Max Baucus

Max Baucus
Official portrait, 2014
11th United States Ambassador to China
In office March 20, 2014 – January 16, 2017
President	Barack Obama
Preceded by	Gary Locke
Succeeded by	Terry Branstad
United States Senator from Montana
In office December 15, 1978 – February 6, 2014
Preceded by	Paul Hatfield
Succeeded by	John Walsh
Chair of the Senate Finance Committee
In office January 4, 2007 – February 6, 2014
Preceded by	Chuck Grassley
Succeeded by	Ron Wyden
In office June 6, 2001 – January 3, 2003
Preceded by	Chuck Grassley
Succeeded by	Chuck Grassley
In office January 3, 2001 – January 20, 2001
Preceded by	William Roth
Succeeded by	Chuck Grassley
Chair of the Senate Environment Committee
In office January 3, 1993 – January 3, 1995
Preceded by	Daniel Patrick Moynihan
Succeeded by	John Chafee
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Montana's 1st district
In office January 3, 1975 – December 14, 1978
Preceded by	Richard Shoup
Succeeded by	Pat Williams
Member of the Montana House of Representatives from the 18th district
In office January 1973 – January 1975
Personal details
Born	Maxwell Sieben Enke (1941-12-11) December 11, 1941 (age 82) Helena, Montana, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouses	Ann Geracimos ​ ​ (m. 1975; div. 1982)​ Wanda Minge ​ ​ (m. 1984; div. 2009)​ Melodee Hanes ​ (m. 2011)​
Children	1
Education	Stanford University (BA, JD)
Max Baucus's voice Baucus, as chair of the Senate Finance Committee, speaks on Medicare reform legislation Recorded July 9, 2008

Maxwell Sieben Baucus (né Enke; born December 11, 1941) is an American politician who served as a United States senator from Montana from 1978 to 2014. A member of the Democratic Party, he was a U.S. senator for over 35 years, making him the longest-serving U.S. senator in Montana history. President Barack Obama later appointed Baucus to replace Gary Locke as the 11th U.S. Ambassador to the People's Republic of China, a position he held from 2014 until 2017.^[1][2]

As the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, Baucus played an influential role in the debate over health care reform in the United States.^[3] He was also chairman of the Joint Committee on Taxation, a member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry and the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, and was chairman of the Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure. Before his election to the Senate, Baucus was a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1975 to 1978, representing Montana's 1st congressional district. He previously served in the Montana House of Representatives from 1973 to 1974. His career included charges of conflicts of interest due to his ties to the health insurance and pharmaceutical industries, and his nomination of his girlfriend to be a US Attorney.