American lawyer and politician (born 1938)
Sam Nunn
|
---|
|
|
|
In office
January 3, 1987 ? January 3, 1995
|
Preceded by
| Barry Goldwater
|
---|
Succeeded by
| Strom Thurmond
|
---|
|
In office
November 8, 1972 ? January 3, 1997
|
Preceded by
| David Gambrell
|
---|
Succeeded by
| Max Cleland
|
---|
|
In office
January 13, 1969 ? November 8, 1972
|
Preceded by
| Glenn Phillips
|
---|
Succeeded by
| Guy Hill
|
---|
|
|
Born
| Samuel Augustus Nunn Jr.
(
1938-09-08
)
September 8, 1938
(age 85)
Macon, Georgia
, U.S.
|
---|
Political party
| Democratic
|
---|
Spouse
|
Colleen O'Brien
(
m.
1965)
|
---|
Children
| 2, including
Michelle
|
---|
Education
| |
---|
|
Allegiance
|
United States
|
---|
Branch/service
|
United States Coast Guard
|
---|
Years of service
| 1959?1968
|
---|
Unit
| United States Coast Guard Reserve
|
---|
|
|
Samuel Augustus Nunn Jr.
(born September 8, 1938) is an American politician who served as a
United States Senator
from
Georgia
(1972?1997) as a member of the
Democratic Party
.
After leaving Congress, Nunn co-founded the
Nuclear Threat Initiative
(NTI), a charitable organization working to prevent catastrophic attacks with
nuclear
,
biological
, and
chemical weapons
, for which he is a co-chair. His political experience and credentials on
national defense
reportedly earned him consideration as a potential running mate for presidential candidates
John Kerry
and
Barack Obama
after they became their party's nominees.
[1]
Early life
[
edit
]
Nunn was born in
Macon, Georgia
, the son of Mary Elizabeth (nee Cannon) and Samuel Augustus Nunn, who was an attorney and mayor of
Perry, Georgia
.
[2]
Nunn was raised in Perry. He is a grandnephew of
Congressman
Carl Vinson
.
Nunn was an
Eagle Scout
and recipient of the
Distinguished Eagle Scout Award
from the
Boy Scouts of America
.
[3]
[4]
In high school, Nunn was a standout athlete, captaining the school's basketball team to a state championship.
[5]
Nunn attended
Georgia Tech
in 1956,
[6]
where he was initiated as a brother of
Phi Delta Theta
. He transferred to
Emory University
in 1959 and received his undergraduate degree in 1961.
[7]
He then received a degree from the
Emory University School of Law
in 1962.
[6]
Early career
[
edit
]
After active duty service in the
United States Coast Guard
, he served six years in the
US Coast Guard Reserve
and attained the rank of petty officer.
[8]
He was also briefly a Congressional staff member.
Nunn returned to Perry, Georgia, where he practiced law and managed his family's farm. He served as president of the Perry Chamber of Commerce.
Political career
[
edit
]
Nunn first entered politics as a member of the
Georgia House of Representatives
in 1968.
[6]
He was elected to the
United States Senate
in 1972
, defeating appointed U.S. Senator
David H. Gambrell
in the Democratic
primary
and U.S. Rep.
Fletcher Thompson
in the
general election
. Nunn retired from the Senate in 1997, offering a lack of "zest and enthusiasm" as justification.
[9]
During his tenure in the U.S. Senate, Nunn served as chairman of the
U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services
and the
Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations
. He also served on the
Intelligence
and
Small Business Committees
. His legislative achievements include the landmark
Department of Defense Reorganization Act
, drafted with the late Senator
Barry Goldwater
, and the
Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction
Program,
[3]
which provided assistance to Russia and the former Soviet republics for securing and destroying their excess nuclear, biological and chemical weapons.
[
citation needed
]
The
Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction
program deactivated more than 7,600 nuclear
warheads
. He was supposedly a top choice to be
Secretary of Defense
or
State
in 1992 and 1996 and in a prospective
Gore
cabinet in 2000.
[
citation needed
]
Overall, Nunn was a
moderate
-to-
conservative
Democrat
[10]
who often broke with his party on a host of
social
and
economic issues
. He opposed the budget bill of 1993, which included provisions to raise taxes to reduce the
budget deficit
. He neither supported nor opposed
Hillary Clinton
's attempt to establish universal health care, though he spoke out very strongly against the proposed insurance mandate.
[
citation needed
]
Nunn actively worked to block President
Bill Clinton
's proposal to allow homosexuals to
serve openly in the military
.
