Lamar Alexander

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Andrew Lamar Alexander Jr. (born July 3, 1940) is an American politician who is currently serving as the senior United States senator from Tennessee, a position he has held since 2003.

He served as Tennessee's 45th governor from 1979 to 1987, and as the 5th United States Secretary of Education from 1991 to 1993, where he participated in the creation of Education 2000.

Alexander was born in Maryville, Tennessee, and attended Vanderbilt University and the New York University School of Law.

Alexander ran for Governor of Tennessee in 1974 after beginning a legal career in Nashville, Tennessee, but was defeated by Democrat Ray Blanton.

Alexander ran for governor again in 1978, defeating his Democratic adversary this time.

He won re-election in 1982 and spent as chairman of the National Governors Association from 1985 to 1986. Alexander served as the president of Tennessee from 1988 to 1991, when he accepted the post as Education Secretary under President George H. W. Bush.

Alexander ran for president in the 1996 Republican primaries but dropped out before the Super Tuesday primaries.

He ran for the nomination in the 2000 Republican primaries again, but fell out after a poor showing in the Iowa Straw Poll. Alexander defeated former Senator Fred Thompson in 2002 in the election.

Alexander defeated Congressman Ed Bryant in the Republican primary and congressman Bob Clement in the general election.

From 2007 to 2012, he served as Chairman of the Senate Republican Conference.

Since 2015, Alexander has been chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee.

He introduced the Every Student Succeeds Act, which superseded the No Child Left Behind Act in 2015.

Alexander said on December 17, 2018, that he would not seek a fourth term in the Senate in 2020.

Early life and education

Alexander was born and raised in Maryville, Tennessee, the son of Genevra Floreine (née Rankin), a preschooler, and Andrew Lamar Alexander, a high school principal. His family is of Scotch-Irish descent. He attended Maryville High School, where he was class president, and was elected Governor of Tennessee Boys State.

Alexander earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Latin American studies from Vanderbilt University in 1962. He was a member of Sigma Chi. Alexander was the editor of The Vanderbilt Hustler, campus's most popular student newspaper, and he argued for free admission of African Americans. He was a member of the track and field team at Vanderbilt. He received his Juris Doctor degree from the New York University School of Law in 1965.

Personal life

Alexander married Leslee "Honey" Buhler, who grew up in Victoria, Texas, and graduated from Smith College in Massachusetts in 1969. They had met during a softball game for Senate workers members. Drew, Leslee, Kathryn, and Will are four children together. Alexander wrote about his family's trip to Australia in the late 1980s in a book called Six Months Off.

Alexander is a classical and country pianist. He started taking lessons at the age of three and has won numerous competitions as an adult. He appeared on pianist Patti Page's re-recording of her 1950 hit "Tennesse Waltz" in April 2007. He appeared on the invitation of record executive Mike Curb. Alexander and Page performed the song live at a Schermerhorn Symphony Center fundraiser on April 4 for their senatorial re-election bid.

Alexander is a member of Sons of the Revolution. He is a member and elder of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Nashville, a Presbyterian Church congregation in the United States.

Alexander, a Eagle Scout, brought his Scouting experience to the Senate, sponsoring a 2010 resolution recognizing February 8 as "Boy Scouts of America Day."

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Career

Alexander clerked for United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit Judge John Minor Wisdom in New Orleans, Louisiana, from 1965 to 1966.

Alexander served as a Legislative Assistant to Senator Howard Baker in 1967. He was briefly roommates with a prospective U.S. employee while a worker. Senator Trent Lott and his future wife were both at a staffer softball game. In 1969, he worked for Bryce Harlow, President Richard Nixon's executive assistant. He returned to Tennessee in 1970 to serve as the campaign manager for Memphis dentist Winfield Dunn's triumphant gubernatorial effort. Dunn was the first Republican governor to win the governorship in 50 years. Alexander co-founded and served as a partner in the Nashville law firm Dearborn and Ewing after this campaign. Alexander, meanwhile, rented a garage apartment to Thomas W. Beasley, a Vanderbilt Law School undergraduate who later co-founded Corrections Corporation of America.

