Biography
Addison Mitchell McConnell III (born February 20, 1942) is a prominent American politician and lawyer known as Mitch McConnell. The United States Republican Senator has served as both the majority and minority leader. He has had a major impact on politics and decision-making in the United States.
He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science with honors and graduated from the University of Kentucky Law School with a law degree. After five weeks of training at Fort Knox, he was medically discharged from the United States Army Reserve.
Mitch McConnell began his political career as an intern for Senator John Sherman Cooper before winning election as Jefferson County Judge/Executive. More than a decade later, he became the first Republican to win in Kentucky when he defeated Democrat Walter Dee Huddleston in the U.S. Senate race.
He has moved to the right from his previous position and is known as a moderate who supports causes for political gain rather than ideology. Mitch McConnell is no longer seen as a popular leader but as a bad guy.
He was previously married to Sherrill Redmon and has three children from that marriage. Mitch McConnell is married to Elaine Chao, who served as Donald Trump’s transportation secretary. Despite being a powerful leader, he must constantly guard against opponents both within and outside his own party.
Minority Leader of the United States Senate
Mitch McConnell | |
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Mitch McConnell: History ‧ Biography ‧ Photos | |
Wiki Events & About Data | |
Full name: | Addison Mitchell McConnell III |
Stage name: | Mitch McConnell |
Born: | February 20, 1942 (age 82) |
Place of birth: | Sheffield, Alabama, United States |
Position held: | Jefferson County Judge/Executive (1978–1985), Assistant United States Attorney General (1975–1975) |
Nationality: | American |
Height: | 1.75 minutes |
Parents: | Julia McConnell, Addison Mitchell McConnell |
Siblings: | Do not have |
Wife • Husband/wife: | Elaine Chao (married 1993), Sherrill Redmon (married 1968–1980) |
Girlfriend • Partner: | Do not have |
The children: | Elly McConnell, Porter McConnell, Claire McConnell |
Job: | Politician • Senator |
Net worth: | 150 million dollars |
Early life and education
On February 20, 1942, in Sheffield, Alabama, United States, Mitch McConnell was born as Addison Mitchell McConnell Jr., the son of Addison Mitchell McConnell and Julia McConnell.
He was of English, Scottish and Irish ancestry and spent his childhood in Athens. He was diagnosed with polio at the age of two and was treated at the Warm Spring Institute, which cost his family a large sum of money.
Thanks to the dedication of his mother, Julia McConnell, and the efforts of his physical therapist, he made a full recovery by the age of five. He even became a talented baseball player later in life. When Mitch McConnell was eight years old, his family moved to Georgia. They later moved to Louisville, where he attended DuPont Manual High School.
At the University of Louisville, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with honors in political science in 1964. He was a member of Phi Kappa Tau and served as president of the Student Council. Mitch McConnell then completed his law degree at the University of Kentucky College of Law, where he was again elected president of the Student Bar Association.
He maintained close ties with his alma mater and regularly supported its sports teams. In Louisville, Kentucky, in March 1967, he joined the United States Army Reserve. Five years later, he was medically discharged.
Career
In 1964, Mitch McConnell began his political career as an intern for Senator John Sherman Cooper. He eventually served as an assistant to Senator Marlow Cook and then as a deputy assistant attorney general to Gerald Ford. He was elected Jefferson County Judge/Executive in 1977 and re-elected in 1981 after gaining experience in the position. He won the 1984 U.S. Senate election against Democrat Walter Dee Huddleston.
Despite Ronald Reagan’s resounding success in the presidential election, he was the only Republican to win the Senate that year and the only Republican to win Kentucky since 1968. With just 4.4% of the vote, Mitch McConnell defeated former Louisville Mayor Harvey I. Sloane in 1990. His campaigns were marked by humorous posters and interviews, helping him easily defeat Steve Beshear in 1996 and Lois Combs Weinberg in 2002.
In 2008, he narrowly defeated Bruce Lunsford again, but in 2014, he defeated Matt Bevin by a wide margin. In the 1998 and 2000 elections, he served as chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. In the 108th Congress, he was elected Majority Leader in 2003 and re-elected in 2004. When the Republicans lost control of the Senate in 2006, Mitch McConnell was appointed Minority Leader. In 2014, he returned to the Senate Majority Leader.
He made it clear when he was minority leader that preventing President Barack Obama from winning a second term was not his goal. He is considered a centrist, supporting issues for political rather than ideological reasons. As a result, he has been labeled a centrist who has moved to the right. He previously supported raising the minimum wage and engaging in collective bargaining but has since changed his stance. His popularity in his home state has declined as a result. Mitch McConnell wants to be known, unlike most politicians who prefer to be liked by voters.
Mitch McConnell initially supported anti-racism legislation and better treatment of Muslim refugees in his foreign policy. He quickly reversed course and introduced the Protect America Act in 2007. He opposed US military operations in Syria in 2013 and opposed a timetable for US withdrawal from Iraq.
He believes that even if the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen is accused of war crimes, the United States must maintain close ties with Saudi Arabia. Mitch McConnell supported the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act by voting to override President Barack Obama’s veto but later criticized the measure for having unintended consequences.
He has argued that restrictions on campaign finance laws reduce participation and undermine competition. He is a supporter of free speech. He was responsible for opposing the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act. Mitch McConnell opposed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, also known as ObamaCare, and introduced the Common Sense Medical Malpractice Reform Act in 2002.
Mitch McConnell supports the Small Business Liability Reform Act, which reduces liability for non-manufacturing businesses and protects small businesses from lawsuits. He disagrees with Donald Trump’s plan to restrict Muslim immigration to the United States.
Mitch McConnell pushed Donald Trump to withdraw from the Paris Agreement and opposed policies that would slow the US economy to protect the environment. He criticized Trump’s proposals, but after Senator Rand Paul withdrew from the Republican primary, he endorsed Donald Trump.
He is now one of the most important Republican leaders. Mitch McConnell must be wary of being marginalized by his opponents in both the opposition and his own party, as he remains divisive.
Awards & Achievements
Mitch McConnell was awarded the Kentucky Life Sciences Champion Award for promoting advancements in the life sciences industry.
Personal life
After having three children: Elly McConnell, Porter McConnell, and Claire McConnell, Mitch McConnell divorced Sherrill Redmon, to whom he was married from 1968 to 1980.
Then, in 1993, he married Elaine Chao, who later served as Secretary of Transportation under Donald Trump and Secretary of Labor under George W. Bush.
He underwent triple bypass surgery in 2003 due to an artery blockage discovered during a health check. He is a devout Baptist and published a book in 2016 called The Long Game, which details his personal life and political career.
Mitch McConnell’s father-in-law left him a large sum of money when his mother-in-law died, making him one of the richest senators in the United States.
Net worth
Compared to other senators, Mitch McConnell’s net worth is already huge. However, he continues to make more money despite this.
Mitch McConnell’s net worth is $150 million. He inherited over $40 million from his family.
Social media
- Instagram: @mcconnellpress
- Twitter: @mcconnellpress