Lincoln Chafee facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lincoln Chafee
Official Senate portrait
74th Governor of Rhode Island
In office January 4, 2011 – January 6, 2015
Lieutenant	Elizabeth Roberts
Preceded by	Donald Carcieri
Succeeded by	Gina Raimondo
United States Senator from Rhode Island
In office November 2, 1999 – January 3, 2007
Preceded by	John Chafee
Succeeded by	Sheldon Whitehouse
Mayor of Warwick
In office January 1, 1993 – November 1, 1999
Preceded by	Charles Donovan
Succeeded by	Scott Avedisian
Personal details
Born	Lincoln Davenport Chafee (1953-03-26) March 26, 1953 (age 72) Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.
Political party	Libertarian (2019–present)
Other political affiliations	Republican (until 2007) Independent (2007–2013) Democratic (2013–2019)
Spouse	Stephanie Birney Danforth ​ (m. 1990)​
Children	3, including Louisa
Residences	Teton Village, Wyoming, U.S.
Education	Brown University (BA)

Lincoln Davenport Chafee (born March 26, 1953) is an American politician who has served in many important roles. He was the mayor of Warwick, Rhode Island, a United States Senator, and the 74th Governor of Rhode Island.

Chafee has been a member of several political parties. He started as a Republican, then became an Independent, a Democrat, and most recently, a Libertarian.

His father, John Chafee, was also a famous politician. He served as Governor of Rhode Island and a U.S. Senator. When his father died in 1999, Lincoln Chafee was chosen to take his place in the Senate.

A key moment in his Senate career was when he was the only Republican to vote against giving permission for the use of military force in Iraq. He later ran for president in 2016 as a Democrat and in 2020 as a Libertarian.

Early Life and Education

Lincoln Davenport Chafee was born in Providence, Rhode Island. His family has a long history in Rhode Island politics. His great-great-grandfather Henry Lippitt and great-great-uncle Charles Warren Lippitt were both governors of Rhode Island.

Chafee went to public schools in Warwick and later attended Phillips Academy. He graduated from Brown University in 1975 with a degree in classics. After college, he attended a school in Montana to learn how to be a farrier, a person who cares for horse hooves and puts on horseshoes.

For seven years, he worked as a farrier at racetracks in the United States and Canada. Chafee said that working with horses taught him to be a quieter person.

Political Career

Local Politics in Warwick

Chafee's political career began in 1985. He was first elected to the Warwick City Council in 1986. In 1992, he became the first Republican mayor of Warwick in 32 years. He was re-elected three times.

As mayor, Chafee was known for working well with members of other parties. He focused on protecting the environment by buying open land and starting recycling programs. His work to clean up Greenwich Bay earned Warwick praise from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

United States Senator (1999–2007)

Lincoln Chafee gives a talk at Brown University in 2007.

After his father, Senator John Chafee, passed away in 1999, Lincoln Chafee was appointed to fill his Senate seat. He won a full term in the 2000 election.

As a senator, Chafee was known for being a moderate Republican. This means his views were often in the middle, and he sometimes disagreed with his own party's leaders. He was often called a "RINO," which stands for "Republican In Name Only," by more conservative members of his party.

Key Votes and Policies

• Iraq War: Chafee was the only Republican senator to vote against the resolution that allowed the use of military force in Iraq in 2002.
• Taxes: He voted against major tax cuts in 2001 and 2003. He believed they would increase the national debt.
• Environment: Chafee was a strong supporter of environmental protection. He voted against allowing oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
• Social Issues: He supported a woman's right to choose and voted against a proposed constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage.

In the 2006 election, Chafee lost his Senate seat to Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse. After his loss, he said he was happy that the Democrats had gained control of Congress.

Governor of Rhode Island (2011–2015)

The Rhode Island State House "holiday tree" in 2013.

In 2010, Chafee ran for governor of Rhode Island as an independent and won. During his time as governor, Rhode Island was dealing with a major economic recession.

One of his biggest challenges was a deal made before he took office. The state had given a $75 million loan to a video game company called 38 Studios, owned by baseball star Curt Schilling. The company went bankrupt, and Chafee took legal action to get back some of the money for taxpayers.

As governor, Chafee also signed a law that made same-sex marriage legal in the state. In 2013, he officially switched his party registration and became a Democrat. He decided not to run for re-election in 2014.

Presidential Campaigns

2016 Democratic Campaign

In 2015, Chafee announced he would run for president as a Democrat. His campaign slogan was "Prosperity Through Peace." He focused on his opposition to the Iraq War and his experience as a governor and senator.

However, his campaign did not gain much support. After a debate performance that was not well-received, he dropped out of the race in October 2015.

2020 Libertarian Campaign

In 2019, Chafee switched parties again, joining the Libertarian Party. He said the party's views on being fiscally conservative (careful with government money) and socially liberal (supporting personal freedoms) matched his own.

He announced his campaign for the Libertarian presidential nomination in January 2020. His platform focused on ending U.S. involvement in foreign wars and reducing government spending. He ended his campaign in April 2020.

Political Positions

Chafee is known for his moderate and independent views. He has often been described as "fiscally conservative and socially liberal."

• Foreign Policy: He is strongly against foreign wars and believes the U.S. should avoid getting involved in other countries' conflicts. He famously voted against the Iraq War.
• Taxes and Spending: He believes in being careful with government money and has voted against tax cuts that were not balanced with spending cuts.
• Environment: He is a strong supporter of environmental protection and has been praised by groups like the Sierra Club.
• Civil Rights: He supports same-sex marriage and a woman's right to choose. He also believes in protecting individual freedoms, such as those in the Fourth Amendment, which protects against unreasonable searches.
• Metric System: Chafee is a supporter of the United States switching to the metric system.

Personal Life

Chafee married Stephanie Birney Danforth in 1990. They have three children: Louisa, Caleb, and Thea. His daughter Louisa is an accomplished sailor who competed in the 2016 Summer Olympics. As of 2019, Chafee and his family live in Teton Village, Wyoming.

Images for kids

• 

  Chafee visits with Ecuadoran Minister of Foreign Affairs Maria Isabel Salvador in 2008.

• 

  Chafee speaking at the U.S. Naval War College in 2014. To Chafee's left are Major General Kevin R. McBride, Rear Admiral Walter E. Carter Jr. and Brigadier General Rick Baccus.

See also

In Spanish: Lincoln Chafee para niños

• List of American politicians who switched parties in office
• Rockefeller Republican