Ted Stevens

This article is about the politician. For the musician, see Ted Stevens (musician).
"Senator Stevens" redirects here. For other uses, see Senator Stevens (disambiguation).

Ted Stevens
Official portrait, 1997
United States Senator
from Alaska
In office
December 24, 1968 – January 3, 2009
Preceded byBob Bartlett
Succeeded byMark Begich
President pro tempore of the United States Senate
In office
January 3, 2003 – January 3, 2007
Preceded byRobert Byrd
Succeeded byRobert Byrd
President pro tempore emeritus of the United States Senate
In office
January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2009
Preceded byRobert Byrd
Succeeded byPatrick Leahy (2015)
Senate Majority Whip
In office
January 3, 1981 – January 3, 1985
LeaderHoward Baker
Preceded byAlan Cranston
Succeeded byAlan Simpson
Senate Minority Leader
Acting
November 1, 1979 – March 5, 1980
Preceded byHoward Baker
Succeeded byHoward Baker
Senate Minority Whip
In office
January 3, 1977 – January 3, 1981
LeaderHoward Baker
Preceded byRobert P. Griffin
Succeeded byAlan Cranston
Member of the Alaska House of Representatives
from the 8th district
In office
January 3, 1964 – January 3, 1968
Preceded byMulti-member district
Succeeded byMulti-member district
Chief Legal Officer of the United States Department of the Interior[1]
In office
September 15, 1960 – January 20, 1961
PresidentDwight D. Eisenhower
SecretaryFred Seaton
Preceded byGeorge W. Abbott
United States Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Legislation
In office
June 1, 1956 – September 15, 1960
PresidentDwight Eisenhower
SecretaryDouglas McKay
Fred Seaton
United States Attorney for the Fourth Division of Alaska Territory
In office
August 31, 1953 – June 1, 1956
Acting: August 31, 1953 – March 30, 1954
PresidentDwight D. Eisenhower
Preceded byRobert McNealy
Succeeded byGeorge Yeager
Personal details
Born
Theodore Fulton Stevens

(1923-11-18)November 18, 1923
Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.
DiedAugust 9, 2010(2010-08-09) (aged 86)
Dillingham Census Area, Alaska, U.S.
Resting placeArlington National Cemetery
Political partyRepublican
Spouses
  • Ann Mary Cherrington
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1952; died 1978)​
  • Catherine Bittner
    ​
    (m. 1980)​
Children6, including Ben
Education
Signature
Military service
AllegianceUnited States
Branch/serviceUnited States Army
Years of service1943–1946
RankFirst lieutenant
UnitUnited States Army Air Forces
Battles/warsWorld War II, The Hump
Ted Stevens's voice
Ted Stevens speaks on eliminating the Senate practice of holds by passing a law
Recorded November 9, 1997

Theodore Fulton Stevens Sr. (November 18, 1923 – August 9, 2010)[1][2] was an American politician and lawyer who served as a U.S. Senator from Alaska from 1968 to 2009.

He was the longest-serving Republican Senator in history at the time he left office. Stevens was the president pro tempore of the United States Senate in the 108th and 109th Congresses from 2003 to 2007, and was the third U.S. Senator to hold the title of president pro tempore emeritus. He was previously Solicitor of the Interior Department from 1960 to 1961.[3][4][5] Stevens has been described as one of the most powerful members of Congress and as the most powerful member of Congress from the Northwestern United States.[6][7][8]

Stevens served for six decades in the American public sector, beginning with his service as a pilot in World War II. In 1952, his law career took him to Fairbanks, Alaska, where he was appointed U.S. Attorney the following year by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. In 1956, he returned to Washington, D. C., to work in the Eisenhower Interior Department, eventually rising to become Senior Counsel and Solicitor of the Department of the Interior, where he played an important role as an executive official in bringing about and lobbying for statehood for Alaska, as well as forming the Arctic National Wildlife Range.

