Trent Lott is a former U.S. Senator from the state of Mississippi, and the former U.S. Senate Majority Leader.
Fast Facts:
- Born: Grenada, Mississippi
- Assumed Office: January 3, 1989
- Left Office: December 18, 2007
- Party: Republican
- Spouse: Patricia Thompson Lott
- Alma Mater: University of Mississippi
Early Life
The son of a shipyard worker and a schoolteacher, Lott attended the University of Mississippi and received both his Bachelor's and law degrees from the institution.
Political Career
Initially a member of the Democratic Party, Lott ran as a Republican for Congress in 1972 from Mississippi's 5th District just as conservatives in the South were switching party loyalty. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives until 1988, at which point he ran for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by outgoing Senator John C. Stennis. He won the election and served four full terms in the Senate. He won re-election again in 2006, but resigned the following year, citing a desire to spend more time with his family.
Controversy
Lott was at the height of his political power in 2001 as Senate Majority Leader; however, the broadcast of comments he made concerning the late Senator Strom Thurmond's segregationist 1948 Presidential campaign forced him from the position. Lott said that if Thurmond had won in 1948, "[W]e wouldn't have had all these problems over the years," a remark which was construed as saying that the Civil Rights movement never should have happened.
