John Kerry is a United States senator (D-MA) and was the Democratic nominee in the 2004 presidential election.
Kerry was born on December 11, 1943 at Fitzsimons Army Hospital in Colorado. His father, Richard, volunteered in the Army Air Corps and flew DC-3's and B-29's as a test pilot during World War II. His mother, Rosemary, was a Girl Scout leader. Not long after Kerry was born, the family settled in Massachusetts.
After graduating from Yale University, Kerry joined the U.S Navy and volunteered to serve in Vietnam. He served two tours of duty. On his second tour, he volunteered to serve on a Swift Boat in the river deltas, one of the most dangerous assignments of the war. His courage earned him a Silver Star, a Bronze Star with Combat V, and three Purple Hearts. Like many veterans, Kerry was disillusioned by his war experience and upon returning to the United States he decided to become active as a Vietnam Veteran Against the War (VVAW). He became a spokesman for VVAW and later co-founded Vietnam Veterans of America. In April 1971 at the age of 27, Kerry testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and posed the question, "How do you ask a man to be the last man to die for a mistake?"
Kerry graduated from Boston College Law School in 1976, and in 1982 was elected lieutenant governor of Massachusetts. He was elected to the U.S Senate in 1984.
Kerry defeated several rivals to win the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004, and selected one of them, Senator John Edwards, as his running mate. On election day, November 3, 2004, Kerry lost the race to President George W. Bush, winning 48 percent of the popular vote. Kerry had 251 electoral votes to Bush's 286.
Kerry has been married twice. His first marriage was with Julia Thorne in 1970. They had two children: Alexandra and Vanessa, then separated in 1982. Kerry married Teresa Heinz Kerry in 1995. | |
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