Tom Daschle

U.S. Senator

Tom Daschle was a longtime U.S. Senator from South Dakota, and a former Senate majority leader. He graduated from South Dakota State University in 1969, spent three years as an intelligence officer in the Air Force, then joined the staff of South Dakota Senator James Abourezk. In 1978 Daschle was elected to the first of four terms in the House of Representatives; he joined the Senate after defeating incumbent James Abdnor in 1986. Daschle became a protege of Senator George Mitchell (D-Maine); after the major Republican victories in the election of 1994 Daschle succeeded Mitchell as Democratic leader. He earned a reputation as a patient but persistent leader during the years when Democrat Bill Clinton was president but Congress was controlled by the Republican party. Daschle served as minority leader until 2001, when Vermont senator James Jeffords left the GOP to become an independent, thereby giving control of the Senate to the Democrats. Daschle officially replaced Trent Lott (R-Miss.) as Senate majority leader on June 6, 2001. After Republicans took control of the Senate in the elections of 2002, Daschle returned to the role of minority leader. He was defeated by a Republican challenger, John Thune, in the elections of 2004.

Extra credit: Daschle is 5'8" tall... His name is pronounced DASH-l.

Senate majority leaders of the past: Robert Taft, Lyndon Johnson and Bob Dole.