/news/politics/Republican-Race/alexander-profile.htm</ref> An article in The New York Times during this period comments that Alexander's "bitter belief that party's nominating process is being short-circuited by big money and big media has become [his] consuming preoccupation," referring to the Republican Party.<ref>"Alexander, After 6-Year Run, Is Short on Time and Money," Melinda Henneberger, 12 Aug 1999</ref>

[edit] Return to Senate

Vowing to never again return to elective office, he was persuaded by the White House to run for the open seat of retiring Senator Fred Thompson in 2002. Seen as a moderate, his candidacy was vigorously opposed by conservatives who supported Congressman Ed Bryant, who had become one of the House managers during the 1998 impeachment of President Bill Clinton. Alexander was well-funded and was armed by more prominent endorsements and eked out a closer-than-expected win over Bryant in the primary. Democrats had high hopes of recovering the seat with their candidate, Nashville Congressman Bob Clement, a member of a prominent political family, and despite grumblings by conservatives to defect to the moderately liberal Clement, Alexander was successful in defeating Clement in the general election that year. With his election to the U.S. Senate, he became the first Tennessean to be popularly elected both governor and senator. At 62, Alexander also became the oldest elected freshman U.S. Senator from Tennessee since Democrat Lawrence Tyson in 1924.

Senator Alexander chairs the subcommittees on Children and Families, on Energy, on African Affairs, as well as the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Caucus.

Though he announced that he had secured the requisite number of votes to become the Republican Party's Minority Whip in the Senate during the 110th Congress, he lost the election to former Senate Majority Leader Senator Trent Lott by one vote.

[edit] Controversy and criticism

[edit] TRACS criticism

The Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS) in 1987 was denied recognition for the group to accredit schools. Yet, in 1991, "Education Secretary Lamar Alexander approved TRACS, despite his advisory panel's repeatedly recommending against recognition."[1] In 1993, Steve Levicoff published a book-length critical discussion of TRACS, When the TRACS Stop Short: An Evaluation and Critique of the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools, through the Institute on Religion and Law.

[edit] Notes

<references/>

[edit] External links

• Senate homepage
• BSA Fact Sheet
• Voting record maintained by the Washington Post

Preceded by: Ray Blanton	Governor of Tennessee 1979 – 1987	Succeeded by: Ned McWherter
Preceded by: Edward Boling	President of the University of Tennessee 1988 - 1991	Succeeded by: Joseph E. Johnson
Preceded by: Lauro Cavazos	United States Secretary of Education 1991 - 1993	Succeeded by: Richard Riley
Preceded by: Fred Dalton Thompson	United States Senator (Class 2) from Tennessee 2003 – present Served alongside: Bill Frist	Incumbent

United States Secretaries of Education <td style="vertical-align: middle; width: 1px" rowspan="2"> </td>
Hufstedler • Bell • Bennett • Cavazos • Alexander • Riley • Paige • Spellings

Governors of Tennessee <td style="vertical-align: middle; width: 1px" rowspan="2"> Image:Flag of Tennessee.svg </td>

Sevier • Roane • Sevier • Blount • McMinn • Carroll • Houston • Hall • Carroll • Cannon • Polk • Jones • A Brown • N Brown • Trousdale • Campbell • Johnson • Harris • Johnson • East • Brownlow • Senter • J Brown • Porter • Marks • Hawkins • Bate • R Taylor • Buchanan • Turney • R Taylor • McMillin • Frazier • Cox • Patterson • Hooper • Rye • Roberts • A Taylor • Peay • Horton • McAlister • Browning • Cooper • McCord • Browning • Clement • Ellington • Clement • Ellington • Dunn • Blanton • Alexander • McWherter • Sundquist • Bredesen

Tennessee's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators: Bill Frist (R), Lamar Alexander (R) Representative(s): William L. Jenkins (R), John J. Duncan, Jr. (R), Zach Wamp (R), Lincoln Davis (D), Jim Cooper (D), Bart Gordon (D), Marsha Blackburn (R), John S. Tanner (D), Harold Ford, Jr. (D) All delegations: Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Jersey • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Virginia • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming — American Samoa • District of Columbia • Guam • Puerto Rico • U.S. Virgin Islands

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