Since governors were unable to run, Alexander sought the party's nomination for governor in 1974. The Tennessee State Constitution banned governors from serving consecutive terms. Commissioner of Mental Health Nat T. Winston, Jr., and Southwestern Company president Dortch Oldham both received 90,973 votes to 90,980 and 35,683, respectively. In the general election, he met Democratic nominee Ray Blanton, a former congressman and unsuccessful 1972 Senate candidate, challenging unsuccessful 1972. Blanton attacked Alexander for his services under Nixon, who had resigned in disgrace just months before as a result of the Watergate affair, and defeated Alexander by 576,867 votes to 455,467.

Alexander returned to law after the 1974 campaign. Alexander was named one of the 200 Faces of the Future in 1974 by TIME Magazine. Following Baker's appointment as Senator Minority Leader, Alexander began working in Baker's Washington office in 1977.

Though the Tennessee State Constitution had been changed in early 1978 to allow a governor to replace himself, Blanton did not run for re-election due to a variety of scandals. Alexander ran for governor once more and made a name for himself by walking from Mountain City in the far northeast of the state to Memphis in the far southwest, a distance of 1,022 kilometers (1,645 kilometers). He wore a red and black flannel shirt, which would become something of a signature for him.

Alexander transferred the non-profit charter of a Christian church to his Ruby Tuesday restaurant chain, a director, in order to sell liquor-by-the-drink in the once "dry town" of Gatlinburg, Tennessee, which was revealed late during the 1978 Tennessee gubernatorial campaign. During the campaign, Alexander, then a Nashville prosecutor, promised to turn his Ruby Tuesday restaurant chain's $62,676 interest into an untouchable trust.

He defeated Knoxville banker Jake Butcher in the November 1978 election, winning the Republican nomination with nearly 86% of the vote. 523,013.

A furor erupted over pardons issued by Governor Blanton, whose office was also under scrutiny in a cash-for-clemency scandal in early 1979. Because the state constitution is vague on when a governor should be sworn in, several political figures from both parties, including Lieutenant Governor John S. Wilder and State House Speaker Ned McWherter, ordered Alexander to be sworn in on January 17, 1979, three days before the traditional inauguration date, to discourage Blanton from signing more pardons. The move was later described by Wilder as "impeachment Tennessee-style."

Alexander founded an Office of Ombudsman in February 1979, just after his inauguration. He also gave state employees a 7% raise, as well as the replacement of state prisoners on the Governor's Mansion with a paid staff. One of Alexander's greatest accomplishments as governor was his relationship with the Japanese business community, which culminated in the construction of a $660 million Nissan assembly plant in Smyrna in 1980, the first single investment in the state's history up to date. Alexander was also instrumental in the establishment of GM's Saturn Manufacturing Facility in Spring Hill, which began operations in 1990.

Alexander took advantage of the 1978 legislative amendment that gave governors a second consecutive four-year term. He ran again and defeated Knoxville mayor Randy Tyree by 737,963 votes to 500,937. He served as chairman of the National Governors Association from 1985 to 1986, as chairman of the President's Commission on American Outdoors from 1985 to 1986. In 1986, he oversaw the "Tennesse Homecoming" project, in which local groups launched several programs focusing on state and local history.

Alexander's "Better Schools" initiative, which standardized basic skills for all students and increased math, science, and computer education, began in 1983. According to a portion of this program, "Master Teachers" or "Career Ladder" called for income supplements for the state's best teachers. The bill had initially died in the state legislature due to persistent resistance from the Tennessee Education Association, which denounced the scheme's method of teacher evaluations. Alexander persuaded House Speaker Ned McWherter to support an amended version of the bill, which passed later this year.