[11]
[12]
LGBT activist
David Mixner
openly referred to Nunn as an "old fashioned bigot" for opposing Clinton's plan to lift the military, though this was also reported to have angered the White House.
[13]
In 2008, Nunn endorsed a new
Pentagon
study to examine the issue of homosexuals serving openly in the military: "I think [when] 15 years go by on any personnel policy, it's appropriate to take another look at it?see how it's working, ask the hard questions, hear from the military. Start with a Pentagon study."
[14]
According to opensecrets.org, Sam Nunn received about $2.4 million during his 1989?1994 political career. His main contributors were the finance/insurance/real estate sector (totaling $411,665; $46,660 was received from Goldman, Sachs & Co.), the defense industry, lawyers and lobbyists, the alcohol and non-alcoholic beverages industry (including Coca-Cola), and the agriculture sector.
[15]
He voted in favor of
school prayer
, capping punitive damage awards, amending the
U.S. Constitution
to require a
balanced budget
, and limiting death penalty appeals. On certain issues like abortion, the
environment
,
gun control
, and
affirmative action
, Nunn took a more liberal line. He consistently voted in favor of increased immigration.
[16]
One of his most controversial votes was his vote against the
Gulf War
.
[17]
In September 1994, Nunn, former President
Jimmy Carter
and former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Colin Powell
were asked by President
Bill Clinton
to go to
Haiti
to force the departure of the military dictator Lieutenant General
Raoul Cedras
. In 1994 Clinton publicly demanded that the Haitian government step aside and restore democratic rule. Clinton deployed a large military force to surround the country in September 1994. Just before the troops reached Haiti, Clinton sent a delegation led by Carter, Nunn and Powell to urge Cedras to step down and leave the country. Cedras agreed and surrendered the government, and he and his top lieutenants left the country in October. Just days later, American forces escorted the country's elected president,
Jean-Bertrand Aristide
, into the capital. Afterwards, Clinton lavished praise on Nunn's delegation for averting a military strike on the nation. "As all of you know, at my request, President Carter, Gen. Colin Powell, and Sen. Sam Nunn went to Haiti to facilitate the dictators' departure. I have been in constant contact with them for the last two days. They have worked tirelessly, almost around the clock, and I want to thank them for undertaking this crucial mission on behalf of all Americans", Clinton said.
[18]
Upon his exit from the Senate at the end of 1996, Nunn was the recipient of bipartisan praise from his colleagues.
Republican
Senator
John Warner
of
Virginia
concluded, "Senator Nunn quickly established himself as one of the leading experts in the Congress and, indeed, all of the United States on national security and foreign policy. He gained a reputation in our country and, indeed, worldwide as a global thinker, and that is where I think he will make his greatest contribution in the years to come, wherever he may be, in terms of being a global thinker. His approach to national security issues has been guided by one fundamental criteria: What Sam Nunn believes is in the best interest of the United States of America."
[19]
Post-Congressional life
[
edit
]
Nunn founded the
Nuclear Threat Initiative
in 2001 and served as co-chair and CEO until June 2017, when he became co-chair with
Ted Turner
and
Ernest J. Moniz
.
In addition to his work with the
Nuclear Threat Initiative
, Nunn continues his service in the
public policy
arena as a distinguished professor in the
Sam Nunn School of International Affairs
at
Georgia Tech
. There, he hosted the biennial Sam Nunn Policy Forum, a policy meeting that brings together noted academic, government, and private-sector experts on technology, public policy, and international affairs to address issues of immediate importance to the nation.
[20]
Nunn was an active advisory board member for the
Partnership for a Secure America
, a
not-for-profit organization
dedicated to recreating the bipartisan center in American national security and foreign policy. He signed a number of the organization's bipartisan policy statements on important issues ranging from
climate change
to enhanced interrogation practices and
nonproliferation
.
[21]
Additionally, Nunn serves as Chairman Emeritus of the board of trustees for the
Center for Strategic and International Studies
in Washington, D.C. At CSIS Nunn and former Senator and United States Secretary of Defense
William Cohen
joined for a series of public roundtable discussions designed to focus Americans on the seminal issues that the United States must face. The Cohen-Nunn Dialogues featured top thought leaders, public policy experts, prominent journalists, and leading scholars.
[22]
Nunn is a retired partner in the law firm of
King & Spalding
. He was a board member of
The Coca-Cola Company
. In 2005, Nunn teamed up with former Senator
Fred Thompson
to promote a new film,
Last Best Chance
, on the dangers of excess nuclear weapons and materials. The film was produced by the Nuclear Threat Initiative and aired on
HBO
in October 2005.
