Trent Lott
Trent Lott | |
---|---|
Senate Majority Leader | |
In office January 20, 2001 – June 6, 2001 | |
Deputy | Don Nickles |
Preceded by | Tom Daschle |
Succeeded by | Tom Daschle |
In office June 12, 1996 – January 3, 2001 | |
Preceded by | Bob Dole |
Succeeded by | Tom Daschle |
Senate Minority Leader | |
In office June 6, 2001 – January 3, 2003 | |
Deputy | Don Nickles |
Preceded by | Tom Daschle |
Succeeded by | Tom Daschle |
In office January 3, 2001 – January 20, 2001 | |
Deputy | Don Nickles |
Preceded by | Tom Daschle |
Succeeded by | Tom Daschle |
Leader of the Senate Republican Conference | |
In office June 12, 1996 – January 3, 2003 | |
Deputy | Don Nickles |
Preceded by | Bob Dole |
Succeeded by | Bill Frist |
Senate Minority Whip | |
In office January 3, 2007 – December 18, 2007 | |
Leader | Mitch McConnell |
Preceded by | Dick Durbin |
Succeeded by | Jon Kyl |
Senate Majority Whip | |
In office January 3, 1995 – June 12, 1996 | |
Leader | Bob Dole |
Preceded by | Wendell Ford |
Succeeded by | Don Nickles |
United States Senator from Mississippi | |
In office January 3, 1989 – December 18, 2007 | |
Preceded by | John C. Stennis |
Succeeded by | Roger Wicker |
House Minority Whip | |
In office January 3, 1981 – January 3, 1989 | |
Leader | Robert H. Michel |
Preceded by | Robert H. Michel |
Succeeded by | Dick Cheney |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Mississippi's 5th district | |
In office January 3, 1973 – January 3, 1989 | |
Preceded by | William M. Colmer |
Succeeded by | Larkin I. Smith |
Personal details | |
Born | Chester Trent Lott October 9, 1941 Grenada, Mississippi, U.S. |
Political party | Republican (1972–present) |
Other political affiliations | Democratic (before 1972) |
Spouse |
Patricia Thompson (m. 1964) |
Children | 2 |
Education | University of Mississippi (BPA, JD) |
Signature | |
Chester Trent Lott Sr. (born October 9, 1941) is an American lobbyist, lawyer, author, and politician who represented
From 1968 to 1972, Lott was an administrative assistant to Representative
Following Republican gains in the 2002 midterm elections, Lott was slated to again become Majority Leader when the next Senate session began in January 2003. However, on 20 December 2002, after significant controversy following comments he made regarding Strom Thurmond's presidential candidacy, Lott resigned as Senate Minority Leader.
Though no longer in leadership, Lott remained in the Senate until resigning in 2007. Fellow Republican
Early life
Lott was born in Grenada, Mississippi, and lived his early years in nearby Duck Hill, where his father, Chester Paul Lott, sharecropped a stretch of cotton field. Lott's mother, the former Iona Watson, was a schoolteacher. Lott's father was a philanderer with a drinking problem, and Lott frequently acted as a mediator when his mother threatened his father with divorce.[3] When Lott was in the sixth grade, the family moved to Pascagoula, where Lott's father worked at a shipyard.[4]
Lott attended college at the
Regarding his education, the Congressional Record from 1999 quotes Senator Lott declaring: "I am a product of public education from the first grade through the second, third, and fourth grades where I went to school at Duck Hill, Mississippi, and I had better teachers in the second, third, and fourth grades in Duck Hill, Mississippi, than I had the rest of my life."[7]
While an undergraduate at the University of Mississippi, Lott participated in the effort at the 1964 national convention of the
Political career
House of Representatives
Lott served as administrative assistant to
In 1972, Colmer, one of the most conservative Democrats in the House, announced his retirement after 40 years in Congress. He endorsed Lott as his successor in Mississippi's 5th District, located in the state's southern tip, even though Lott ran as a Republican. Lott won handily, in large part due to Richard Nixon's landslide victory in that year's presidential election. Nixon won the 5th district with an astonishing 87 percent of the vote; it was his strongest congressional district in the entire nation.[10]
Lott and his future Senate colleague,
Lott became very popular in his district, even though almost none of its living residents had been represented by a Republican before. As evidence, in November 1974, Lott won a second term in a blowout. Cochran was also reelected in a rout; he and Lott were the first Republicans to win a second term in Congress from the state since Reconstruction. They were among the few bright spots in a year that saw many Republicans turned out of office due to anger over Watergate. Lott was re-elected six more times without much difficulty, and even ran unopposed in 1978. However, conservative Democrats continued to hold most of the region's seats in the state legislature, as well as most local offices, well into the 2000s.
