John Kerry: A Senator From Massachusetts

Born on Dec. 11, 1943, John Kerry would move to Massachusetts not long after he entered the world at Fitzsimons Army Hospital in Aurora, Colorado. His father was in the foreign service, so he lived in many places during his childhood, always returning to his roots in Massachusetts.

John Kerry entered public life because of a burning desire to help people. Having seen bad decisions made in Washington that put too many people at risk in combat, he was determined to do better. Coming back from the Vietnam War, where he served two tours of duty and was highly decorated for bravery, he felt a responsibility to help his buddies still in Vietnam and all of the other servicemen there by working to bring about a change in policy in what was a war gone wrong. He also was instrumental in activism surrounding the first Earth Day and worked hard to defeat the “Dirty Dozen” Senators with the worst environmental records.

After the war, he became a prosecutor, working to combat organized crime, eventually bringing down the man widely seen as the second most-powerful organized crime boss in the state. Elected in 1982 to Lieutenant Governor, his causes included engaging the nation’s governors in the fight against acid rain and improving the water supply. In 1984, Massachusetts elected him as senator for the first time, and in 2004, he ran as the Democratic nominee against President Bush in the general election.

His career in the Senate has been marked by leadership on foreign policy, the environment, small business issues, the investigation and prosecution of corruption, and Veterans issues. A founder of the Vietnam Veterans of America, he has worked tirelessly for Veterans’ Rights. He now works to improve the MA economy as Chair the Small Business Committee in the House, and he pushes for a change in our foreign policy as chair of the sub-committee on the Middle East in the Foreign Relations Committee.

As well, John Kerry is an author, having written The New War, which studied 21st-century national security. More recently, he co-wrote a book, This Moment on Earth, with his wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry.

Married to Teresa Heinz Kerry, he has a rich, loving family life with a blended family that includes two daughters, three sons, one grandchild, and a German Shepherd. He lives in Boston.