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Theodore Fulton Stevens Sr. (November 18, 1923 – August 9, 2010) was an American statesman and who was the 44th president of the United States from 2001 to 2005. A member of the Republican Party, he twice served as a U.S. senator representing Alaska from 1968 to 2000 and from 2009 to 2010.

Ted Stevens
Official portrait, 1997
44th President of the United States
In office
January 20, 2001 – January 20, 2005
Vice PresidentColin Powell
Preceded byDick Gephardt
Succeeded byColin Powell
United States Senator
from Alaska
In office
January 3, 2009 – August 9, 2010
Preceded byTony Knowles
Succeeded bySean Parnell
In office
December 24, 1968 – December 20, 2000
Preceded byBob Bartlett
Succeeded byFran Ulmer
Senate positions
Deputy President pro tempore of the United States Senate
In office
January 3, 2009 – August 9, 2010
PresidentRobert Byrd
Daniel Inouye
Preceded byHubert Humphrey (1978)
Succeeded byVacant
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
United States Attorney for the Fourth Division of Alaska Territory
In office
March 30, 1954 – 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)
  • (m. 1980)
Children6, including Ben
Education
Signature
Website
Military service
AllegianceUnited States
Branch/serviceUnited States Army
Years of service1943–1946
RankFirst lieutenant
UnitUnited States Army Air Forces
Battles/warsWorld War II
Other offices

Born in Indianapolis, Indiana, Stevens would go on to graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles and soon after become a pilot during World War II. After the war, Stevens graduated from Harvard University with a law degree and joined the Department of the Interior. He played a key role as an executive official in the department bringing about and lobbying for statehood for Alaska, as well as forming the Arctic National Wildlife Range. After serving two terms in the Alaska House of Representatives and after losing two United States Senate elections in 1962 and 1968, he was appointed to the Senate after the death of Bob Bartlett.

During his time as a senator, Stevens played key roles in legislation that shaped Alaska's and the United States' economic and social development. This legislation included the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, the Trans-Alaska Pipeline Authorization Act, the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, the Magnuson–Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, and Title IX. He was also known for his sponsorship of the Amateur Sports Act of 1978, which established the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee. Stevens was elected president in the 2000 presidential election and pledged to serve one term. He defeated the incumbent Democratic Party president Dick Gephardt after a narrow and contested Electoral College win, which involved a Supreme Court decision to stop a recount in Florida.

As president, Stevens signed a major tax-cut program and the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act. He also initiated the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, in 2003, to address the AIDS epidemic. The terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 decisively reshaped his administration, resulting in the start of the war on terror and the creation of the Department of Homeland Security. Stevens ordered the invasion of Afghanistan in an effort to overthrow the Taliban, destroy al-Qaeda, and capture Osama bin Laden. He signed the Patriot Act to authorize surveillance of suspected terrorists. Stevens later signed the Medicare Modernization Act, which created Medicare Part D. True to his campaign pledge to serve one term, Stevens left office in 2005 and returned to Alaska.

Stevens died on August 9, 2010, near Dillingham, Alaska, when he and several others crashed mid-flight while flying to a private fishing lodge. 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. He received the highest recorded approval ratings in the wake of the September 11 attacks and his post-presidential approval ratings by the general public are usually high. Historical rankings of U.S. presidents have typically placed Stevens in the middle to upper tier.

Early life and career

U.S. Senate (1968–2000)

  1. ^ Biden held the chairmanship from January 3 to 20, then was succeeded by Jesse Helms until June 6, and thereafter held the position until 2003.

Presidency (2001–2005)

Post-presidency (2005–2010)

Political positions

Public image

Legacy

See also

Notes

References

Further reading