Sam Nunn | |
|---|---|
_(1).jpg) Nunn,c. 2020 | |
| Chair of theSenate Armed Services Committee | |
| In office January 3, 1987 – January 3, 1995 | |
| Preceded by | Barry Goldwater |
| Succeeded by | Strom Thurmond |
| United States Senator fromGeorgia | |
| In office November 8, 1972 – January 3, 1997 | |
| Preceded by | David Gambrell |
| Succeeded by | Max Cleland |
| Member of theGeorgia House of Representatives from the 41st district Post 1 | |
| In office January 13, 1969 – November 8, 1972 | |
| Preceded by | Glenn Phillips |
| Succeeded by | Guy Hill |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Samuel Augustus Nunn Jr. (1938-09-08)September 8, 1938 (age 87) Macon, Georgia, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2, includingMichelle |
| Relatives | Carl Vinson (grand-uncle) |
| Education | |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Coast Guard |
| Years of service | 1959–1968 |
| Unit | United States Coast Guard Reserve |
Samuel Augustus Nunn Jr. (born September 8, 1938) is an American politician who served as aUnited States Senator fromGeorgia (1972–1997) as a member of theDemocratic Party.
After leaving Congress, Nunn co-founded theNuclear Threat Initiative (NTI), a nonprofit, nonpartisan global security organization focused on reducingnuclear,biological, andemerging technology threats imperiling humanity, for which he is the co-chair. His political experience and credentials onnational defense reportedly earned him consideration as a potential running mate for presidential candidatesJohn Kerry andBarack Obama after they became their party's nominees.[1]
Nunn was born inMacon, Georgia, the son of Mary Elizabeth (née Cannon) and Samuel Augustus Nunn, who was an attorney and mayor ofPerry, Georgia.[2] Nunn was raised in Perry. He is a grandnephew ofCongressmanCarl Vinson.
Nunn is anEagle Scout and recipient of theDistinguished Eagle Scout Award from theBoy Scouts of America.[3][4] In high school, Nunn was a standout athlete, captaining the school's basketball team to the state championship.[5]
Nunn attendedGeorgia Tech in 1956,[6] where he was initiated as a brother ofPhi Delta Theta. He transferred toEmory University in 1959 and received his undergraduate degree in 1961.[7] He then received a degree from theEmory University School of Law in 1962.[6]
After active-duty service in theUnited States Coast Guard, he served six years in theU.S. Coast Guard Reserve and attained the rank of petty officer.[8] He was also a Congressional staff member.
Nunn returned to Perry, Georgia, where he practiced law and managed his family's farm. He later was president of the Perry Chamber of Commerce.
Nunn first entered politics as a member of theGeorgia House of Representatives in 1968.[6] He was elected to theUnited States Senate in1972, defeating appointed U.S. senatorDavid H. Gambrell in the Democraticprimary and U.S. Rep.Fletcher Thompson in thegeneral election. Nunn was reelected in1978,1984, and1990. After announcing that he would not run for a fifth term in1996, Nunn retired from the U.S. Senate in 1997, offering a lack of "zest and enthusiasm" as justification.[9]
During his tenure in the U.S. Senate, Nunn served as the chairman of theU.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services and thePermanent Subcommittee on Investigations. He also served on theIntelligence andSmall Business Committees. His legislative achievements include the landmarkDepartment of Defense Reorganization Act, drafted with the late senatorBarry Goldwater, and theNunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction Program,[3] which provided assistance to Russia and the former Soviet republics for securing and destroying their excess nuclear, biological and chemical weapons.[citation needed]
TheNunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction program deactivated more than 7,600 nuclearwarheads. He was supposedly the "top choice" to beSecretary of Defense orState in 1992 and 1996 and in a prospectiveGore cabinet in 2000.[citation needed]
Overall, Nunn was amoderate-to-conservative Democrat[10] who often broke with his party on a host ofsocial andeconomic issues. He opposed the budget bill of 1993, which included provisions to raise taxes to reduce thebudget deficit. He neither supported nor opposedHillary Clinton's attempt to establishuniversal health care, though he spoke out very strongly against the proposed insurance mandate.[citation needed]
Nunn actively worked to block PresidentBill Clinton's proposal to allow homosexuals toserve openly in the military.[11][12] LGBT activistDavid Mixner openly referred to Nunn as an "old fashioned bigot" for opposing Clinton's plan to lift the military, though this was also reported to have angered the White House.[13]
In 2008, Nunn endorsed a newPentagon study to examine the issue of homosexuals serving openly in the military: "I think [when] 15 years go by on any personnel policy, it's appropriate to take another look at it—see how it's working, ask the hard questions, hear from the military. Start with a Pentagon study."[14]
