Sheldon Whitehouse facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sheldon Whitehouse
Official portrait, 2019
Ranking Member of the Senate Environment Committee
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2025
Preceded by	Shelley Moore Capito
Chair of the Senate Budget Committee
In office January 3, 2023 – January 3, 2025
Preceded by	Bernie Sanders
Succeeded by	Lindsey Graham
Chair of the Senate ... Caucus
In office February 3, 2021 – January 3, 2025
Preceded by	John Cornyn
Succeeded by	John Cornyn
United States Senator from Rhode Island
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2007 Serving with Jack Reed
Preceded by	Lincoln Chafee
71st Attorney General of Rhode Island
In office January 2, 1999 – January 7, 2003
Governor	Lincoln Almond
Preceded by	Jeffrey B. Pine
Succeeded by	Patrick Lynch
United States Attorney for the District of Rhode Island
In office January 20, 1993 – June 8, 1998
President	Bill Clinton
Preceded by	Lincoln Almond
Succeeded by	Margaret Curran
Personal details
Born	(1955-10-20) October 20, 1955 (age 69) New York City, New York, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Sandra Thornton ​ (m. 1986)​
Children	2
Parent	Charles S. Whitehouse (father)
Relatives	Crocker family Rufus Rand (grandfather) Edwin Sheldon Whitehouse (grandfather) Henry John Whitehouse (great-great-grandfather) Tobias Mealey (great-great-grandfather)
Education	Yale University (BA) University of Virginia (JD)
Signature

Sheldon Whitehouse (born October 20, 1955) is an American lawyer and politician. Since 2007, he has served as a U.S. Senator for Rhode Island. He is a member of the Democratic Party.

Before becoming a senator, he worked as the United States Attorney for Rhode Island from 1993 to 1998. He was also the 71st Attorney General of Rhode Island from 1999 to 2003. In 2006, he won his first Senate election. He defeated the Republican who was already in office, Lincoln Chafee. Whitehouse has been reelected three times: in 2012, 2018, and 2024.

Senator Whitehouse is known for his progressive views. He is also very focused on climate change. In 2023, he became the chairman of the United States Senate Committee on the Budget. He has given many speeches in the Senate about climate change. He often talks about how certain groups, which don't reveal their donors (sometimes called "dark money" groups), try to influence the government, especially the Supreme Court of the United States.

Early Life and Education

Sheldon Whitehouse was born in New York City on October 20, 1955. His father, Charles S. Whitehouse, was a diplomat. His grandfather, Edwin Sheldon Whitehouse, was also a diplomat. Some of his other ancestors include a bishop and a railroad builder named Charles Crocker.

Whitehouse went to St. Paul's School in Concord, New Hampshire. He then graduated from Yale College in 1978. He earned his law degree (Juris Doctor) from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1982.

Early Career in Law and Government

After law school, Whitehouse worked as a clerk for a judge in West Virginia from 1982 to 1983. He then joined the Rhode Island Attorney General's office. He worked there from 1985 to 1990, handling different roles.

In 1991, Whitehouse became an advisor to Rhode Island Governor Bruce Sundlun. He helped the state deal with a banking crisis that happened around that time. In 1992, he became the state's Director of Business Regulation. In this role, he helped make big changes to the state's workers' compensation insurance system.

U.S. Attorney for Rhode Island

In 1994, President Bill Clinton chose Whitehouse to be the United States Attorney for Rhode Island. He held this important position for four years. During this time, he worked on several important cases.

He was the first prosecutor to convict a member of organized crime under a new law called the "three strikes law." He also started an investigation into corruption in Rhode Island's local government. This led to a case called "Operation Plunder Dome," where the Mayor of Providence, Vincent "Buddy" Cianci, was found guilty of conspiracy. Whitehouse also increased efforts to protect the environment. One investigation into an oil spill in Narragansett Bay resulted in the largest fine ever in the state for an environmental case.

State Attorney General

In 1998, Whitehouse was elected Rhode Island Attorney General. In this role, he started a lawsuit against companies that made lead paint. He argued that these companies were responsible for creating a public problem. The state won a second lawsuit against some lead paint manufacturers. However, this decision was later overturned by the Rhode Island Supreme Court. The court decided that property owners were responsible for dealing with lead hazards.

Whitehouse also helped create the Rhode Island Quality Institute. This group works to make health care better in Rhode Island. He also approved the first Rhode Island State Police wiretap to investigate public corruption. He also worked to make the state's witness protection program stronger.

