Patrick Leahy, American lawyer and politician
Patrick Joseph Leahy is a distinguished American politician and attorney, born on March 31, 1940. He holds the esteemed position of senior United States senator from Vermont and serves as the president pro tempore of the United States Senate. Leahy’s career in the Senate began in 1974 when he was first elected, and he previously held the role of president pro tempore from 2012 to 2015. Currently, he chairs the influential Senate Appropriations Committee.
A dedicated member of the Democratic Party, Senator Leahy is presently in his eighth term of office, making him the most senior member of Congress. He is also recognized as the last of the Senate's "Watergate Babies"—a cohort of Democrats initially elected to Congress in the sweeping 1974 election that followed President Richard Nixon's resignation amidst the Watergate scandal. As of 2022, Leahy is one of only two members of Congress who served during Gerald Ford's presidency and one of three who served during Jimmy Carter's. He is the respected dean of Vermont's congressional delegation, holding the distinction of being the state's longest-serving U.S. senator and the only Democrat ever elected to the U.S. Senate from Vermont. His extensive experience includes serving as the former chairman of both the Agriculture and Judiciary committees. From 2017 to 2021, he was the ranking member of the Appropriations Committee before assuming its chairmanship in 2021.
Senator Leahy has also faced significant challenges during his tenure, notably in 2001 when he was one of two U.S. senators targeted by the anthrax attacks, which tragically resulted in five deaths. More recently, he made history by presiding over Donald Trump's second impeachment trial, becoming the first senator ever to preside over a former president's impeachment proceedings. On November 15, 2021, Senator Leahy announced his decision not to seek reelection in 2022, signaling the end of an extraordinary political career.