In
United States Senate
Lott ran for the Senate in 1988, after 42-year incumbent
In 1989, on the 25th anniversary of the murder of the civil rights activists James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner, Lott and the rest of the Mississippi congressional delegation refused to vote for the non-binding resolution honoring the three men which nevertheless passed the Congress.[12]
He became
Lott generally pursued a conservative position in politics and was a noted
According to the
After the
Resignation from Senate leadership
Lott spoke on December 5, 2002, at the 100th birthday party of Senator Strom Thurmond of South Carolina, a retiring Republican senator who had switched parties from the Democrats decades earlier. Thurmond had run for President of the United States in 1948 on the Dixiecrat (or States' Rights Democratic) ticket. Lott said: "When Strom Thurmond ran for president, we voted for him. We're proud of it. And if the rest of the country had followed our lead, we wouldn't have had all these problems over the years, either."[19]
Thurmond had based his presidential campaign largely on an explicit
In the wake of the controversy, Lott resigned as Senate Republican Leader on December 20, 2002, effective at the start of the next session, January 3, 2003. Bill Frist of Tennessee was later elected to the leadership position. In the book Free Culture, Lawrence Lessig argues that Lott's resignation would not have occurred had it not been for the effect of Internet blogs. He says that though the story "disappear[ed] from the mainstream press within forty-eight hours", "bloggers kept researching the story" until, "finally, the story broke back into the mainstream press."[21] The New York Times, however, attributed his resignation to "ruthless maneuvering" by Karl Rove and George W. Bush to depose Lott, "a threat to the president’s agenda", and replace him with Frist, who had "long been the president's choice."[22]
After losing the Majority Leader post, Lott was less visible on the national scene, although he did break with some standard conservative positions. He battled with Bush over military base closures in his home state. He showed support for passenger rail initiatives, notably his 2006 bipartisan introduction, with Sen. Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey, of legislation to provide 80 percent federal matching grants to intercity rail and guarantee adequate funding for Amtrak.[23] On July 18, 2006, Lott voted with 19 Republican senators for the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act to lift restrictions on federal funding for the research. On November 15, 2006, Lott regained a leadership position in the Senate, when he was named Minority Whip after defeating Lamar Alexander of Tennessee 25–24.[24]
Senator John E. Sununu (R) of New Hampshire said, after Lott's election as Senate Minority Whip, "He understands the rules. He's a strong negotiator." Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R) said he's "the smartest legislative politician I've ever met."[25]
2006 re-election campaign
Lott faced no Republican opposition in his primary race. State representative Erik R. Fleming placed first of four candidates in the June Democratic primary, but did not receive the 50 percent of the vote required to earn the party's nomination. Fleming and the second-place finisher, business consultant Bill Bowlin, faced off in a runoff on June 27, which Fleming won with 65% of the vote. Fleming criticized Lott for not doing enough to alleviate poverty in "the poorest state in the nation." Fleming's bid was viewed as a longshot, and Lott handily defeated him with 64% of the vote in November.[26][27]
Resignation
On November 26, 2007, Lott announced that he would resign his Senate seat by the end of 2007.[28] According to CNN, his resignation was at least partly due to the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act, which forbade lawmakers from lobbying for two years after leaving office. Those who left by the end of 2007 were covered by the previous law, which he cosponsored and which required a wait of only one year.[29] In an interview regarding his resignation, Lott said that the new law "didn't have a big role" in his decision to resign.[30]
Lott's resignation became effective at 11:30 p.m. on December 18, 2007.[31] On January 7, 2008, it was announced that Lott and former Senator John Breaux of Louisiana, a Democrat, opened their lobbying firm about a block from the White House.[32]
Post-Senate career
In January 2008, he co-founded the Breaux-Lott Leadership Group, a "strategic advice, consulting, and lobbying" firm together with former Louisiana Senator
On February 14, 2009,
For the 2016 presidential election, Lott served as a national co-chair for John Kasich, before shifting his support to Donald Trump's campaign once he became the nominee.[44]
In 2018 Sacha Baron Cohen's television program Who Is America? premiered showing Lott supporting the "kinderguardians program" which supported training toddlers with firearms. Lott appeared not to know it was a hoax.[45]
Lott has been named an Honorary Patron of the
Memoir
Lott's memoir, entitled Herding Cats: A Life in Politics, was published in 2005. In the book, Lott spoke about the remark he made at the Strom Thurmond birthday party, former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, and his feelings of betrayal toward the Tennessee senator, claiming "If Frist had not announced exactly when he did, as the fire was about to burn out, I would still be majority leader of the Senate today."[48] He also described former Democratic Leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota as "trustworthy".[49] He also revealed that President George W. Bush, then–Secretary of State Colin Powell, and other GOP leaders played a major role in ending his career as Senate Republican Leader.[50]
Personal life
Lott married Patricia Thompson on December 27, 1964. The couple has two children: Chester Trent "Chet" Lott Jr., and Tyler Lott.[citation needed]
Lott is a
Legacy
Trent Lott Academy in the
The Trent Lott Leadership Institute is named after him, located at his alma mater, the University of Mississippi.[56]
Lott has been quoted as being opposed to homosexuality, comparing it to alcoholism, amongst other things.[57]
Explanatory notes
- ^ In the event of a tie vote on the Senate floor, the constitution states that the Vice President casts the deciding vote.
