al_sen_SHELBY
SEN. RICHARD SHELBY
Age: 68 Born: May 6, 1934 in Birmingham, Alabama Education: University of Alabama; LL.B (1963); B.A (1957). Military: none Family: Married - Annette; two children Hometown: Tuscaloosa, Alabama Religion: Presbyterian Career: U.S. Senator (1986-present); U.S. House of Representatives (1978-86); AL Senate (1970-78);Special Assistant AttÂ'y General of Alabama (1968-70); Tuscaloosa City Prosecutor (1963-71); attorney. |
· AlabamaÂ's senior Senator, Richard Shelby was elected in 1986 as a Democrat. He narrowly defeated Republican incumbent Sen. Jeremiah Denton, by less than 7,000 out of 1.2 Million votes cast.
· The day after the 1994 election, when Republicans gained control of the Senate, Shelby switched to the Republican Party. [Party leaders rewarded Shelby - allowing him to maintain his previous seniority on the Banking Committee, as well as giving him seats on the Intelligence and Appropriations Committees, as well as the Defense subcommittee.] This switch was foreshadowed by his strained relations with the Clinton White House and opposing views with fellow Democrats.
· In the Senate, along with his AL colleague, Sen. Howell Heflin, Shelby was one of only ten (10) in his party supporting military force against Iraq in1991. He was one of only two (2) Democrats who opposed a campaign finance reform plan including public funding for congressional campaigns.
· His approval ratings soared when he criticized a Clinton budget proposal in 1993 and embarrassed Vice President Gore on national news. The White House attempt to retaliate, by cutting jobs from a space program in AL, backfired - ShelbyÂ's popularity only increased.
· As a Republican, Shelby heeded calls from civil rights groups in opposing Robert BorkÂ's appointmen to the Supreme Court. As a Democrat, though, he angered the black community when he opposed a National Holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King and the 1982 Voting Rights Act extension.
· Shelby is the son of a steel worker. His initial conservative Democratic views were shaped one by one of his mentors, law partner and former Democratic Rep. Walter Flowers. When Flowers retired from the House to run for the U.S. Senate, Shelby ran for his seat.
· As the Chairman of the Intelligence Committee, Shelby criticized Tony LakeÂ's nomination as CIA Director. Shelby attacked LakeÂ's involvement with arms sales to Bosnia and his connection to the Democratic fundraising in the Â'96 election. Eventually, Lake withdrew his name from consideration - he called the nomination process, "nasty and brutish".