Arlen Specter

Guide Note: Arlen Specter is the senior Republican Senator from Pennsylvania, and the 16th most senior Senator currently serving in Congress. He took office on January 5, 1981.

Fast Facts

Born February 12, 1930 in Wichita, Kansas
Origin: Wichita, Kansas
Alma Mater: University of Pennsylvania and Yale University
Spouse: Joan Specter
Diagnosed with Hodgkin's Disease in 2005
Longest-serving Senator in Pennsylvania history
Religion: Jewish

Law Career and Warren Commission

Specter studied law at Yale University before starting his career as a lawyer in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was appointed by President Gerald Ford to the Warren Commission, investigating the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, and is credited with suggesting the "magic bullet theory," postulating that a single bullet could have caused non-fatal wounds to both Kennedy and another passenger in his car, Governor John Connally.

Political Career

Specter unsuccessfully ran for Philadelphia's mayor in 1967, for the Senate in 1976 and in the 1978 Pennsylvania gubernatorial primary.

Specter eventually won a Senate seat in 1980, after Republican incumbent Richard Schweiker stepped down. He has a primarily moderate record, and has memorably taken on his Party's leadership and direction on some major issues, including the Impeachment of Bill Clinton, the nomination of Robert Bork to The U.S. Supreme Court and the domestic surveillance policies of The Bush Administration.

The Mahalo Top 7

Official U.S. Senate Site: Arlen Specter
Wikipedia: Arlen Specter
Project Vote Smart: Senator Arlen Specter
Congresspedia: Arlen Specter
The Washington Post Votes Database: Arlen Specter
whereIstand.com: Arlen Specter
Video: Arlen Specter: Mr. President, You Are Not the Sole 'Decider' (Time 2:41)

Arlen Specter Recent News

News from FoxNews.com, CNN and Philly.com
Google News: Arlen Specter
New York Times: Senator Wants N.F.L. Spying Case Explained (February 1, 2008)
- "The ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee wants N.F.L. Commissioner Roger Goodell to explain why the league destroyed evidence related to spying by the New England Patriots."