Larry Craig

For the American football player, see Larry Craig (American football).
"Senator Craig" redirects here. For other uses, see Senator Craig (disambiguation).

Larry Craig
United States Senator
from Idaho
In office
January 3, 1991 – January 3, 2009
Preceded byJim McClure
Succeeded byJim Risch
Chair of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee
In office
January 3, 2005 – January 3, 2007
Preceded byArlen Specter
Succeeded byDaniel Akaka
Chair of the Senate Aging Committee
In office
January 3, 2003 – January 3, 2005
Preceded byJohn Breaux
Succeeded byGordon H. Smith
In office
January 20, 2001 – June 6, 2001
Preceded byJohn Breaux
Succeeded byJohn Breaux
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Idaho's 1st district
In office
January 3, 1981 – January 3, 1991
Preceded bySteve Symms
Succeeded byLarry LaRocco
Member of the Idaho Senate
from the 10th district
In office
1974–1980
Succeeded byRoger Fairchild
Personal details
Born
Lawrence Edwin Craig

(1945-07-20) July 20, 1945 (age 79)
Council, Idaho, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseSuzanne Thompson
EducationUniversity of Idaho (BA)
Signature
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service United States Army
Years of service1970–1972
RankPrivate First Class
UnitArmy National Guard
 • Idaho
Larry Craig's voice
Larry Craig on nuclear energy legislation
Recorded January 29, 2008

Lawrence Edwin Craig (born July 20, 1945) is an American retired politician who served in the United States Senate representing Idaho from 1991 to 2009 and in the U.S. House of Representatives representing Idaho's 1st District from 1981 to 1991.[1] A Republican, his 28 years in Congress rank as the second-longest in Idaho history, trailing only William Borah, who served over 32 years in the Senate.

Born in Council, Idaho, Craig was raised on a ranch in Washington County. He attended the University of Idaho, receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from the university in 1969, and later briefly attended George Washington University before returning to Washington County in 1971 to work in his family's ranching business. Following a brief stint in the Idaho Army National Guard, Craig ran for and won a seat in the Idaho Senate in 1974, and was re-elected in 1976 and 1978, before his successful first run for Congress to represent Idaho's 1st congressional district in the House of Representatives in 1980. He won reelection four times before running for the U.S. Senate in 1990, defeating Ron J. Twilegar in the general election and winning reelection in 1996 and 2002.

On June 11, 2007, Craig was arrested for indecent behavior in a men's restroom at Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport; he pleaded guilty to a charge of disorderly conduct in August 2007 and paid $575 in court fines and fees. The arrest remained unknown to the public until the Washington, D.C.–based newspaper Roll Call disclosed it in an article, drawing widespread public attention as well as charges of hypocrisy against Craig, as he had been an opponent of LGBT rights in the United States.[2] Despite stating that he was not and never had been homosexual, Craig announced, on September 1, 2007, that he would resign from the Senate, effective September 30, 2007, but later reversed this decision and decided to finish the remainder of his term, although he chose not to run for re-election in 2008.[3]

He was succeeded by Lieutenant Governor and former Governor Jim Risch, who won the seat in the 2008 election.[4] Craig subsequently co-founded the consulting firm New West Strategies and became a lobbyist.[5][6] Craig has been a member of the board of directors of the National Rifle Association of America since 1983.[7][8][9] Craig was selected for induction into the Idaho Hall of Fame in 2007, but was not inducted.[10][11][12][13]

  1. ^ "CRAIG, Larry Edwin – Biographical Information". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Library of Congress. Archived from the original on February 3, 2011. Retrieved September 1, 2007.
  2. ^ Murphy, Patti; David Stout (August 29, 2007). "Idaho Senator Says He Regrets Guilty Plea in Restroom Incident". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 8, 2021. Retrieved September 1, 2007.
  3. ^ Thomas Ferraro (October 4, 2007). "Sen. Craig won't resign in sex sting plea". Reuters. Archived from the original on October 12, 2007. Retrieved October 4, 2007.
  4. ^ "In Idaho, Jim Risch's rose through the GOP ranks". Fox News. Associated Press. November 5, 2008. Archived from the original on August 4, 2020. Retrieved November 6, 2008.
  5. ^ "Ex-Senator Craig Becomes a Consultant". The New York Times. Associated Press. July 27, 2009. Archived from the original on May 4, 2017. Retrieved February 22, 2017.
  6. ^ "Hill Hallways: Larry Craig on the subway". CNN. February 28, 2011. Archived from the original on October 23, 2013. Retrieved September 11, 2013.
  7. ^ Michael Roston (August 31, 2007). "NRA Stays Mum On Whether It Will Ask Craig To Resign From Its Board". Huffington Post. Archived from the original on May 11, 2023. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
  8. ^ "Craig, Larry (Board Member)". NRA On The Record. Coalition to Stop Gun Violence. June 9, 2014. Archived from the original on April 19, 2015. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
  9. ^ NRA 2007 Official Ballot, up for re-election of a three-year term
  10. ^ "Hall of Fame Member Directory - Idaho Athletic Hall of Fame". Archived from the original on October 21, 2021. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
  11. ^ "Craig added to Hall of Fame | The Spokesman-Review". www.spokesman.com. Archived from the original on October 21, 2021. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
  12. ^ "Sen. Larry Craig Inducted Into Idaho Hall of Fame". Associated Press. March 25, 2015. Archived from the original on October 21, 2021. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
  13. ^ "Sen. Craig to join Idaho Hall of Fame - USATODAY.com". usatoday30.usatoday.com. Archived from the original on April 11, 2021. Retrieved October 21, 2021.