
Fernando Wood
American politician (1812-1881)
Andrew Lamar Alexander Jr.is an American politician and attorney who served as a United States senator from Tennessee from 2003 to 2021.
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Andrew Lamar Alexander Jr.is an American politician and attorney who served as a United States senator from Tennessee from 2003 to 2021. A member of the Republican Party, he also was the 45th governor of Tennessee from 1979 to 1987 and the 5th United States secretary of education from 1991 to 1993, where he helped with the implementation of Education 2000.
Born in Maryville, Tennessee, Alexander graduated from Vanderbilt University and the New York University School of Law. After establishing a legal career in Nashville, Tennessee, Alexander ran for Governor of Tennessee in 1974, but was defeated by Democrat Ray Blanton. Alexander ran for governor again in 1978, and this time defeated his Democratic opponent, Jake Butcher. He won re-election in 1982 and served as chairman of the National Governors Association from 1985 to 1986.
Alexander served as the president of the University of Tennessee from 1988 until 1991, when he accepted an appointment as Secretary of Education under President George H. W. Bush. Alexander sought the presidential nomination in the 1996 Republican primaries, but withdrew before the Super Tuesday primaries. He sought the nomination again in the 2000 Republican primaries, but dropped out after a poor showing in the Iowa Straw Poll.
In 2002, Alexander was elected to succeed retiring U.S. Senator Fred Thompson. Alexander defeated Congressman Ed Bryant in the Republican primary and Democratic Congressman Bob Clement in the general election. He served as Chairman of the Senate Republican Conference from 2007 to 2012 and as chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee from 2015 to 2021. He introduced the Every Student Succeeds Act, which supplanted the No Child Left Behind Act in 2015. On December 17, 2018, Alexander announced that he would not run for a fourth term in the Senate in 2020.
Put too many one-size-fits-all jackets on Americans and the place explodes.
American politician
September 11 is one of our worst days but it brought out the best in us. It unified us as a country and showed our charitable instincts and reminded us of what we stood for and stand for.
American politician
There are a growing number of conservatives and Republicans who, while they support the president and support the war in Iraq, wonder how many of these nation-building wars we’re going to engage in and what the parameters of that are.
American politician
Sooner or later, I need to begin to do what any candidate does in a presidential race; I need to begin to win.
American politician
The goal with a big piece of social legislation is to have a bipartisan result, so the country will accept it.
American politician
It is a rare American who does not have some story about how music has made our lives richer and more interesting, how it has changed our moods, brought out the best in our character and even sometimes helped us earn a living.
American politician
I think we do better as a country when we go step by step toward a goal, and the goal in this case should be reducing health care costs.
American politician
As Governor, I could think of only one way to unify our State that was made up of so many different climates, political beliefs and people, and that was our music.
American politician
I need to know the price of a gallon of milk and a dozen eggs. I need to know right now.
American politician
We are the only country in the world that has taken people from so many different backgrounds, which is a great achievement by itself, but an even greater achievement is that we have turned all of that variety and diversity into unity.
American politician
If Mr. Bush and Mr. Forbes don’t get most of the votes, they should be arrested for wasting money.
American politician
The job of mayor and Governor is becoming more and more like the job of university president, which I used to be; it looks like you are in charge, but you are not.
American politician
Well, here’s what I think. I mean, the people are saying, ‘We don’t want it,’ and the Democrats are saying, ‘We don’t care. We’re going to pass it anyway.’ And so for the next three months, Washington will be consumed with the Democrats trying to jam this through in a very messy procedure an unpopular health care bill.
American politician
We do all the appropriating. They do not do any of it down at the White House. They send a budget up here, and we don’t have to pay any attention it to at all. We do what we want to do.
American politician