JAMES JEFFORDS
Name: James Merrill Jeffords
Born: 11 May 1934 Rutland, Vermont
James Merrill "Jim" Jeffords (born May 11, 1934) is a former U.S. Senator from
Vermont. He served as a Republican until 2001, when he left the party to become
an independent.
Jeffords was born in Rutland, Vermont, the son of Marion Hausman and Olin
Jeffords, who was formerly Chief Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court.
Jeffords holds an undergraduate degree from Yale University (1956) and a law
degree from Harvard Law School (1962). After three years of active duty in the
United States Navy (1956–1959), Jeffords served in the Naval Reserves until he
retired as a Captain in 1990. Jeffords married his late wife, Elizabeth "Liz"
Daley twice. Their first marriage was in 1961. In 1979 the couple divorced. On
August 26, 1986, they married again, exactly 25 years after their first marriage.
Liz Jeffords died on the morning of April 13, 2007 after a long struggle with
ovarian cancer. Senator Jeffords and his wife had two children, Leonard and
Laura. Jeffords' residence is in Shrewsbury, Vermont.
Jeffords entered politics in 1966, winning a seat in the Vermont State Senate.
He followed that success in 1968 with a victory in the race for Vermont Attorney
General. In 1974, he won Vermont's sole seat in the U.S. House of
Representatives, where he served for fourteen years and was the ranking
Republican member of the House Education and Labor Committee. In 1988, Jeffords
was elected to the U.S. Senate, and was reelected in 1994 and 2000.
Jeffords' work in Congress focused on legislation involving education, job
training, and individuals with disabilities. In his later years in the Senate,
his emphasis shifted somewhat, as Jeffords pushed several important pieces of
environmental legislation through Congress. He was, together with Paul Simon,
credited by Canadian Lieutenant-General Roméo Dallaire, Force Commander of the
United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR) from 1993 to 1994, for
actively lobbying the US administration into mounting a humanitarian mission to
Rwanda during the Rwandan Genocide. According to Dallaires' book Shake Hands
with the Devil, he "owe(s) a great debt of gratitude" to both senators.
Jeffords was one of the founders of the Congressional Solar Coalition and the
Congressional Arts Caucus. Jeffords was frequently recognized for his
performance as a legislator, receiving Parenting magazine's "Legislator of the
Year" award in 1999, and the Sierra Club's highest commendation in 2002.
On May 24, 2001, Jim Jeffords left the Republican Party, with which he had
always been affiliated, and announced his new status as an independent. Jeffords
discussed this decision during his announcement that he was leaving the
Republican party. "I will make this change and will caucus with the Democrats
for organizational purposes once the conference report on the tax bill is sent
to the president. I gave my word to the president that I would not intercept or
try to intervene in the signing of that bill". The independent status of
Jeffords changed the Senate composition from 50-50 (with a Republican Vice
President, Dick Cheney, serving as President of the Senate to break tie votes)
to 49 Republicans, 50 Democrats, and one independent. Jeffords promised to vote
for Democratic control after being promised a committee chairmanship by
Democratic Leader Tom Daschle. He then handed his chairmanship of the Health,
Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, which he had held since 1997, to Ted
Kennedy (D-MA) and was given the chairmanship of the Senate Environment and
Public Works Committee, which would have been occupied by ranking minority
member Harry Reid. Jeffords held this committee chair until the Democrats lost
control of the Senate in 2003 following Congressional elections in 2002.
Jeffords made a deal with the Democrats according to which he would vote with
them on all procedural matters except with permission of the whip, which would
be rarely asked and rarely granted, in exchange for the committee seats that
would have been available to Jeffords had he been a Democrat during his entire
Senate tenure. He was free to vote as he pleased on policy matters, but more
often than not he voted with the Democrats.
Even before his party switch, his voting record was moderate-to-liberal, which
has long been typical of Republicans from New England. By the time of his switch
no Republican Senator had a lower lifetime score from the American Conservative
Union. In 1981, Jeffords was the only Republican member of the House to vote
against a bill reducing the top tax rate from 70% to 50% — a hallmark of
President Ronald Reagan's legacy. While a Republican Senator, he voted for the
Civil Rights Act of 1991, the Brady Bill, the Family and Medical Leave Act, an
end to the ban on gays serving in the military, and against permanent normal
trade relations with China and barring affirmative action at the federal level.
