Jeff Sessions
Jeff Sessions is an American politician and attorney known for his long-standing career in public service, primarily in Alabama. Born on December 24, 1946, in Hybart, Alabama, he began his professional journey as an assistant United States attorney before serving as Alabama's attorney general. Sessions was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1997 and has held significant roles in various Senate committees, including Armed Services and Judiciary. He was appointed as the U.S. Attorney General from 2017 to 2018 under President Donald Trump, a position in which he played a prominent role in shaping immigration and law enforcement policies.
Throughout his political career, Sessions has been recognized for his conservative stances on social issues, advocating for gun rights and opposing abortion, while also emphasizing the importance of corporate responsibility and ethical governance. Despite his influence and support from various political factions, he faced a setback in the 2020 Senate election, losing his bid to reclaim his former seat. Sessions remains active in his community and has deep roots in the Methodist church, reflecting his commitment to public service and the values he espouses.
Jeff Sessions
A native of Alabama, Jeff Sessions served the people of his state by fighting crime on both the federal and state levels during two terms as assistant United States attorney for the Southern District of Alabama between 1975 and 1993, and as Alabama's attorney general from 1995 to 1997. He was elected to the US Senate in January 1997 and has remained active, along with his family, in Alabama's Methodist community. He served as US attorney general from 2017 to 2018. In November 2019, Sessions announced he would be running for his previous Senate seat in the 2020 election, but he was defeated by Tommy Tuberville, the Republican candidate.
Early Life and Education
Jeff Sessions was born in Hybart, Alabama, on December 24, 1946. His father was a local merchant who owned his own country store. Sessions attended school in Camden, Alabama, and became an Eagle Scout in 1964. He later received the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award for his continued support of the Boy Scout program.
In 1969, Sessions earned his bachelor of arts degree from Huntingdon College. He taught history in a public school before entering the University of Alabama Law School. He earned his juris doctorate degree in 1973 and went on to practice law in both Russellville and Mobile, Alabama. Between 1973 and 1986, he also served as an officer in the United States Army Reserves, achieving the rank of captain.
Early Political Service
Sessions embarked upon his career in politics when he was named assistant United States attorney for the Southern District of Alabama in 1975. By his own account, he was attracted to political life because of his belief in the value of hard work, integrity, and public service.
In 1981, Sessions was appointed by President Ronald Reagan as United States Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama, and he soon developed a reputation for his tough prosecution of drug offenders. In 1994, during a corruption scandal in Montgomery, Sessions vowed to resolve the ethical crisis, and overwhelmingly won the race for Alabama's attorney general on the strength of his conviction.
Two years later, in 1996, Sessions sought to win the Senate seat that had been held for eighteen years by seventy-five-year-old Democrat Howell Heflin. During this period, the Republican Sessions was gaining support from some Democrats due to his strong support in the area of corporate responsibility. He also spoke out on social issues, declaring that "without personal discipline and moral and religious faith, our nation's future is jeopardized." Sessions first earned the dubious support of religious political activists in Alabama due to his advocacy of a controversial school prayer amendment.
Sessions won the senate election, and with his victory, Alabama had two Republican Senators for the first time since Reconstruction.
Congressional Career
Sessions began his service in the United States Senate in January 1997. It is customary for junior Senators to take a less active role during their first terms, but in May 1999, Sessions' Violent & Repeat Juvenile Offenders Act was passed by the Senate. This legislation was aimed at strengthening the country's youth justice procedures in light of increased juvenile crime.
During his tenure in the Senate, Sessions served on three major committees: Armed Services, Budget, Judiciary and Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. In addition, he was a member of the Joint Economic Committee and the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control, and he served as a member of the National Council on the Arts.
As a US Senator, Sessions was the recipient of a number of Awards, including the Guardian of Small Business Award, the Teddy Roosevelt Environmental Award, the Alabama Farmers Federation's Service to Agriculture Award and the Watchdog of the Treasury Award.
A strict conservative, Sessions has opposed abortion rights in most cases, and is a firm advocate of gun owners' rights. He supports increased military spending and believes that tax cuts are essential to stimulating the stagnant economy.
In 2000, Sessions became a member of the Resources Subcommittee on National Parks & Public Lands. The following year, he lobbied heavily for education reform and education tax issues by advocating prepaid tuition and tuition savings plans, citing the rising cost of college tuition and the difficulties faced by families with college-bound children. He was reelected in 2002.
In addition to his official duties, Sessions served as a lay leader and Sunday school teacher at his church in Mobile, Alabama. He has also been a member of the church's administrative board and has been selected as a delegate to the annual Alabama Methodist Conference.
Sessions has been an outspoken critic of embryonic stem cell research. He has also come out strongly against proposals to arrange citizenship for illegal immigrants and legislation restricting the treatment of captive terror suspects. He was reelected to a third term in the Senate in 2008 followed by a fourth term in 2014.
US Attorney General
For the first time in his career as a senator, Sessions was publicly supportive of Donald Trump's campaign for the Republican presidential nomination. After Trump's election in November 2016, Sessions was given a position on his presidential transition team. Soon after, he was nominated to serve as US attorney general, and he took office in February 2017 following his confirmation. By March, he had recused himself from the investigation into possible Russian interference into the election when it had come to light that he had failed to disclose that he had met with the Russian ambassador while he was acting as an advisor for Trump's campaign; this move drew criticism from other politicians and some of the American public. Much of the time that he spent in the office was reported as tense, including allegations that Trump had been considering firing him for some time. In November 2018, Sessions resigned from the position at the request of Trump.
The following year, in November, Sessions announced his Senate candidacy for the 2020 election. After no candidate earned more than 50 percent of the vote in the Republican primary election, Sessions advanced to the run-off election against Republican candidate Tommy Tuberville, the former football head coach at Auburn University. The run-off election was originally scheduled for March 31, however, due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, it was delayed until July 14.
Sessions and his wife Mary, a native of Gadsden, Alabama, have three children: Mary Abigail, Ruth, and Sam.
Bibliography
Andringa, Peter, et al. "Live Results: 2020 Alabama Senate Primaries." The Washington Post, 28 Mar. 2020, www.washingtonpost.com/elections/election-results/alabama-senate-primary-live-results. Accessed 22 Apr. 2023.
"Jeff Sessions Fast Facts." CNN, 16 Dec. 2022, www.cnn.com/2016/12/21/us/jeff-sessions-fast-facts/index.html. Accessed 22 Apr. 2023.
"Jeff Sessions: The Ex-Attorney General 'Making a Political Comeback.'" BBC, 8 Nov. 2019, www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-38030602. Accessed 22 Apr. 2023.
LaFraniere, Sharon, and Matt Apuzzo. "Jeff Sessions, a Lifelong Outsider, Finds the Inside Track." The New York Times, 8 Jan. 2017, www.nytimes.com/2017/01/08/us/politics/jeff-sessions-attorney-general.html. Accessed 22 Apr. 2023.
Phillips, Amber. "10 Things to Know about Sen. Jeff Sessions, Donald Trump’s Pick for Attorney General." The Washington Post, 10 Jan. 2017, www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/11/18/10-things-to-know-about-sen-jeff-sessions-donald-trumps-pick-for-attorney-general. Accessed 22 Apr. 2023.
Wilber, Del Quentin. "The Long and Complicated Road to Understanding Jeff Sessions and Matters of Race." Los Angeles Times, 22 Dec. 2016, www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-sessions-race-attorney-general-20161222-story.html. Accessed 22 Apr. 2023.