[23]
He gave a full presentation outlining his goals at the
Commonwealth Club of California
.
Nunn?along with
William Perry
,
Henry Kissinger
, and
George Shultz
?called upon governments to embrace the vision of a world free of nuclear weapons, and in five
Wall Street Journal
op-eds
proposed an ambitious program of urgent steps to that end. The four created the Nuclear Security Project to advance this agenda. Nunn reinforced that agenda during a speech at the
Harvard Kennedy School
on October 21, 2008, saying, "I'm much more concerned about a terrorist without a return address that cannot be deterred than I am about deliberate war between nuclear powers. You can't deter a group who is willing to commit suicide. We are in a different era. You have to understand the world has changed."
[24]
In 2010, the four were featured in a documentary film entitled
Nuclear Tipping Point
, also produced by the
Nuclear Threat Initiative
. The film is a visual and historical depiction of the ideas laid forth in the
Wall Street Journal
op-eds and reinforces their commitment to a world without nuclear weapons and the steps that can be taken to reach that goal.
[
citation needed
]
Nunn was a Member of the Supervisory Council of the
International Luxembourg Forum on Preventing Nuclear Catastrophe
, a not-for-profit organization uniting leading experts on non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, materials and delivery vehicles. He also served on the Board of Advisors for the
National Bureau of Asian Research
, a non-profit, nonpartisan research institution.
[25]
In June 2013, Nunn added his voice to public support for an updated nuclear-arms limitation agreement with Russia. The 1992 Nunn-Lugar agreement had just expired at a time of increasing political tension between the two nations. Nunn applauded the determination of presidents Obama and Putin to renew its core provisions, while urging further work to agree on chemical and biological weapons limits also.
[26]
Nunn served as a member the Board of Curators for the
Georgia Historical Society
. He was an advisory board member of
Theranos
, a fraudulent biotech company.
[27]
Speculation of 2008 presidential or vice-presidential candidacy
[
edit
]
On August 19, 2007, Nunn said he would not decide on a presidential bid until after the 2008 primary season, when presumptive nominees by both parties would emerge.
[28]
However, speculation over a Nunn White House bid ended on April 18, 2008, when he endorsed Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama.
[29]
Despite having publicly declared his lack of interest in being a candidate for vice president, Nunn continued to be mentioned by some political pundits and politicians as a potential running mate for Obama.
[30]
[31]
[32]
In an interview published June 4, 2008 by
The Guardian
, former President Jimmy Carter said that he favored Nunn (a fellow Georgian) as Obama's possible choice for vice president.
Peggy Noonan
, a columnist and former Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush speechwriter also expressed her support for Nunn.
[33]
In an interview with
CNBC
on August 22, 2008, billionaire investor
Warren Buffett
said that he favored Nunn as Obama's choice for vice president.
[
citation needed
]
Personal life
[
edit
]
Nunn is married to the former Colleen O'Brien. Nunn met his future wife at the
U.S. Embassy in Paris
while she was working for the
Central Intelligence Agency
. They have two children,
Mary Michelle Nunn
and Samuel Brian Nunn.
[34]
Michelle Nunn serves as CEO of
Points of Light
and is the CEO of
CARE
and
ran unsuccessfully for the Senate in 2014
.
[35]
According to the
Lee Iacocca
book,
Talking Straight
(1988),
Chrysler Corporation
came under scrutiny for selling new vehicles which were driven by company executives before the odometers were connected. Iacocca, Chrysler's CEO, was not concerned about the scandal at first but, within days of a meeting with Nunn in 1987 in which Nunn spoke of his own recently purchased
Chrysler Fifth Avenue
, Iacocca launched a detailed investigation into the claims, and extended warranties ? and public apologies ? to numerous current Chrysler owners.
[36]
In 1989, it was reported that Nunn had had a
drunk driving
crash in 1964. This report emerged during the
United States Secretary of Defense
confirmation hearings of ex-Senator
John Tower
. Nunn was opposing Tower due to Tower's alleged drinking problems.
[37]
Senator Nunn's membership in
Augusta National Golf Club
became the focus of a campaign by women seeking membership in the exclusive all-male club in 2002. The club had admitted its first African-American member in 1990, but was still closed to women. The Club chose to air the Masters without commercials rather than succumb to the pressure to open admissions to women.
[38]
Nunn is a Freemason.
[39]
Awards and honors
[
edit
]
- In 1990, the Georgia Institute of Technology renamed its international affairs department, the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs.
- In 1996, Nunn received the U.S. Senator John Heinz Award for Greatest Public Service by an Elected or Appointed Official, an award given out annually by
Jefferson Awards
.