According to opensecrets.org, Sam Nunn received about $2.4 million during his 1989–1994 political career. His main contributors were the finance/insurance/real estate sector (totaling $411,665; $46,660 was received from Goldman, Sachs & Co.), the defense industry, lawyers and lobbyists, the alcohol and non-alcoholic beverages industry (includingCoca-Cola), and the agriculture sector.[15]
He voted in favor ofschool prayer, capping punitive damage awards, amending theU.S. Constitution to require abalanced budget, and limitingdeath penalty appeals. On certain issues likeabortion, theenvironment,gun control, andaffirmative action, Nunn took a more liberal line. He consistently voted in favor of increased immigration.[16] One of his most controversial votes was his vote against theGulf War.[17]
In September 1994, Nunn, former presidentJimmy Carter and former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of StaffColin Powell were asked by PresidentBill Clinton to go toHaiti to force the departure of the military dictator Lieutenant GeneralRaoul Cédras. In 1994, President Clinton publicly demanded that the Haitian government step aside and restore democratic rule. President Clinton deployed a large military force to surround the country in September 1994. Just before the troops reached Haiti, President Clinton sent a delegation led by Carter, the delegation wanted Nunn and Powell to urge Cédras to step down and leave the country. Cédras agreed and surrendered the government, and he and his top lieutenants left the country in October. Just days later, American forces escorted the country's elected president,Jean-Bertrand Aristide, into the capital. Afterwards, President Clinton lavished praise on Nunn's delegation for averting a military strike on the nation. "As all of you know, at my request, President Carter, Gen. Colin Powell, and Sen. Sam Nunn went to Haiti to facilitate the dictators' departure. I have been in constant contact with them for the last two days. They have worked tirelessly, almost around the clock, and I want to thank them for undertaking this crucial mission on behalf of all Americans", Clinton said.[18]
Upon his exit from the Senate in late 1996, Nunn was the recipient of bipartisan praise from his colleagues.Republican SenatorJohn Warner ofVirginia concluded, "Senator Nunn quickly established himself as one of the leading experts in the Congress and, indeed, all of the United States on national security and foreign policy. He gained a reputation in our country and, indeed, worldwide as a global thinker, and that is where I think he will make his greatest contribution in the years to come, wherever he may be, in terms of being a global thinker. His approach to national security issues has been guided by one fundamental criteria: What Sam Nunn believes is in the best interest of the United States of America."[19]
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Nunn founded theNuclear Threat Initiative in 2001 and w as co-chair and CEO until June 2017, when he became co-chair withTed Turner andErnest J. Moniz.
In addition to his work with theNuclear Threat Initiative, Nunn continues his service in thepublic policy arena as a distinguished professor in theSam Nunn School of International Affairs atGeorgia Tech. There, he hosted the biennial Sam Nunn Policy Forum, a policy meeting that brings together noted academic, government, and private-sector experts on technology, public policy, and international affairs to address issues of immediate importance to the nation.[20]
Nunn was an active advisory board member for thePartnership for a Secure America, anot-for-profit organization dedicated to recreating the bipartisan center in American national security and foreign policy. He signed a number of the organization's bipartisan policy statements on important issues ranging fromclimate change to enhanced interrogation practices andnonproliferation.[21]
Additionally, Nunn is Chairman Emeritus of the board of trustees for theCenter for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. At CSIS, Nunn and former senator and United States Secretary of DefenseWilliam Cohen joined for a series of public roundtable discussions designed to focus Americans on the seminal issues that the United States must face. The Cohen-Nunn Dialogues featured top thought leaders, public policy experts, prominent journalists, and leading scholars.[22]
Nunn is a retired partner in the law firm ofKing & Spalding. He also was a board member ofThe Coca-Cola Company. In 2005, Nunn teamed up with former senatorFred Thompson to promote a new film,Last Best Chance, on the dangers of excess nuclear weapons and materials. The film was produced by the Nuclear Threat Initiative and aired onHBO in October 2005.[23] He gave a full presentation outlining his goals at theCommonwealth Club of California.
