Everything about Lamar Alexander totally explained
Andrew Lamar Alexander (born
July 3,
1940) is the senior
United States Senator from
Tennessee and a member of the
Republican Party. He was previously the 45th
Governor of Tennessee from 1979 to 1987,
U.S. Secretary of Education from 1991 to 1993 under
President George H.W. Bush and candidate for the Republican Presidential nomination in 1996 and 2000.
Early and Personal Life
Alexander was born in
Maryville, Tennessee (outside of
Knoxville), where he was raised, to Genevra Floreine Rankin and Andrew Lamar Alexander. In high school he was elected Governor of Tennessee Boys State. Alexander graduated with a B.A. from
Vanderbilt University where he was a member of
Phi Beta Kappa and
Sigma Chi Fraternity in 1962 and from the
New York University School of Law in 1965. After graduating from law school, Alexander clerked for
United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit judge
John Minor Wisdom in New Orleans from 1965 to 1966.
In 1969 Alexander married Leslee "Honey" Buhler, who grew up in
Victoria, Texas. They had met during a softball game for
Senate staff members; he was then a staffer for Senator
Howard Baker of
Tennessee while she worked for Senator
John Tower of
Texas. Together they've four children: Drew, Leslee, Kathryn, and Will.
He is also a
classical and
country pianist. Alexander got to put these talents on display in April 2007 when he played piano on singer
Patti Page's re-recording of her 1950 hit "
Tennessee Waltz." He appeared on the record, due out for release in the summer of 2007, at the invitation of record executive
Mike Curb. Alexander and Page then performed the song live at an
April 4 fundraiser for his Senatorial re-election campaign in
Nashville's Schermerhorn Symphony Center..
Political career
In 1967, Alexander worked as a legislative assistant for Senator
Howard Baker. While a staffer, he was briefly roommates with future U.S. Senator
Trent Lott. In 1969, he worked for
Bryce Harlow, President
Nixon's executive assistant. 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 Tennessee governor reelected to a second 4-year term by defeating Knoxville mayor Randy Tyree in the 1982 election, carrying almost 70% of Knox County. Since that time, every Tennessee Governor has been elected to consecutive terms. During his second term, he served as chairman of the
National Governors Association from 1985 to 1986. After 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 third term and stepped down from the governorship in January 1987.
After governorship
Moving with his family to
Australia for a time, he'd soon return to Tennessee and became the president of the
University of Tennessee (1988–1991), and
United States Secretary of Education (1991–1993).
In 1987, he helped found Corporate Child Care Management, Inc. (now known as
Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc.), a company that -- via a merger -- is now the nation's largest provider of worksite day care. In his 2005 U.S. Senate financial disclosure report, he listed personal ownership of BFAM (Bright Horizons Family Solutions) stock valued (at that time) between $1 million and $5 million dollars.
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. In 1996, he finished third in both the
Iowa caucus and
New Hampshire Primary and dropped out before the
Super Tuesday primaries. After dropping out of the race, Alexander took an advisory role in the
Dole/
Kemp campaign. 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 (after a poor showing in the
Ames Straw Poll), both times in
Nashville. 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.
Senate career
Despite vowing to never again return to elective office, he was nevertheless persuaded by the
White House to run for the open seat of retiring Senator
Fred Thompson in 2002. Seen as a moderate Republican by Tennessee standards, 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 better-funded and armed with more prominent endorsements, winning by a closer-than-expected margin 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. 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 D. Tyson in 1924.
Before the
Iraq War began, Alexander supported sending troops to Iraq and expressed his agreement with President Bush that Iraq must be dealt with immediately. A year after the war began, Alexander stated that the Iraq War had provided "lessons" to the nation, but went on to say that American troops shouldn't be withdrawn, saying "It would be even worse if we left before the job was done." In 2007, Alexander touted implementing the
Iraq Study Group recommendations, noting that he believes Bush will be viewed as a
Truman-esque figure if he implements the Group's recommendations. Alexander has, however, opposed most efforts in the Senate to bring an end to the Iraq War or reduce the number of troops in Iraq, voting, for example, against an amendment to a bill that would have required that soldiers be given minimum periods of rest before being redeployed to Iraq.
In 2007, a species of springtail,
Cosberella lamaralexanderi, was named in his honor partially because of his support in the Senate for scientic research funding.
Committee Assignments
- Committee on Appropriations
- Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
- Subcommittee on Homeland Security
- Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies
- Subcommittee on Legislative Branch (Ranking Member)
- Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs
- Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies
- Committee on Environment and Public Works
- Subcommittee on Clean Air and Nuclear Safety
- Subcommittee on Public Sector Solutions to Global Warming, Oversight, and Children's Health Protection (Ranking Member)
- Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
- Subcommittee on Children and Families (Ranking Member)
- Subcommittee on Retirement and Aging
- Committee on Rules and Administration
Republican leadership
In late 2006, Alexander announced that he'd secured the requisite number of votes to become the
Republican Party's
Minority Whip in the Senate during the
110th Congress. Even though he was seen as the preferred choice of Minority Leader
Mitch McConnell and the Bush Administration, he lost the election to former
Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott by one vote (25-24).
Alexander would get a second shot at entering his party's leadership a year later when Lott announced his intent to resign from the Senate by the end of 2007. Sen.
Jon Kyl of Arizona, then
Chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, ran for Whip and was elected without opposition. With the Conference Chair vacant, Alexander announced that he'd seek the position. He would go on to defeat Sen.
Richard Burr of North Carolina by a margin of 31-16.
Senate re-election bid
Senator Alexander announced his intention to seek re-election to the Senate in 2008. He made this announcement in his hometown of
Maryville on
April 3,
2007.
Controversy and criticism
TRACS criticism
The Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS) in 1987 was denied recognition for the group to accredit schools. An advisory panel repeatedly recommended against recognizing TRACS as an accreditor, but in 1991 Education Secretary Lamar Alexander approved TRACS. In 1993, Steve Levicoff published a book-length critical discussion of TRACS and Alexander's decision in, through the Institute on Religion and Law.
Electoral history
United States presidential election, 1996 (Republican primaries):
Bob Dole - 9,024,742 (58.82%)
Pat Buchanan - 3,184,943 (20.76%)
Steve Forbes - 1,751,187 (11.41%)
Lamar Alexander - 495,590 (3.23%)
Alan Keyes - 471,716 (3.08%)
Dick Lugar - 127,111 (0.83%)
Unpledged delegates - 123,278 (0.80%)
Phil Gramm - 71,456 (0.47%)
Bob Dornan - 42,140 (0.28%)
Morry Taylor - 21,180 (0.14%)
Republican Senate Minority Whip
Trent Lott (MS) - 25 (51.02%)
Lamar Alexander (TN) - 24 (48.98%)
Senate Republican Conference Chairman:
Lamar Alexander (TN) - 31 (65.96%)
Richard Burr (NC) - 16 (34.04%)
Footnotes
Further Information
Get more info on 'Lamar Alexander'.
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