[40]
- In 2004, Nunn and Lugar were jointly awarded the
Heinz Awards
Chairman's Medal for their efforts.
[41]
- An honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from
Oglethorpe University
in 2006
[42]
- The Hessian Peace Prize in 2008 for his commitment on nuclear disarmament and for combating nuclear terrorism.
[43]
- In 2009, Sam Nunn was presented the Lifetime Contributions to American Diplomacy Award by the
American Foreign Service Association
.
- 2011 Georgia Trustee. Given by the
Georgia Historical Society
, in conjunction with the
Governor of Georgia
, to individuals whose accomplishments and community service reflect the ideals of the founding body of
Trustees
, which governed the Georgia colony from 1732 to 1752.
[44]
- 2011 Inaugural recipient of the annual
Ivan Allen Jr. Prize for Social Courage
, awarded by the Georgia Institute of Technology and Georgia Tech's
Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts
[45]
- 2013 Knight Commander of the Order of Merit of the
Federal Republic of Germany
[46]
- Lone Sailor Award
by the U.S. Navy Veterans Memorial in September 2014
[47]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Harris, John F. (2008-08-19).
"Nader predicts Obama to pick Clinton"
,
Politico
.com
- ^
"OBITUARIES [NATIONAL] Series: OBITUARIES"
.
St. Petersburg Times
. August 12, 2000. Archived from
the original
on September 25, 2017
. Retrieved
July 7,
2017
.
- ^
a
b
Townley, Alvin (2006-12-26).
Legacy of Honor: The Values and Influence of America's Eagle Scouts
. New York: St. Martin's Press. pp. 121?122.
ISBN
0-312-36653-1
. Archived from
the original
on 2008-09-24
. Retrieved
2006-12-29
.
- ^
"Distinguished Eagle Scouts"
(PDF)
.
Scouting.org
. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on 2016-03-12
. Retrieved
2010-11-04
.
- ^
The New York Times
, January 4, 1987.
- ^
a
b
c
"A Conversation With Sam Nunn"
.
Georgia Tech Alumni Magazine
. Georgia Tech Alumni Association. Spring 1990. Archived from
the original
on October 28, 2005
. Retrieved
2007-03-06
.
- ^
"Sam Nunn | United States senator | Britannica"
.
www.britannica.com
. Retrieved
2022-07-26
.
- ^
Lagan, Christopher.
"Honor, Respect, Devotion to Duty: Senator Sam Nunn"
Archived
2021-04-11 at the
Wayback Machine
,
Coast Guard Compass
, September 26, 2014. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
- ^
Sack, Kevin (October 10, 1995).
"Nunn, Model Southern Democrat, To Retire From Senate Next Year"
.
The New York Times
. Retrieved
2007-12-31
.
- ^
Encyclopedia of World Biography on Sam Nunn
, BookRags.com. Retrieved on 2007-10-25
- ^
"A Retreat on Gay Soldiers"
.
The New York Times
. 1993-09-19
. Retrieved
2007-03-10
.
- ^
Kasindorf, Martin (1993-03-30).
"A Plan for Military Gays; Nunn would keep them 'in the closet'
"
.
Newsday
. Archived from
the original
on 2022-02-15
. Retrieved
2007-03-10
.
- ^
"David Mixner, LGBTQ+ activist and Bill Clinton campaign adviser, dies at 77"
. Associated Press. March 12, 2024
. Retrieved
March 12,
2024
.
- ^
Says Nunn: It might be time to take another look at 'don't ask, don't tell'
Archived
2012-01-10 at the
Wayback Machine
, ajc.com; accessed February 27, 2017.
- ^
Profile
, opensecrets.org; accessed February 27, 2017.
- ^
Immigration profile of:Sen. Sam Nunn (D-Georgia)
, NumbersUSA.com; retrieved October 25, 2007.
- ^
Government & Politics:Sam Nunn
Archived
2013-05-14 at the
Wayback Machine
, The New Georgia Encyclopedia; retrieved October 25, 2007.
- ^
"President Carter Leads Delegation to Negotiate Peace With Haiti"
.
cartercenter.org
. Retrieved
February 27,
2017
.
- ^
"Congressional Record: Main Page"
.
www.gpoaccess.gov
. Archived from
the original
on 6 April 2003
. Retrieved
15 January
2022
.
- ^
"The Sam Nunn School of International Affairs"
.
inta.gatech.edu
. Georgia Institute of Technology. Archived from
the original
on May 18, 2008
. Retrieved
February 27,
2017
.
- ^
"Bipartisan Policy Statements"
.
