Bill Hagerty facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bill Hagerty
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Official portrait, 2021
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| United States Senator from Tennessee |
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| Assumed office January 3, 2021 Serving with Marsha Blackburn
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| Preceded by | Lamar Alexander |
| United States Ambassador to Japan | |
| In office August 31, 2017 – July 22, 2019 |
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| President | Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | Caroline Kennedy |
| Succeeded by | Rahm Emanuel (2022) |
| Tennessee Commissioner of Economic and Community Development |
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| In office February 14, 2011 – June 6, 2014 |
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| Governor | Bill Haslam |
| Preceded by | Matt Kisber |
| Succeeded by | Randy Boyd |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
William Francis Hagerty IV
August 14, 1959 Gallatin, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse |
Chrissy Hagerty
(m. 2001) |
| Children | 4 |
| Education | Vanderbilt University (BA, JD) |
William Francis Hagerty IV (born August 14, 1959) is an American politician and businessman. He is a U.S. Senator for Tennessee since 2021. He belongs to the Republican Party. Before becoming a Senator, he was the U.S. Ambassador to Japan from 2017 to 2019. He served under President Donald Trump.
Hagerty worked as an advisor for the economy under President George H. W. Bush. He then started a career in private equity, which involves investing in companies. He helped start Hagerty Peterson & Company, an investment firm. From 2011 to 2014, Hagerty was a commissioner in Tennessee. He helped bring a Major League Soccer team to Nashville. President Trump chose Hagerty to be the U.S. Ambassador to Japan in 2017. The U.S. Senate approved him. He resigned in 2019 to run for the U.S. Senate. He won the election in 2020.
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Who is Bill Hagerty?
Early Life and School
Bill Hagerty was born in Gallatin, Tennessee. He became an Eagle Scout, which is the highest rank in Boy Scouts. In 2017, he received the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award. He finished high school in Kentucky in 1977. He went to Vanderbilt University. He earned a degree in economics and business in 1981. He also earned a law degree from Vanderbilt Law School in 1984.
His Career Journey
Hagerty started his career at Boston Consulting Group. He worked there for three years in Tokyo, Japan. He was an economic advisor for President George H. W. Bush. After that, he worked in private equity. He co-founded Hagerty Peterson & Company, an investment firm. He also helped with Mitt Romney's 2008 presidential campaign.
From 2011 to 2014, Hagerty worked for the state of Tennessee. He was the commissioner of Economic and Community Development. In this role, he helped bring big companies like Bridgestone and Nissan to Tennessee. He also served on the boards of several companies.
Bringing Soccer to Nashville
Before becoming an ambassador, Hagerty started a group to bring a Major League Soccer (MLS) team to Nashville. This effort was successful! Nashville was chosen as one of the new MLS cities in 2017. The team, Nashville SC, started playing in 2020.
Working with President Trump
During the 2016 United States presidential election, Hagerty supported Jeb Bush at first. When Bush left the race, Hagerty worked for Donald Trump's campaign in Tennessee. After Trump won, Hagerty helped choose people for Trump's new government.
President Trump then nominated Hagerty to be the United States Ambassador to Japan. The Senate approved him in July 2017. He was sworn in later that month. Hagerty resigned from this role in July 2019. He wanted to run for the U.S. Senate.
Serving in the U.S. Senate
Running for Senate in 2020
In 2018, Senator Lamar Alexander announced he would not run again. President Trump supported Hagerty for the open Senate seat. Hagerty officially started his campaign in September 2019. He raised a lot of money for his campaign.
On August 6, 2020, Hagerty won the Republican primary election. He then won the general election in November. He defeated the Democratic candidate, Marquita Bradshaw. Hagerty became a U.S. Senator on January 3, 2021.
What He Does as a Senator
When the U.S. Capitol was attacked in January 2021, Hagerty first planned to object to the election results. However, after the attack, he changed his mind. He voted to approve the election count. Later, in May 2021, he voted against creating a special group to investigate the Capitol attack.
In August 2021, Hagerty used a special rule to slow down a vote on a big spending bill. He was concerned about the cost. This action caused some frustration among other senators.
Committees He Serves On
As a Senator, Hagerty works on several important committees:
- Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
- Committee on Foreign Relations
- Committee on Appropriations
- Committee on Rules and Administration
Bill Hagerty's Political Views
His Core Beliefs
Bill Hagerty describes himself as a conservative. His political views are often seen as similar to those of Donald Trump.
During his 2020 Senate campaign, Hagerty left the board of a company. This happened after someone claimed the company was giving money to an organization he disagreed with.
Key Issues He Supports
Hagerty believes the U.S. should continue to support Israel. He wants to lower taxes and supports a balanced budget amendment. This would mean the government cannot spend more money than it takes in. He does not support raising the federal minimum wage.
He is against the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, a healthcare law. He thinks the government should be less involved in healthcare. However, he does support helping rural hospitals stay open. Hagerty also supports using more fossil fuels for energy. He wants the U.S. to be energy independent.
Personal Life
Hagerty is married to Chrissy Hagerty. They have four children. He is an Episcopalian. He identifies as a conservative Christian.
Images for kids
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Hagerty (right) with members of the Boy Scouts of America and President George W. Bush in 2006.
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Hagerty and his family with Donald and Melania Trump in 2019.
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Hagerty's campaign logo from the 2020 election.
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