Bob Kerrey

Bob Kerrey (2009)

Joseph Robert "Bob" Kerrey (born August 27, 1943 in Lincoln , Nebraska ) is an American politician ( Democratic Party ). From 1983 to 1987 he was Governor of Nebraska, from 1989 to 2001 US Senator for that state .

Early years

Bob Kerrey studied pharmacy at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln until 1965 . He joined the US Navy in 1966 and served in Vietnam from 1969 . There he was wounded. During this time he received many military awards, including the Medal of Honor , the highest distinction of the US armed forces. After returning to Nebraska, he continued his pharmaceutical career. He also founded several sports and fitness centers.

Governor and senator

Bob Kerrey while serving as a Senator

As a member of the Democratic Party, Kerrey was nominated as its candidate for the upcoming gubernatorial elections in 1982 and then also elected, with 50.6 percent of the vote narrowly prevailing against the Republican incumbent Charles Thone . Kerrey began his four-year term on January 6, 1983. During this time he campaigned for a better education policy, better training in the workplace and environmental protection. On these points, Nebraska became exemplary to the rest of the American nation. He was a member of numerous governor's associations. In 1986 he waived a possible re-election.

After his tenure ended, Kerrey ran for a seat in the US Senate and won the election with 55:45 percent of the vote against Republican Jan Stoney. Between 1989 and 2001 he represented his home state in Congress in Washington . There he was a member of several committees. He ran for the Democratic presidential nomination for the 1992 election and won the South Dakota primary , but retired early from the race after poor performance in other states.

Another résumé

Kerrey has served as President of New School University in New York City since leaving Congress . He was a member of the commission that produced the 9/11 Commission Report . In the 2008 presidential campaign, he supported Hillary Clinton . He is married for the second time and has three children.

In 2001, Kerrey admitted that thirteen unarmed civilians were killed during an operation he led in the Vietnam War in 1969 . The incident in the Mekong Delta was uncovered through research by the New York Times and the CBS magazine "60 Minutes II" and confirmed by Kerrey. Former Senator Kerrey admitted women and children were shot dead, but claims it was accidentally shot.

In 2012, Bob Kerrey applied to return to the US Senate as a candidate to succeed Ben Nelson , who was no longer running due to poor election prospects , but was defeated on November 6 by Republican Deb Fischer .

Web links

Commons : Bob Kerrey  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Bob Kerrey in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)
• Bob Kerrey at the National Governors Association (English)
• CNN story on the Thanh Phong Incident (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Gregory L. Vistica: One Awful Night in Thanh Phong. In: The New York Times, April 25, 2001 (accessed September 13, 2012).