Sam Nunn facts for kids
Samuel Augustus Nunn Jr. (born September 8, 1938) is an American politician. He served as a United States Senator for Georgia from 1972 to 1997. He was a member of the Democratic Party.
After leaving the Senate, Sam Nunn helped start the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI). This group works to make the world safer from dangerous weapons. They focus on reducing threats from nuclear, biological, and new technologies. Because of his experience in national defense, he was considered as a possible running mate for presidential candidates like John Kerry and Barack Obama.
Quick facts for kids
Sam Nunn
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Nunn, c. 2020
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| Chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee | |
| In office January 3, 1987 – January 3, 1995 |
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| Preceded by | Barry Goldwater |
| Succeeded by | Strom Thurmond |
| United States Senator from Georgia |
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| In office November 8, 1972 – January 3, 1997 |
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| Preceded by | David Gambrell |
| Succeeded by | Max Cleland |
| Member of the Georgia House of Representatives from the 41st district, Post 1 |
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| In office January 13, 1969 – November 8, 1972 |
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| Preceded by | Glenn Phillips |
| Succeeded by | Guy Hill |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Samuel Augustus Nunn Jr.
September 8, 1938 Macon, Georgia, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse |
Colleen O'Brien
(m. 1965) |
| Children | 2, including Michelle |
| Education | |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Coast Guard |
| Years of service | 1959–1968 |
| Unit | United States Coast Guard Reserve |
Contents
Early Life and Education
Sam Nunn was born in Macon, Georgia, on September 8, 1938. His father, Samuel Augustus Nunn, was a lawyer and the mayor of Perry, Georgia. Sam Nunn grew up in Perry. He is also the grandnephew of Congressman Carl Vinson.
Nunn was an Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America. He also received the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award. In high school, he was a great athlete. He led his school's basketball team to a state championship.
Nunn went to Georgia Tech in 1956. He then transferred to Emory University in 1959. He earned his first degree in 1961 and a law degree in 1962.
Early Career and Public Service
After college, Sam Nunn served in the United States Coast Guard. He then spent six years in the United States Coast Guard Reserve. He reached the rank of petty officer. For a short time, he also worked for a member of Congress.
Later, Nunn returned to Perry, Georgia. He worked as a lawyer and helped manage his family's farm. He also served as the president of the Perry Chamber of Commerce.
Political Career in Georgia
Sam Nunn began his political career in 1968. He was elected as a member of the Georgia House of Representatives. In 1972, he ran for the United States Senate. He won against David H. Gambrell and Fletcher Thompson.
Nunn decided to retire from the Senate in 1997. He said he felt it was time for a change.
Key Roles in the Senate
During his time in the U.S. Senate, Sam Nunn held important positions. He was the chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services. This committee deals with military and defense issues. He also chaired the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. This group looks into important national issues.
Nunn also served on the United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, which handles national security information. He was also part of the Small Business Committee.
Major Achievements and Laws
Sam Nunn helped create important laws. One was the Goldwater-Nichols Act, which improved how the military is organized. He worked on this with Senator Barry Goldwater.
Another big achievement was the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction Program. This program helped Russia and other former Soviet countries. It provided money and help to secure and destroy their extra nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons. This program helped deactivate over 7,600 nuclear warheads.
Nunn was seen as a moderate Democrat. He sometimes disagreed with his party on certain issues. For example, he voted against a budget bill in 1993 that raised taxes.
Diplomatic Missions
In 1994, President Bill Clinton asked Sam Nunn to join a special team. Former President Jimmy Carter and General Colin Powell were also on this team. They went to Haiti to help solve a political crisis. Their mission was to convince Haiti's military leader, Lieutenant General Raoul Cédras, to leave power.
The team succeeded, and Cédras agreed to step down. This helped avoid a military conflict. President Clinton praised Nunn and the team for their work. He said they helped prevent a military strike and restore democratic rule in Haiti.
When Nunn left the Senate in 1996, his colleagues praised him. Republican Senator John Warner said Nunn was a leading expert on national security. He called Nunn a "global thinker" who always put the interests of the United States first.
Life After Congress
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In 2001, Sam Nunn co-founded the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI). He served as its co-chair and CEO until 2017. NTI works to prevent the spread and use of nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons.
Nunn also continues to be active in public policy. He is a distinguished professor at the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs at Georgia Tech. He hosts the Sam Nunn Policy Forum there. This meeting brings together experts to discuss important issues in technology, public policy, and international affairs.
He is also involved with the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). He and former Senator William Cohen held discussions called the "Cohen-Nunn Dialogues." These talks focused on important challenges facing the United States.
Nunn has worked with other leaders like William J. Perry, Henry Kissinger, and George Shultz. They have called for a world free of nuclear weapons. They wrote articles in Wall Street Journal and created the Nuclear Security Project. In 2010, they were featured in a film called Nuclear Tipping Point. This film showed their ideas for reducing nuclear threats.
In 2013, Nunn supported updating a nuclear-arms agreement with Russia. He urged both countries to work on limiting chemical and biological weapons too.
In 2019, the U.S. Navy announced that a new Arleigh Burke-class destroyer ship would be named the USS Sam Nunn.
Family Life
Sam Nunn is married to Colleen O'Brien. They met when she was working at the U.S. Embassy in Paris. They have two children, Mary Michelle Nunn and Samuel Brian Nunn. Their daughter, Michelle Nunn, is the CEO of Points of Light and CARE. She ran for the Senate in 2014.
Awards and Recognitions
Sam Nunn has received many awards for his public service:
- In 1990, Georgia Tech renamed its international affairs department after him. It is now the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs.
- In 1996, he received the U.S. Senator John Heinz Award for Public Service.
- In 2004, he and Senator Lugar received the Heinz Awards Chairman's Medal.
- He received an honorary degree from Oglethorpe University in 2006.
- In 2008, he was awarded the Hessian Peace Prize for his work on nuclear disarmament.
- In 2009, he received the Lifetime Contributions to American Diplomacy Award.
- In 2011, he was named a Georgia Trustee by the Georgia Historical Society.
- Also in 2011, he received the first Ivan Allen Jr. Prize for Social Courage.
- In 2013, he was honored as a Knight Commander of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.
- In 2014, he received the Lone Sailor Award from the U.S. Navy Veterans Memorial.
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