PSAonline.org
. Retrieved
2017-02-27
.
- ^
"Cohen-Nunn Dialogues"
.
csis.org
. Archived from
the original
on June 20, 2009
. Retrieved
February 27,
2017
.
- ^
"Rain and Fire"
.
The New Yorker
. 2005-09-26
. Retrieved
2022-07-26
.
- ^
Maclin, Beth (2008-10-20).
"A Nuclear weapon-free world is possible, Nunn says"
. Belfer Center, Harvard University
. Retrieved
October 21,
2008
.
- ^
NBR Board of Advisors
Archived
2018-08-23 at the
Wayback Machine
; accessed February 27, 2017.
- ^
"Obama, Putin to sign new deal on reducing nuclear threat"
. Reuters. Jun 17, 2013
. Retrieved
July 2,
2013
.
- ^
"A singular board at Theranos"
.
Fortune
. June 12, 2014
. Retrieved
2015-10-12
.
- ^
Galloway, Jim (19 August 2007).
"Former Sen. Sam Nunn Weighs Run for White House"
.
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
.
- ^
"Sam Nunn lines up behind Barack Obama as best equipped to stop political 'demonizing, dumbing down'
"
.
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
. April 18, 2008
. Retrieved
February 27,
2017
.
- ^
Peterson, Larry (March 30, 2008).
"How about an Obama-Nunn ticket"
.
savannahnow.com
. Archived from
the original
on May 9, 2008
. Retrieved
April 29,
2008
.
- ^
Mooney, Alexander (May 21, 2008).
"Carter: Obama-Clinton ticket unlikely"
.
blogs.cnn.com
. Retrieved
May 21,
2008
.
- ^
Brooks, David (May 29, 2008).
"The Running Mate Choice"
.
The New York Times
. Retrieved
May 21,
2008
.
- ^
Freedland, Jonathan (June 4, 2008).
"US elections: Jimmy Carter tells Barack Obama not to pick Hillary Clinton as running mate"
.
The Guardian
. London
. Retrieved
May 23,
2010
.
- ^
Has Sam Nunn's time for VP spot arrived?
, ajc.com, July 12, 2008.
- ^
Galloway, Jim (July 22, 2013).
"Michelle Nunn declares herself a U.S. Senate candidate"
.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
. Archived from
the original
on April 25, 2014.
- ^
Iacocca, Lee A.
; Kleinfield, Sonny (1989).
Talking Straight
. New York:
Bantam Books
. p. 127.
ISBN
9780553278057
.
- ^
"Nunn Admits Being Drunk In '64 Crash"
.
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
. Retrieved
July 22,
2008
– via newsbank.com.
- ^
Sandomir, Richard (September 28, 2002).
"GOLF; Women's Group Lobbies Seven of Augusta's Members"
.
The New York Times
. Retrieved
February 27,
2017
.
- ^
"Supreme Temple Architects Hall of Honor"
. 2009-02-08. Archived from
the original
on 2009-02-08
. Retrieved
2023-04-07
.
- ^
"National ? Jefferson Awards"
.
JeffersonAwards.org
. Archived from
the original
on 2010-11-24
. Retrieved
2013-08-05
.
- ^
"The Heinz Awards :: Richard Lugar + Sam Nunn"
.
heinzawards.net
.
- ^
"Honorary Degrees Awarded by Oglethorpe University"
. Oglethorpe University. Archived from
the original
on 2015-03-19
. Retrieved
2015-03-04
.
- ^
LUKA netconsult GmbH.
"Hessian Peace Prize"
.
hsfk.de
.
- ^
"Georgia's New Trustees"
.
georgiatrend.com
. February 2011.
- ^
"Ivan Allen Jr. Prize for Progress and Service ? Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts"
.
gatech.edu
. Archived from
the original
on 2012-01-21
. Retrieved
2012-10-11
.
- ^
Lingenfelser, Mike.
"Ein Verdienstkreuz am Rande"
[A Cross of Merit on the Edge].
Bayerischer Rundfunk
(in German). Archived from
the original
on February 8, 2013
. Retrieved
March 5,
2018
.
- ^
"Sam Nunn to be honored by Navy Memorial"
.
Navy Times
. 4 September 2014
. Retrieved
13 October
2014
.
Further reading
[
edit
]
- McElroy, Roland (2017).
The Best President the Nation Never Had: A Memoir of Working with Sam Nunn
. Macon, GA: Mercer University Press.
ISBN
9780881466287
.
OCLC
994371337
.
External links
[
edit
]
Wikiquote has quotations related to
Sam Nunn
.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to
Sam Nunn
.
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