Jeffords was also vocal in his opposition to the nomination of Clarence Thomas
to the United States Supreme Court by President George H.W. Bush. He was one of
only two Republicans to vote against confirming Thomas. In 1993, he was the only
prominent Republican to support President Clinton's unsuccessful attempt to
establish a national healthcare plan. His position put him to the political left
of many Democrats who had serious doubts about Clinton's plan. Jefford's voting
record and positions on environmental issues put further distance between
himself and the mainstream Republican Party.
Jeffords consistently voted against the ban on partial-birth abortion, and also
against a harsher line on Cuba. In 1995 he was one of only 16 Senators to vote
against the Communications Decency Act. The Supreme Court later struck it down
as unconstitutional. He was in the minority of Republicans to oppose the Flag
Desecration Amendment. On guns his record was mixed, despite voting for the
Brady Bill and the Assault Weapons Ban, he voted with gun control opponents
against background checks at gun shows in 1999 and he voted with the majority of
Congress for the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act. He took a more
moderate line on the death penalty. On many economic issues Jeffords was roughly
in line with the majority of the Republican Party, before and after his switch:
he mostly supported free-trade agreements, lawsuit reform, tighter bankruptcy
rules, and a Balanced Budget Amendment. Even after becoming an independent, he
did vote with Republicans on many major pieces of legislation. For example,
Jeffords did vote against the Bipartisan Patient Protection Act, a bill
supported strongly by Republican John McCain and many moderate Republicans like
Olympia Snowe, Arlen Specter, and Mike DeWine. Two years later he voted for the
prescription drug bill, derided by many Democrats as a give away to drug
companies and opposed by many conservative Republicans who opposed further
federal spending, but ultimately strongly supported by President George W. Bush
and the vast majority of the Republican Party.
On October 11, 2002, Jeffords was one of 23 senators to vote against authorizing
the use of military force in Iraq. Shortly after that, he was one of only nine
senators to vote against the bill establishing a department of homeland security.
On November 11, 2003 Jeffords was one of only four senators to vote against the
Syria Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act, a bill which
received strong support from politicians from across the aisle.
In April 2005, Jeffords announced his decision not to run for re-election in
2006. Jeffords said his wife's cancer and his own growing health concerns caused
him to decide it was time to retire. On September 27, 2006, Jeffords delivered
his farewell speech on the Senate floor after 32 years of service. Only one
Republican senator, Charles Grassley of Iowa, spoke to the floor in praise of
Jeffords, whom he called "his friend." Floor speeches for retiring senators are
a Senate tradition. The 70-year-old incumbent decided to retire despite
consensus within the political community that he had good opportunity to win re-election
in 2006. Jeffords' move set off a domino reaction among state politicians.
Congressman Bernie Sanders, formerly the only independent in the U.S. House, ran
for and won the seat being vacated by Jeffords, while Republican Governor Jim
Douglas declared that he would not run.
Name: James Merrill Jeffords
Born: 11 May 1934 Rutland, Vermont
James Merrill "Jim" Jeffords (born May 11, 1934) is a former U.S. Senator from
Vermont. He served as a Republican until 2001, when he left the party to become
an independent.
Jeffords was born in Rutland, Vermont, the son of Marion Hausman and Olin
Jeffords, who was formerly Chief Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court.
Jeffords holds an undergraduate degree from Yale University (1956) and a law
degree from Harvard Law School (1962). After three years of active duty in the
United States Navy (1956–1959), Jeffords served in the Naval Reserves until he
retired as a Captain in 1990. Jeffords married his late wife, Elizabeth "Liz"
Daley twice. Their first marriage was in 1961. In 1979 the couple divorced. On
August 26, 1986, they married again, exactly 25 years after their first marriage.
Liz Jeffords died on the morning of April 13, 2007 after a long struggle with
ovarian cancer. Senator Jeffords and his wife had two children, Leonard and
Laura. Jeffords' residence is in Shrewsbury, Vermont.
Jeffords entered politics in 1966, winning a seat in the Vermont State Senate.
He followed that success in 1968 with a victory in the race for Vermont Attorney
General. In 1974, he won Vermont's sole seat in the U.S. House of
Representatives, where he served for fourteen years and was the ranking
Republican member of the House Education and Labor Committee. In 1988, Jeffords
was elected to the U.S. Senate, and was reelected in 1994 and 2000.
Jeffords' work in Congress focused on legislation involving education, job
training, and individuals with disabilities. In his later years in the Senate,
his emphasis shifted somewhat, as Jeffords pushed several important pieces of
environmental legislation through Congress. He was, together with Paul Simon,
credited by Canadian Lieutenant-General Roméo Dallaire, Force Commander of the
United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR) from 1993 to 1994, for
actively lobbying the US administration into mounting a humanitarian mission to
Rwanda during the Rwandan Genocide. According to Dallaires' book Shake Hands
with the Devil, he "owe(s) a great debt of gratitude" to both senators.