References
Citations
- ^ Theodoric Meyer, "Trent Lott fired by top lobbying firm: Squire Patton Boggs gave no reason for the sudden departure, but Lott said in an interview he was negotiating to join another firm". POLITICO, June 9, 2020.
- ^ Theodoric Meyer, "Trent Lott and John Breaux sign on at Crossroads Strategies". POLITICO, June 15, 2020.
- ISBN 9780060599317.
- ^ "Iona Watson Lott (Obituary)". Rome News-Tribune. July 12, 2005.
- ^ Weeks, Linton (January 8, 1999). "Two From Ole Miss, Hitting It Big". The Washington Post.
- ^ Doyle (2001), p. 281.
- ^ "Reauthorizing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965". Congressional Record. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1999.
- ^ Sweet, Kimberly (December 18, 2002). "Duke frat alumni recall taking anti-segregation stand Sen. Lott's role renews interest in '64 Sigma Nu vote". The Durham Herald Sun.
- ^ Tumulty, Karen (December 12, 2002). "Trent Lott's Segregationist College Days". Time. Archived from the original on December 13, 2002.
- ^ Barone, Michael; et al. The Almanac of American Politics (1976), p. 465.
- ^ Kornacki, Steve (February 3, 2011) The "Southern Strategy", fulfilled Archived April 13, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, Salon.com
- ^ Ladd, Donna (May 29, 2007). "Dredging Up the Past: Why Mississippians Must Tell Our Own Stories". Jackson Free Press. Retrieved October 15, 2011.
- ^ David Hawkings (June 8, 2014). "What Cochran Vs. Lott Said About Today's GOP Civil War". Roll Call. Archived from the original on August 10, 2014. Retrieved July 23, 2014.
- ^ Mitchell, Alison (June 17, 1998). "Controversy Over Lott's Views of Homosexuals". The New York Times. Retrieved February 1, 2008.
- ^ Mitchell, Alison (June 17, 1998). "Controversy Over Lott's Views of Homosexuals". The New York Times.
- ^ "Council of Conservative Citizens -- Extremism in America". Archived from the original on May 21, 2008.
- ^ "The political success of the Council of Conservative Citizens, explained". The Washington Post. June 22, 2015. Archived from the original on December 30, 2022. Retrieved August 8, 2018.
- ^ The Washington Post
- ^ a b Edsall, Thomas B.; Faler, Brian (December 11, 2002). "Lott Remarks on Thurmond Echoed 1980 Words". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 26, 2010.
- ^ Transcript of Lott interview on BET, December 13, 2002
- ISBN 978-1-59420-006-9.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
- ^ Holt, Tim (April 30, 2006). "Ranting about rail". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved February 1, 2008.
- Washington Post. Retrieved December 21, 2007.
- Time Magazine. Archived from the originalon November 22, 2006. Retrieved March 25, 2007.
- The Vicksburg Post. June 28, 2006. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
- ^ "Federal Elections 2006: Election Results for the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives" (PDF). FEC.gov. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
- ^ "Trent Lott announces his resignation". NBC News. November 26, 2007. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
- CNN.com. November 26, 2007. Retrieved February 1, 2008.
- ^ "Is Trent Lott Leaving Senate To Dodge New Ethics Law on Lobbying?". Democracy Now!. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
- ^ Kapochunas, Rachel (December 19, 2007). "Lott Officially Resigns, All Eyes Now on Barbour". Congressional Quarterly. Archived from the original on January 4, 2009. Retrieved July 1, 2009.
- Clarion-Ledger.
- ^ Perks, Ashley (December 8, 2009). "Trent Lott keeps his Southern ties through lobbying".
- ^ "Breaux Lott". Beaux Lott Leadership Group. Archived from the original on January 13, 2010.
