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Christopher Dodd
Christopher John Dodd (born May 27, 1944), is an American politician. Dodd, a Democrat, has been a U.S. Senator from Connecticut since 1981. He is the son of former Senator Thomas J. Dodd, also from Connecticut.
Biography
Dodd was born in Willimantic, Connecticut. His parents were Thomas Joseph Dodd and Grace Murphy Dodd. After graduating with a bachelor's degree in English Literature from Providence College in 1966, Dodd served as a Peace Corps volunteer in a small rural town in the Dominican Republic until 1968. After leaving the peace corps, Dodd joined U.S. Army Reserve, where he would stay until 1975. In 1972, Dodd graduated from law school at the University of Louisville. The following year, he was admitted to Connecticut bar, and began practicing law in New London.
In 1974, Dodd was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Connecticut's second congressional district. He was reelected twice, serving from January 3, 1975 to January 3, 1981. In November 1980, Dodd was elected to the U.S. Senate, and was subsequently reelected in 1986, 1992, and 1998. Dodd was easily reelected in the November 2004 election. From 1995 to 1997, he served as General Chairman of the Democratic National Committee. As General Chairman, Dodd was the DNC's spokesman. Donald Fowler served as National Chairman, running the party's day to day operations.
Dodd lives in East Haddam when Congress is not in session, is fluent in Spanish, and is a Roman Catholic. His wife is Jackie Marie Clegg. She held high posts at the Export-Import Bank of the United States. The couple's daughter is named Grace, and they are expecting another child.
Dodd has recently been rumored to be strongly considering a run for Governor of Connecticut in 2006. He is the first Senator from Connecticut to serve five consecutive terms.
Dodd briefly considered running for President in 2004, but ultimately decided against such a campaign. He was also considered a possible candidate for replacing Tom Daschle as Senate Minority Leader in 109th Congress, but he declined, and that position was instead filled by Harry Reid.
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