Running for Governor

In 2002, Whitehouse ran for the Democratic nomination to become governor of Rhode Island. He lost the primary election to Myrth York.

U.S. Senate

Whitehouse speaking in 2008

Senate Elections

2006 Election

Sheldon Whitehouse announced he would run for the U.S. Senate in April 2005. He was challenging Lincoln Chafee, who was a Republican already in office. Whitehouse focused his campaign on opposing the Iraq War and reducing the United States' reliance on foreign oil. He won the Democratic primary easily. In the general election, he defeated Chafee with 53 percent of the votes. This made Whitehouse the first Democrat to win this Senate seat since 1970.

Later Elections

On November 6, 2012, Whitehouse was reelected for his second term. He won by a large margin, defeating his Republican opponent, Barry Hinckley, with 64.9 percent of the vote.

He was reelected for a third term on November 6, 2018. He defeated Republican Robert Flanders by 23 points.

Whitehouse ran for a fourth Senate term in 2024.

Time in the Senate

Whitehouse during the Munich Security Conference 2018

In 2007, a publication called the National Journal said Whitehouse was the second-most liberal senator. Being "liberal" generally means supporting government action to solve problems and promoting social equality.

He voted to approve Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor to become judges on the Supreme Court.

Whitehouse has been considered for important roles. In 2014, some people thought he might be nominated to be the Attorney General. In 2016, after a Supreme Court judge passed away, USA Today mentioned Whitehouse as a possible person to fill the empty spot.

Committee Work

Senator Whitehouse serves on several important committees in the Senate:

• Committee on Budget (He is the Chair of this committee)
• Committee on Environment and Public Works
• Committee on Finance
• Committee on the Judiciary
• United States Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control (He is the Chair of this caucus)
• Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe

Caucus Memberships

He is also part of several groups of senators called caucuses:

• Healthy Kids Caucus
• International Conservation Caucus (Co-chair)
• Senate Oceans Caucus (Co-chair)
• Afterschool Caucuses

Political Views

Economics

Whitehouse supports a tax system where wealthier people pay a higher percentage of their income in taxes. He was against tax cuts that benefited the wealthy. He voted for the Stimulus package, which aimed to boost the economy.

He has also opposed trade agreements like the North American Free Trade Agreement. He believes in "fair trade" and wants to make sure trade deals benefit American workers.

Environmental Issues

Whitehouse is very passionate about environmental issues, especially climate change. In 2011, he introduced a bill called the Safeguarding America's Future and Environment (SAFE) Act. This bill would require government agencies to consider the long-term effects of climate change and encourage states to plan for environmental changes.

He has spoken on the Senate floor about climate change almost every week the Senate has been in session since 2012. By July 2019, he had given his 250th speech on the topic.

He believes that developing alternate energy sources, like solar power, will help the U.S. rely less on foreign oil. He has highlighted projects in Rhode Island that use solar panels, saying they create jobs and save energy costs.

In 2019, Whitehouse was one of 12 senators who signed a letter asking for more funding for carbon capture technology. This technology aims to capture carbon emissions from the air.

Foreign Policy

Whitehouse was against the U.S. military action in Iraq. He has also supported limiting U.S. involvement in the War in Yemen.

Health Care

He voted for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. This law aimed to make health insurance more accessible and affordable for many Americans.

Political Spending

Whitehouse has been a strong critic of "dark money." This refers to political spending by groups that do not have to reveal who their donors are. He believes this type of spending can unfairly influence politics. He has spoken about the dangers of "dark money" groups funding Congress.

He has also raised concerns about how some groups, which receive "dark money" funding, try to influence the Supreme Court.

Personal Life

In 1986, Sheldon Whitehouse married Sandra Thornton. She is a marine biologist. They live in Rhode Island and have two children. Whitehouse is a member of the Episcopal Church.

Among his distant relatives are William Bradford, who was a governor of Plymouth Colony, and a theologian named Archibald Alexander.

Club Membership

Whitehouse's family has been members of a private club in Newport, Rhode Island, called Bailey's Beach. In 2021, he acknowledged that the club had a history of not being diverse. He said he was sorry that it hadn't changed faster. He also said he would not ask his family to leave the club because they are working to make it more inclusive.

Electoral History

Images for kids

• 

  Sheldon Whitehouse's signature

See also

In Spanish: Sheldon Whitehouse para niños