Tom Daschle Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
Thomas Andrew Daschle (born December 9, 1947), known as Tom Daschle, is the current Senate Minority Leader in the United States Senate until his term ends in 2005. He was defeated Nov 2nd, 2004 by the Republican candidate, John Thune, in his bid for re-election.
Daschle was born in Aberdeen, South Dakota, where he grew up in a working family as the eldest of four brothers. He became the first person in his family to graduate from college when he earned a political science degree from South Dakota State University in 1969.
After serving three years as an intelligence officer in the U.S. Air Force Strategic Air Command, he spent five years as an aide to South Dakota Senator James Abourezk.
Tom Daschle is married to lobbyist and former FAA official Linda Hall Daschle; he has three children from his first marriage: Kelly, Nathan and Lindsay.
In 1978, Daschle was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, where he served four terms and quickly became a part of the Democratic leadership.
In 1986, Daschle was elected to the Senate in a close victory over incumbent Republican James Abdnor. In his first year, he was appointed to the powerful Senate Finance Committee, an unusual honor for a freshman. In 1988, then-Senate Democratic Leader George Mitchell named Daschle the first-ever co-chair of the Democratic Policy Committee, making him the first South Dakotan ever to hold a Senate leadership position.
To enhance his state's economy, Daschle also became the first U.S. Senator to hire a full-time economic development director, a staff position he maintains today. He was also one of the first members of Congress to establish a toll-free telephone line that connects South Dakotans to his Washington, DC office.
In 1992 and 1998, South Dakotans re-elected Daschle to the Senate by overwhelming margins. In 1994, he was chosen by his colleagues to succeed the retiring Senator George Mitchell as Democratic Leader. In the history of the Senate, only Lyndon Johnson had served fewer years before being elected to lead his party. In addition to the Leader's post, Daschle also serves as a member of the Agriculture Committee. In past Congresses, he has served on the Veterans, Indian Affairs, Finance and Ethics Committees.
In October, 2001 Daschle's office received a letter containing anthrax. See 2001 anthrax attack.
During the 2004 Congressional elections, Daschle lost his seat to Republican challenger John Thune in a bitterly contested battle, the first ousting of a majority or minority leader since 1952 when Arizona Senator Ernest McFarland lost his seat to Barry Goldwater.