- ^ Eggen, Dan (July 2, 2010). "Patton Boggs lobbying firm buys group run by Lott, Breaux". The Washington Post.
- ^ Cohen, Alexander (September 2, 2014). "Russian bank hires two former U.S. senators". Center for Public Integrity. Archived from the original on September 15, 2014. Retrieved September 21, 2014.
- ^ Meyer, Theodoric (June 9, 2020). "Trent Lott fired by top lobbying firm". Politico. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
- ^ Gangitano, Alex (June 15, 2020). "Lott, Breaux join lobbying shop Crossroads Strategies". The Hill. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
- ^ Lott, Trent (February 8, 2018). "Frivolous lawsuits impacting military readiness". The Hill. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
- ^ "Trent Lott Named To EADS Board". CBS News. Politico. October 15, 2008. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
- ^ Treaster, Joseph (November 29, 2007). "Lawyer Battling for Katrina Payments Is Indicted". The New York Times. Retrieved February 1, 2008.
- ^ Nossiter, Adam (February 14, 2009). "Civil Rights Hero, Now a Judge, Is Indicted in a Bribery Case". The New York Times. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
- ^ Associated, The (March 26, 2012). "Trent Lott testifies as Richard 'Dickie' Scruggs fights conviction". gulflive.com. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
- ^ Pender, Geoff. "State GOP leaders shift support to Trump". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved February 6, 2022.
- ^ "Comedian fools Trent Lott, other GOP politicians into appearing to back arming toddlers". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
- ^ "Trent Lott". Bipartisan Policy Center. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
- ^ "Board | youth community | service award | Jefferson Awards.org". Archived from the original on November 24, 2010. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
- ^ Lott, Herding Cats: A Life in Politics (2005), p. 273.
- ^ Lott, Herding Cats: A Life In Politics (2005), p. 211.
- ^ Lott, Herding Cats: A Life In Politics (2005), pp. 271–272.
- ^ "Bio: Trent Lott". CBS News. February 11, 2009. Retrieved January 22, 2012.
- Newspapers.com.
...Pascagoula Junior High, before it became Trent Lott Middle School. In fact, Curry taught the U.S. senator.
- ^ S. Doc. 110-13 Tributes Delivered in Congress: Trent Lott (PDF). Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office. 2009. p. 40.
TRENT attended Pascagoula Junior High, which is now called Trent Lott Middle School.
- ^ "AirNav: KPQL - Trent Lott International Airport". www.airnav.com. Retrieved May 31, 2019.
- ^ "What are the politics of 'Star Wars'?". Newsweek. September 14, 2016. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
- ^ "About the Institute - Lott Leadership Institute". Lott Leadership Institute. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
Works cited
- Doyle, William (2001). An American insurrection. Doubleday. ISBN 9780385499699.
Further reading
- Lott, Trent. ISBN 0-06-059931-6.
- Orey, Byron D'Andra. "Racial Threat, Republicanism, and the Rebel Flag: Trent Lott and the 2006 Mississippi Senate Race", National Political Science Review July 2009, Vol. 12, pp. 83–96.
External links
- Trent Lott at Curlie
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress
- Profile at Vote Smart
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- Articles
- Lott Decried for Part of Salute to Thurmond[dead link], The Washington Post, Saturday, December 7, 2002; p. A06.
- Sen. Lott Fights to Save Post as Leader[dead link], The Washington Post, Saturday, December 14, 2002; p. A01
- Lott Remarks on Thurmond Echoed 1980 Words[dead link], The Washington Post, Wednesday, December 11, 2002; p. A06
- Sen. Lott's New Spin[dead link] The Washington Post, Saturday, December 14, 2002; p. A24
- Talking Points Memo, a political weblog, has posted Lott's racially inflected fall 1984 interview with the Southern Partisan and discusses his long-standing association with a white supremacist group, the Council of Conservative Citizens
- Rock Steady Archived November 13, 2008, at the Wayback Machine Candid commentary about his career in Interview with Perry Hicks for GulfCoastNews.com
- Joe Conason's Journal: Lott's involvement with the neo-Confederate movement, racists and extreme rightists goes way back, Salon.com, December 12, 2002.
- Bloggers Catch What Washington Post Missed, The Guardian (UK), Saturday, December 21, 2002.
- Katrina Weighs on Lott’s Decision-Making, Roll Call, September 15, 2005 (subscription required).
- Lott to run again for Senate, CNN, Wednesday, January 18, 2006.
- A Minor Injustice: Why Paul Minor?, Harper's Magazine, October 5, 2007.