Jeff Sessions Biography

Jeff Sessions	Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III Born: 1946-12-24 Birthplace: Selma, AL Race: White Religion: Methodist Political Party: Republican Field: Politician Famous for: US Senator from Alabama Jeff Sessions Offical Website: http://sessions.senate.gov/
Field: Politician

Jefferson Beauregard "Jeff" Sessions III (born December 24, 1946) is the junior United States Senator from Alabama. He is a member of the Republican Party.

Following a two-year stint as Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama (1975–1977), Sessions was nominated by President Ronald Reagan in 1981 and confirmed by the Senate to serve as the United States Attorney for Alabama's Southern District, a position he held for 12 years.

In 1986, Sessions was nominated for a federal judgeship by Reagan. The nomination was killed by the Senate Judiciary Committee, which refused by a 10-8 vote to let the nomination come to the Senate floor for a vote. Sessions' opponents accused him of "gross insensitivity” on racial issues. Sessions made a variety of comments that opponents pointed to, including remarks that he thought that the Klu Klux Klan was not so bad until he found out that some of them smoked marijuana. Sessions also had once labeled the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) "un-American," "Communist-inspired," and had said that they "forced civil rights down the throats of people." At his confirmation hearings, Sessions said that the groups could be un-American when "they involve themselves in un-American positions" in foreign policy. Sessions' claimed that the remarks had been made in jest. One of those voting against him was Democratic Senator Howell Heflin of Alabama.

Sessions was elected Alabama Attorney General in November 1994. In 1996, Sessions won the Republican primary for U.S. Senate, after a runoff, and then defeated Democrat Roger Bedford, 52%-46% in the November general election.[2] He succeeded Heflin, who had retired after 18 years in the Senate. In 2002, Sessions won re-election by defeating Democratic challenger and State Auditor Susan Parker. In August 2007, State Senator Vivian Davis Figures announced she will seek the Democratic nomination to challenge Sessions in 2008.

Sessions was only the second freshman Republican Senator from Alabama since the Reconstruction, and gave Alabama two Republican senators, also a first since the Reconstruction. Sessions was easily reelected in 2002 becoming the first (or second, if one counts his colleague Richard Shelby, who switched from Democrat to Republican in 1994) Republican reelected to the Senate from Alabama.