Nunn—along withWilliam Perry,Henry Kissinger, andGeorge Shultz—called upon governments to embrace the vision of a world free of nuclear weapons, and in fiveWall Street Journalop-eds proposed an ambitious program of urgent steps to the vision. The four created the Nuclear Security Project to advance this agenda. Nunn reinforced that agenda during a speech at theHarvard Kennedy School on October 21, 2008, saying, "I'm much more concerned about a terrorist without a return address that cannot be deterred than I am about deliberate war between nuclear powers. You can't deter a group who is willing to commit suicide. We are in a different era. You have to understand the world has changed."[24]
In 2010, the four were featured in a documentary film entitledNuclear Tipping Point, also produced by theNuclear Threat Initiative. The film is a visual and historical depiction of the ideas laid forth in theWall Street Journal op-eds and reinforces their commitment to a world without nuclear weapons and the steps that can be taken to reach that goal.[citation needed]
Nunn was a member of the supervisory council of theInternational Luxembourg Forum on Preventing Nuclear Catastrophe, a not-for-profit organization uniting leading experts on non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, materials and delivery vehicles. He also was on the Board of Advisors for theNational Bureau of Asian Research, a non-profit, nonpartisan research institution.[25]
In June 2013, Nunn added his voice to public support for an updated nuclear-arms limitation agreement with Russia. The 1992 Nunn-Lugar agreement had just expired at a time of increasing political tension between the two nations. Nunn applauded the determination of presidents Obama and Putin to renew its core provisions, while urging further work to agree on chemical and biological weapons limits also.[26]
Nunn also was a member the Board of Curators for theGeorgia Historical Society. He also was an advisory board member ofTheranos, a fraudulent biotech company.[27]
Several books have been written about the life and career of Sam Nunn. "The Best President the Nation Never Had: A Memoir of Working with Sam Nunn" was written in 2017 by his former Chief of Staff, Roland McElroy, and details Nunn's early years as a candidate for Senate.[28] "Sam Nunn: Statesman of the Nuclear Age", by Frank Leith Jones, takes a more comprehensive look at Nunn's four-term Senate career, focusing on his accomplishments in nuclear and national security policy.[29]
In 2019, the US Navy announced that anArleigh Burke-class Missile Destroyer will be named theUSS Sam Nunn.
On August 19, 2007, Nunn said he would not decide on a presidential bid until after the 2008 primary season, when presumptive nominees by both parties would emerge.[30] However, speculation over a Nunn White House bid ended on April 18, 2008, when he endorsed Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama.[31]
Despite having publicly declared his lack of interest in being a candidate for vice president, Nunn continued to be mentioned by some political pundits and politicians as a potential running mate for Obama.[32][33][34]
In an interview published on June 4, 2008, byThe Guardian, former president Jimmy Carter said that he favored Nunn (a fellow Georgian) as Obama's possible choice for vice president.Peggy Noonan, a columnist and former Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush speechwriter also expressed her support for Nunn.[35] In an interview withCNBC on August 22, 2008, billionaire investorWarren Buffett said that he favored Nunn as Obama's choice for vice president.[citation needed]
Nunn is married to the former Colleen O'Brien. Nunn met his future wife at theU.S. Embassy in Paris while she was working for theCentral Intelligence Agency. They have two children,Mary Michelle Nunn and Samuel Brian Nunn.[36] Michelle Nunn is CEO ofPoints of Light and CEO ofCARE, sheran unsuccessfully for the Senate in 2014.[37]
According to theLee Iacocca book,Talking Straight (1988),Chrysler Corporation came under scrutiny for selling new vehicles which were driven by company executives before the odometers were connected. Iacocca, Chrysler's CEO, was not concerned about the scandal at first but, within days of a meeting with Nunn in 1987 in which Nunn spoke of his own recently purchasedChrysler Fifth Avenue, Iacocca launched a detailed investigation into the claims, and extended warranties – and public apologies – to numerous current Chrysler owners.[38]
In 1989, it was reported that Nunn had had adrunk driving crash in 1964. This report emerged during theUnited States Secretary of Defense confirmation hearings of ex-SenatorJohn Tower. Nunn was opposing Tower due to Tower's alleged drinking problems.[39]
Senator Nunn's membership inAugusta National Golf Club became the focus of a campaign by women seeking membership in the exclusive all-male club in 2002. The club had admitted its first African American member in 1990 but was still closed to women. The Club chose to air the masters' without commercials rather than succumb to the pressure to open admissions to women.[40]
Nunn is a Freemason.[41]
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| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Democratic nominee forU.S. Senator fromGeorgia (Class 2) 1972,1978,1984,1990 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chair of theDemocratic Leadership Council 1988–1990 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. Senate | ||
| Preceded by | United States Senator (Class 2) from Georgia 1972–1997 Served alongside:Herman Talmadge,Mack Mattingly,Wyche Fowler,Paul Coverdell | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Ranking Member of theSenate Small Business Committee 1981–1983 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Ranking Member of theSenate Armed Services Committee 1983–1987 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chair of theSenate Armed Services Committee 1987–1995 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Strom Thurmond | Ranking Member of theSenate Armed Services Committee 1995–1997 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded byas Former U.S. Senator | Order of precedence of the United States as Former U.S. Senator | Succeeded byas Former U.S. Senator |
Chairs of theUnited States Senate Committee on Armed Services | ||
|---|---|---|
| Military Affairs Committee (1816–1947) |  | |
| Naval Affairs Committee (1816–1947) | ||
| Armed Services Committee (1947–present) | ||
| Class 2 | | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 3 | ||