Alexander introduced the "Better Roads Program" in 1986 to help a backlog of badly needed highway construction projects. The initiative raised the state's gasoline tax by three cents by three cents, funded fifteen priority programs and six interstate-type programs, including Interstate 840, the outer southern beltway around Nashville, and the eastern extension of the Pellissippi Parkway near Knoxville, which has been renamed Interstate 140. Governor Bill Haslam's signature of the "IMPROVE Act," a similar campaign based on the Better Roads Program, was announced in 2017.

Alexander was constitutionally ineligible for a third term after opting out of the open seat of retiring Majority Leader Howard Baker in 1984, and resigned from office on January 17, 1987. Ned McWherter took his place.

In the late 1980s, Alexander and his family migrated to Australia for a short time. Six Months Off is a book that was written by Keith Hill, while he was on vacation. He served as president of the University of Tennessee from 1988 to 1991, before returning to Tennessee.

Alexander served as the United States Secretary of Education from 1991 to 1993. Despite an advisory committee that consistently recommended against it in 1991 and 1987, Ed Miliband sparked controversy after he approved Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS) to accredit schools.

When the TRACS Stop Short, Steve Levicoff published a book-length critical appraisal of TRACS and Alexander's decision in 1993.

Lisa Schiffren, a former Department of Education employee and writer, has said, "His wealth is based on sweetheart contracts that are not open to the general public" and a sequence of local businessmen's cozy sinecures." Such agreements are not unlawful," Schiffren added that Alexander was a founder of Corporate Child Care Management, Inc. (now known as Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc.), a company that, through a merger, is now the country's biggest provider of worksite day care. Although businessman Jack C. Massey invested $2 million on this venture, Alexander co-founded the company with only $5,000 in stock, which boosted in value to $800,000, a 15,900 percent return in less than four years. He wrote a never-cashed investment check for $10,000 to Christopher Whittle's ownership in Whittle Communications, which increased in value to $330,000. Alexander's house, which he had recently bought for $570,000, was auctioned to Whittle for $977,000.500. Alexander's wife made $133,000 from her $8,900 investment in a company that was designed to privatize prisons. Alexander regularly moved funds to his wife's name, but federal ethics and security policies do not allow for such transfers. He outlined personal ownership of BFAM (Bright Horizons Family Solutions) in his 2005 Senate financial disclosure survey, valuing (at the time) between $1 million and $5 million. At Harvard Kennedy School, he taught about the American character as a faculty member.

Alexander ran for President of the United States two times between 1996 and 2000. He finished third in the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary in 1996 and then dropped out before the Super Tuesday primaries. Alexander took on an advisory role in the Dole/Kemp campaign after dropping out of the race. He rode around the United States in a Ford Explorer in 2000, avoiding a campaign bus or plane during his second campaign. Alexander's campaign lasted less than six months, from the unveiling of Alexander's candidacy on March 9, 1999, to his resignation on August 16, 1999, following a poor showing in the Ames Straw Poll. Both of his presidential campaigns in Nashville, Tennessee, came to an end.

Alexander, who had promised not to return to active service, was nonetheless persuaded by the White House to run for the vacant seat of former Senator Fred Thompson in 2002. His candidacy was largely rejected by conservatives, who later supported US Senator Bill Clinton, Ed Bryant, and a House administrator during Bill Clinton's impeachment in 1998.

Alexander was more supported and armed with more prominent advertisements, but he was evicted by Bryant in the primary, 295,052 votes to 233,678. Democrats were optimistic of retaking the seat that they lost in 1994 with their candidate, US Representative Bob Clement, a member of a wealthy political family. However, Clement's campaign never fully understood why, and Alexander defeated him in the general election with 56% of the vote. With his induction to the US Senate, he became the first Tennessean to be widely favored both governor and senator. Alexander, the first elected freshman senator from Tennessee since 1924, at the age of 62.

Alexander declared in April 2007 that he would run for re-election to the Senate in 2008.

