John Cornyn | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2017 | |
| United States Senator from Texas | |
| Assumed office December 2, 2002 Serving with Ted Cruz | |
| Preceded by | Phil Gramm |
| Ranking Member of the Senate Narcotics Caucus | |
| In office January 20, 2021 – January 3, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Dianne Feinstein |
| Succeeded by | Chuck Grassley |
| Chair of the Senate Narcotics Caucus | |
| In office January 3, 2019 – January 20, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Chuck Grassley |
| Succeeded by | Sheldon Whitehouse |
| Senate Majority Whip | |
| In office January 3, 2015 – January 3, 2019 | |
| Leader | Mitch McConnell |
| Preceded by | Dick Durbin |
| Succeeded by | John Thune |
| Senate Minority Whip | |
| In office January 3, 2013 – January 3, 2015 | |
| Leader | Mitch McConnell |
| Preceded by | Jon Kyl |
| Succeeded by | Dick Durbin |
| Chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee | |
| In office January 3, 2009 – January 3, 2013 | |
| Preceded by | John Ensign |
| Succeeded by | Jerry Moran |
| 49th Attorney General of Texas | |
| In office January 13, 1999 – December 1, 2002 | |
| Governor | George W. Bush Rick Perry |
| Preceded by | Dan Morales |
| Succeeded by | Greg Abbott |
| Justice of the Texas Supreme Court | |
| In office January 2, 1991 – October 18, 1997 | |
| Preceded by | Franklin Spears |
| Succeeded by | Deborah Hankinson |
| Judge of the Texas 37th Judicial District Court | |
| In office January 1, 1985 – January 1, 1991 | |
| Preceded by | Richard Woods |
| Succeeded by | Ann-Marie Aaron |
| Personal details | |
| Born | John Cornyn III February 2, 1952 Houston, Texas, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse |
Sandy Hansen (m. 1979) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Trinity University (BA) St. Mary's University, Texas (JD) University of Virginia (LLM) |
| Website | Senate website |
John Cornyn III (/ˈkɔːrnɪn/ COR-nin; born February 2, 1952) is an American politician, attorney, and former jurist serving as the senior United States senator from Texas, a seat he has held since 2002. A member of the Republican Party, he served on the Texas Supreme Court from 1991 to 1997 and as the attorney general of Texas from 1999 to 2002.
Born in Houston, Cornyn is a graduate of Trinity University and St. Mary's University School of Law and received an LL.M. degree from the University of Virginia School of Law. He was a judge on Texas's 37th District Court from 1985 to 1991.[1][2] He was elected an associate justice of the Texas Supreme Court, where he served from 1991 to 1997. While serving on that court, Cornyn played an important role in crafting its decision to uphold the constitutionality of Texas's anti-sodomy law (later ruled unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court in Lawrence v. Texas).
In 1998, Cornyn was elected Attorney General of Texas, serving one term before winning a seat in the U.S. Senate in 2002. He was reelected in 2008, 2014, and 2020. Cornyn chaired the National Republican Senatorial Committee from 2009 to 2013, and served as the Senate majority whip for the 114th and 115th Congresses.[3][4]
- ^ "New Judges" (PDF). In Chambers. Vol. 11, no. 3. December 1984. p. 16. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 28, 2021. Retrieved August 11, 2017.
- ^ "New Judges" (PDF). In Chambers. Vol. 19, no. 1. January 1992. p. 11. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 28, 2021. Retrieved August 11, 2017.
- ^ John Wagner; Mike DeBonis (November 14, 2018). "Congressional leadership elections: House Republicans elect Kevin McCarthy as next leader; Pelosi seeks to shore up votes for speaker". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
- ^ "Cornyn Elected To NRSC Chairmanship". National Republican Senatorial Committee (Press release). November 18, 2008. Archived from the original on November 20, 2008.