After unsuccessfully running to represent Alaska in the United States Senate, Stevens was elected to the Alaska House of Representatives in 1964 and became House majority leader in his second term. In 1968, Stevens again unsuccessfully ran for Senate, but he was appointed to Bob Bartlett's vacant seat after Bartlett's death later that year. As a senator, Stevens played key roles in legislation that shaped Alaska's economic and social development,[9] with Alaskans describing Stevens as "the state's largest industry" and nicknaming the federal money he brought in "Stevens money".[10] This legislation included the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, the Trans-Alaska Pipeline Authorization Act, Title IX,[11] gaining him the nickname "The Father of Title IX",[12] the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, and the Magnuson–Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. He was also known for his sponsorship of the Amateur Sports Act of 1978,[13] which established the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee.

In 2008, Stevens was embroiled in a federal corruption trial as he ran for re-election to the Senate. He was initially found guilty, and, eight days later, he was narrowly defeated by Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich.[14] Stevens was the longest-serving U.S. Senator to have ever lost a bid for re-election. However, when a Justice Department probe found evidence of gross prosecutorial misconduct,[15] U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder asked the court to vacate the conviction and dismiss the underlying indictment,[16] and Judge Emmet G. Sullivan granted the motion.[17]: 772  Stevens died on August 9, 2010, near Dillingham, Alaska, when a de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter he and several others were flying in crashed en route to a private fishing lodge.[18]

  1. ^ "Former Sen. Stevens killed in plane crash". KTUU.com. August 10, 2010. Archived from the original on October 26, 2011. Retrieved December 1, 2010.
  2. ^ "Former Sen. Ted Stevens dies in Alaska plane crash". NBC News. August 10, 2010. Archived from the original on November 9, 2013. Retrieved August 10, 2010.
  3. ^ "Ted Stevens' Biography". Ted Stevens Foundation. Archived from the original on June 24, 2022. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
  4. ^ "Biography of Ted Stevens". Associated Press. August 10, 2010. Archived from the original on June 24, 2022. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
  5. ^ Mitchell, Donald Craig (May 13, 2016). "From Mr. Alaska to Uncle Ted: How Stevens became Alaska's most influential leader". Anchorage Daily News. Archived from the original on January 29, 2022. Retrieved August 13, 2022.
  6. ^ Welch, Craig (November 3, 2005). "Senator has long pushed for drilling". Seattle Times. Archived from the original on May 5, 2023. Retrieved May 6, 2023.
  7. ^ Raju, Manu (August 10, 2010). "Stevens was 'larger than life'". Politico. Archived from the original on May 10, 2023. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  8. ^ Kavanagh, Jim. "Ted Stevens a towering figure in Alaska". CNN. Archived from the original on May 10, 2023. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  9. ^ Ornstein, Norman (August 17, 2010). "Ornstein: Rostenkowski and Stevens Were Master Lawmakers". Roll Call. Archived from the original on April 25, 2023. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
  10. ^ "The life and legacy of former Sen. Ted Stevens". NBC News. August 10, 2010. Archived from the original on May 6, 2023. Retrieved May 6, 2023.
  11. ^ deVarona, Donna (August 17, 2010). "Ted Stevens Was Guardian Angel of Women in Sports". Women's eNews. Archived from the original on May 10, 2023. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  12. ^ "U.S. Senator vows support of Title IX". The Washington Post. February 3, 1995. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  13. ^ "Ted Stevens warrants a spot in sports hall of fame". Anchorage Daily News. November 25, 2011. Archived from the original on May 10, 2023. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  14. ^ "Stevens says, 'I am innocent' after corruption conviction". CNN. October 27, 2008. Archived from the original on August 20, 2010. Retrieved August 21, 2010.
  15. ^ "Sen. Ted Stevens' conviction set aside". CNN. April 7, 2009. Archived from the original on August 20, 2010. Retrieved August 21, 2010.
  16. ^ Toobin, Jeffrey (January 3, 2011). "Casualties of Justice". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on May 10, 2023. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  17. ^ Frazier, Nathan A. (2011). "Amending for Justice's Sake: Codified Disclosure Rule Needed to Provide Guidance to Prosecutor's Duty to Disclose". Florida Law Review. 63 (3): 771–800. Archived from the original on May 10, 2023. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  18. ^ "Horrible Details Of Ted Stevens Crash Emerge". npr. Archived from the original on May 12, 2023. Retrieved June 21, 2023.