Ted Stevens facts for kids

Ted Stevens
Ted Stevens
United States Senator; from Alaska
	In office; December 24, 1968 – January 3, 2009
Appointed by	Wally Hickel
Preceded by	Bob Bartlett
Succeeded by	Mark Begich
3rd President pro tempore emeritus of the United States Senate
	In office; January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2009
Preceded by	Robert Byrd
Succeeded by	Patrick Leahy
President pro tempore of the United States Senate
	In office; January 3, 2003 – January 3, 2007
Preceded by	Robert Byrd
Succeeded by	Robert Byrd
19th Majority Whip of the United States Senate
	In office; January 3, 1981 – January 3, 1985
Leader	Howard Baker
Preceded by	Alan Cranston
Succeeded by	Alan K. Simpson
15th Minority Whip of the United States Senate
	In office; January 3, 1977 – January 3, 1981
Leader	Howard Baker
Preceded by	Robert Griffin
Succeeded by	Alan Cranston
Personal details
Born	Theodore Fulton Stevens ; November 18, 1923; Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.
Died	August 9, 2010 (aged 86); near Dillingham, Alaska, U.S.
Resting place	Arlington National Cemetery Arlington, Virginia
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	1. Ann Cherrington, predeceased him; 2. Catherine Ann Chandler
Children	Ben Stevens; Susan Stevens; Beth Stevens; Walter Stevens; Ted Stevens, Jr.; Lily Stevens
Residence	Girdwood, Alaska
Alma mater	UCLA (B.A.); Harvard Law School (LL.B.)
Occupation	Attorney
Signature
Military service
Branch/service	United States Army Air Forces
Years of service	1943–1946
Battles/wars	World War II

Theodore Fulton "Ted" Stevens, Sr. (November 18, 1923 – August 9, 2010) was a Republican U.S. Senator from Alaska. He served in the United States Senate for 40 years from 1968 to 2009. He was the third President Pro Tempore of the Senate from 2003-2007. For his services as President pro tempore, Senator Stevens was named President pro tempore emeritus of the United States Senate. Even by Senate standards, Stevens was extremely effective at getting billions of dollars in federal funds for Alaska. He was so effective at it he was nicknamed "uncle Ted". The airport in Anchorage, Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport was named after him in 2000. Stevens was born in Indianapolis. In 2010, Stevens died in a plane crash in Alaska at the age of 86.

Career

Early career and education

Stevens was born on November 18, 1923 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

World War II pilot

In World War II Stevens joined the US Army Air Corps as a pilot. He flew transport planes in China supporting the Flying Tigers. He was awarded two Distinguished Flying Crosses, two Air Medals and the Yun Hai Medal by the Republic of China.

Political career

After serving in the Second World War, he went into law in Fairbanks, Alaska where he became a US Attorney soon after. When Dwight Eisenhower was President, Stevens worked in the Interior and helped to make Alaska a state. In 1968 he was appointed to the Senate, where he served for the next forty years. While in the Senate he was known for taking action for his own state: preserving Alaskan wilderness areas, protecting fisheries, and building the Trans Alaska Pipeline. He also helped set up the US Olympic Committee. In 2008 he was charged with major crimes related to corruption days before his reelection, which he lost to Mark Begich. He planned on trying to get his Senate seat back after he the charges were dropped, but he died in a plane crash in the Alaskan wilderness in 2010.

Images for kids

Stevens and his wife, Catherine Ann Chandler.
Stevens's Congressional portrait for the 95th United States Congress, 1977
Stevens escorts former first lady Nancy Reagan at the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site dedication ceremony, April 10, 2006
Stevens's home in Girdwood, Alaska
Mug shot of Stevens taken in July 2008
The Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor displays a collection of Stevens' wartime photos and souvenirs in connection to his flying supplies to the Flying Tigers.