Tom Udall
Tom Udall | |
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United States Senator from New Mexico | |
Assumed office January 3, 2009 Serving with Martin Heinrich | |
Preceded by | Pete Domenici |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New Mexico's 3rd district | |
In office January 3, 1999 – January 3, 2009 | |
Preceded by | Bill Redmond |
Succeeded by | Ben R. Luján |
28th New Mexico Attorney General | |
In office 1991–1999 | |
Preceded by | Harold Stratton |
Succeeded by | Patricia Madrid |
Personal details | |
Born | Thomas Stewart Udall May 18, 1948 Tucson, Arizona |
Nationality | American |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse | Jill Cooper |
Children | Amanda Cooper |
Residence | Santa Fe, New Mexico |
Alma mater | Prescott College (B.A.) Cambridge University (LL.B.) University of New Mexico School of Law (J.D.) |
Profession | Attorney |
Website | Senate website |
Thomas Stewart "Tom" Udall (born May 18, 1948) is the senior United States Senator from New Mexico and a member of the Democratic Party. First elected to the Senate in 2008, he represented New Mexico's 3rd congressional district as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1999 to 2009, and was the Attorney General of New Mexico from 1991 to 1999.
Early life, education, and law career
Udall was born in Tucson, Arizona, to Ermalee Lenora (née Webb) and Stewart Udall, the Secretary of the Interior from 1961 to 1969. Two of his maternal great-grandparents were Swiss.[1] He attended Prescott College and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1970. In 1975, he graduated from the University of Cambridge in England with a Bachelor of Law degree. That fall, he enrolled in the University of New Mexico School of Law and graduated with a Juris Doctor in 1977.
Following that graduation, Udall was a law clerk to Chief Judge Oliver Seth of the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals. His legal career then included appointments as Assistant U.S. Attorney in the criminal division and Chief Counsel to the Department of Health and Environment.
Early political career
In 1982, Udall ran for Congress in the newly created 3rd district, based in the state capital, Santa Fe, and most of north of the state. He lost the Democratic primary to Bill Richardson. In 1989, he ran for Congress again in a special election for the Albuquerque-based 1st district seat left open by retiring twenty-year incumbent Manuel Lujan, but narrowly lost to Bernalillo County District Attorney Steven Schiff. From 1991 to 1999 he served as Attorney General of New Mexico.[2]
U.S. House of Representatives
Elections
Udall ran for Congress again in 1998 in the 3rd district against incumbent Bill Redmond, who had been elected in a 1997 special election to replace Richardson. Redmond was a conservative Republican representing a heavily Democratic district, and the 3rd's partisan tilt helped Udall defeat Redmond with 53 percent of the vote.[3] He was reelected four more times with no substantive opposition, including an unopposed run in 2002.
Tenure
As a U.S. Representative, Tom Udall was a member of the centrist New Democrat Coalition and the more liberal Congressional Progressive Caucus. He was also a member of the United States House Peak Oil Caucus, which he co-founded with Representative Roscoe Bartlett of Maryland.[4][5]
Committee assignments
- United States House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations
- House Native American Caucus (Co-Vice Chair)
- International Conservation Caucus (Co-Chair)
U.S. Senate
Elections
In November 2007, Udall announced he would run for the Senate seat held by retiring incumbent Pete Domenici.[6] Potential Democratic rival Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez dropped out, handing Udall the nomination. New Mexico's other two members of the House, 1st and 3rd district's Heather Wilson and Steve Pearce, ran in the Republican primary. Pearce won the Republican nomination, and lost to Udall, who won 61 percent of the vote.
While Udall was running for Senate in New Mexico, his younger first cousin, Congressman Mark Udall, was running for the Senate in Colorado. Their double second cousin, incumbent Gordon Smith of Oregon, was also running for reelection. Both Udalls won and Smith lost.
Tenure
Udall has voted with his party 97 percent of the time since he was first elected to the U.S. Senate. He voted in favor of the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010, FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, DREAM Act,[7] American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act, and the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009.[8]
Legislation
On March 19, 2013, Udall introduced into the Senate the Sandia Pueblo Settlement Technical Amendment Act (S. 611; 113th Congress), a bill that would transfer some land to the Sandia Pueblo tribe.[9][10]
Committee assignments
- Committee on Appropriations
- Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies
- Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development
- Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government (Chairman)
- Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies
- Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies
- Committee on Foreign Relations
- Committee on Environment and Public Works
- Committee on Indian Affairs
- Committee on Rules and Administration
- Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe
- International Narcotics Control Caucus
- Caucus memberships
- Congressional Law Enforcement Caucus
- House Native American Caucus (Co-Vice Chair)
- International Conservation Caucus (Co-Chair)
- Rural Caucus
- Sportsmen's Caucus
Personal life
Udall is married to Jill Cooper Udall. They live in Santa Fe with their daughter, Amanda Cooper. Udall is the nephew of Arizona Congressman Morris Udall, and first cousin of senior Colorado U.S. Senator Mark Udall, double second cousin of former Oregon U.S. Senator Gordon Smith,[11] and second cousin of Utah U.S. Senator Mike Lee.[12]
See also
- Udall family (political family)
- Lee-Hamblin family
References
- ^ http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~battle/senators/udallt.htm
- ^ "Ten things to know about Senate hopeful Rep. Tom Udall". Albuquerque Tribune. November 29, 2007. Retrieved 2007-11-11.
- ^ "Udall wins Redmond's New Mexico House seat". Associated Press. 4 November 1998. Retrieved 2007-11-11.
- ^ Rep. Tom Udall on resource depletion and climate change (transcript) Global Public Media, December 9, 2005
- ^ Peak Oil: Representative Roscoe Bartlett
- ^ Baker, Deborah (November 10, 2007). "New Mexico Rep. Tom Udall to seek Democratic nomination for Senate". Associated Press (SignOnSanDiego.com). Retrieved 2007-11-11.
- ^ The Washington Post http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/U000039/key-votes/page2/.
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(help) - ^ The Washington Post http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/U000039/key-votes/page3/.
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(help) - ^ "S. 611 - Summary". United States Congress. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
- ^ "Chairwoman Cantwell Holds Hearing on Tribal Resources Legislation". Tulalip News. 10 May 2013. Retrieved 14 March 2014.
- ^ Udall family of Arizona at the Political Graveyard
- ^ Lee Davidson (October 24, 2010). "Senate race: Mike Lee ready to ride Senate roller coaster". The Salt Lake Tribune.
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Further reading
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress
- Profile at Vote Smart
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Senator Tom Udall official U.S. Senate site
- Tom Udall for U.S. Senate
- Tom Udall at Curlie
- 1948 births
- Alumni of the University of Cambridge
- American Latter Day Saints
- Democratic Party United States Senators
- Living people
- Members of the United States House of Representatives from New Mexico
- New Mexico Attorneys General
- New Mexico Democrats
- People associated with peak oil
- People from Tucson, Arizona
- Udall family
- United States Senators from New Mexico
- University of New Mexico School of Law alumni
- Prescott College alumni