Alexander was favored throughout the entire campaign due to his long involvement in Tennessee politics and a disorganized Democratic opposition. Former state Democratic Party Chairman Bob Tuke, who won a competitive primary, and Libertarian candidate Daniel T. Lewis were among his opponents.

Alexander reelection after winning 66% of the vote to Tuke's 32 percent. Alexander served in all but one of Tennessee's 95 counties; he lost only in Haywood County, which was reportedly purchased by Tuke. He gained the normally Democratic strongholds of Davidson and Shelby counties, both home to Nashville and Memphis. Alexander also profited from riding John McCain's coattails, who gained the state with a solid majority.

Alexander declared in December 2012 that he would seek re-election to a third senator term in 2014. Alexander's campaign had a war chest of $3.1 million going into his 2014 re-election bid.

Alexander's campaign in a letter sent to Alexander in August 2013 by more than 20 Tennessee Tea Party organizations, urging Alexander to step down from the Senate in 2014 or face a primary challenge. "We have no doubt that we voted in a way that we thought was appropriate during your Senate tenure," the letter said. Unfortunately, our great nation can no longer afford compromise and bipartisanship, two of which have made you popular. America is facing significant challenges and needs policymakers who can protect conservative ideals rather than working with those who are actually undermining those values.

Although Alexander was initially thought to be vulnerable to a main challenge from the right, he worked to prevent this and ultimately did not face a high-profile challenger. He declared his intention to run early and quickly received Governor Bill Haslam's endorsement as the state's entire Republican congressional delegation, except for then scandal-plagued Scott DesJarlais. He also raised a substantial amount of money and continued to avoid the mistakes of fired Senators Bob Bennett and Richard Lugar by trying to stay in touch with his constituents, particularly in East Tennessee. In addition, out-of-state conservative groups, such as the Senate Conservative Fund, made no attempt to depose Alexander.

Alexander took the Republican primary, defeating state Representative Joe Carr and Tea Party challenger Joe Carr. Alexander had the lowest winning percentage (49.7%) and lowest margin of victory (9.2 points) ever in a Republican primary in the United States. Senator Sam Carter of Tennessee. Carr carried a larger share of the vote (40.5 percent) than the previous 11 contenders to sit Republican in the United States. Senators from Tennessee were combined in 40.3% (40.3%). Alexander received 62% of the vote in the general election.

In 2006, a recently discovered species of springtail was named Cosberella lamaralexanderi in Alexander's honour, due to his support for scientific research in the park and because the springtails' pattern is similar to Alexander's plaid shirts.

Alexander, one of 50 senators (49 Republicans, 1 Democrat) who confirmed Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court on October 6, 2018.

Alexander announced in late 2006 that he had gotten the necessary votes to become the Republican Party's Minority Whip in the Senate during the 110th Congress. Despite being seen as the preferred choice of Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and the Bush Administration, he lost the election by a single vote to former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott by a single vote (25–24).

Alexander would have a second shot at assuming his party's leadership a year later when Lott revealed his intention 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. Alexander declared that he would apply for the position after the Conference Chair was vacant. Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina would win by a margin of 31–16.

In January 2012, Alexander resigned as Conference Chairman, citing his desire to foster consensus. "I want to make the Senate a more efficient institution so it can deal more with complex problems," Trump said. "For these same reasons, I do not intend to seek a leadership role in the forthcoming Congress," he said, put an end to rumors that he would run for the role of Republican Whip after Jon Kyl resigned in 2013.

Alexander said on December 17, 2018 that he did not apply for another term in 2020. He said in a televised interview with Politico that he had made the decision as early as August 2018.

Alexander received a "F" grade from the non-partisan Lugar Center's Congressional Oversight Hearing Index during his tenure as chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee in the 116th Congress.

Alexander was one of the speakers at the second inauguration of Barack Obama on January 21, 2013, as co-chairman of the Joint Congressional Inaugural Committee, as well as Senator Charles Schumer, co-chairman.

The following is a partial list of rules that Alexander introduced in the Senate.

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