Jeffords was one of the founders of the Congressional Solar Coalition and the
Congressional Arts Caucus. Jeffords was frequently recognized for his
performance as a legislator, receiving Parenting magazine's "Legislator of the
Year" award in 1999, and the Sierra Club's highest commendation in 2002.
On May 24, 2001, Jim Jeffords left the Republican Party, with which he had
always been affiliated, and announced his new status as an independent. Jeffords
discussed this decision during his announcement that he was leaving the
Republican party. "I will make this change and will caucus with the Democrats
for organizational purposes once the conference report on the tax bill is sent
to the president. I gave my word to the president that I would not intercept or
try to intervene in the signing of that bill". The independent status of
Jeffords changed the Senate composition from 50-50 (with a Republican Vice
President, Dick Cheney, serving as President of the Senate to break tie votes)
to 49 Republicans, 50 Democrats, and one independent. Jeffords promised to vote
for Democratic control after being promised a committee chairmanship by
Democratic Leader Tom Daschle. He then handed his chairmanship of the Health,
Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, which he had held since 1997, to Ted
Kennedy (D-MA) and was given the chairmanship of the Senate Environment and
Public Works Committee, which would have been occupied by ranking minority
member Harry Reid. Jeffords held this committee chair until the Democrats lost
control of the Senate in 2003 following Congressional elections in 2002.
Jeffords made a deal with the Democrats according to which he would vote with
them on all procedural matters except with permission of the whip, which would
be rarely asked and rarely granted, in exchange for the committee seats that
would have been available to Jeffords had he been a Democrat during his entire
Senate tenure. He was free to vote as he pleased on policy matters, but more
often than not he voted with the Democrats.
Even before his party switch, his voting record was moderate-to-liberal, which
has long been typical of Republicans from New England. By the time of his switch
no Republican Senator had a lower lifetime score from the American Conservative
Union. In 1981, Jeffords was the only Republican member of the House to vote
against a bill reducing the top tax rate from 70% to 50% — a hallmark of
President Ronald Reagan's legacy. While a Republican Senator, he voted for the
Civil Rights Act of 1991, the Brady Bill, the Family and Medical Leave Act, an
end to the ban on gays serving in the military, and against permanent normal
trade relations with China and barring affirmative action at the federal level.
Jeffords was also vocal in his opposition to the nomination of Clarence Thomas
to the United States Supreme Court by President George H.W. Bush. He was one of
only two Republicans to vote against confirming Thomas. In 1993, he was the only
prominent Republican to support President Clinton's unsuccessful attempt to
establish a national healthcare plan. His position put him to the political left
of many Democrats who had serious doubts about Clinton's plan. Jefford's voting
record and positions on environmental issues put further distance between
himself and the mainstream Republican Party.
Jeffords consistently voted against the ban on partial-birth abortion, and also
against a harsher line on Cuba. In 1995 he was one of only 16 Senators to vote
against the Communications Decency Act. The Supreme Court later struck it down
as unconstitutional. He was in the minority of Republicans to oppose the Flag
Desecration Amendment. On guns his record was mixed, despite voting for the
Brady Bill and the Assault Weapons Ban, he voted with gun control opponents
against background checks at gun shows in 1999 and he voted with the majority of
Congress for the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act. He took a more
moderate line on the death penalty. On many economic issues Jeffords was roughly
in line with the majority of the Republican Party, before and after his switch:
he mostly supported free-trade agreements, lawsuit reform, tighter bankruptcy
rules, and a Balanced Budget Amendment. Even after becoming an independent, he
did vote with Republicans on many major pieces of legislation. For example,
Jeffords did vote against the Bipartisan Patient Protection Act, a bill
supported strongly by Republican John McCain and many moderate Republicans like
Olympia Snowe, Arlen Specter, and Mike DeWine. Two years later he voted for the
prescription drug bill, derided by many Democrats as a give away to drug
companies and opposed by many conservative Republicans who opposed further
federal spending, but ultimately strongly supported by President George W. Bush
and the vast majority of the Republican Party.
On October 11, 2002, Jeffords was one of 23 senators to vote against authorizing
the use of military force in Iraq. Shortly after that, he was one of only nine
senators to vote against the bill establishing a department of homeland security.
On November 11, 2003 Jeffords was one of only four senators to vote against the
Syria Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act, a bill which
received strong support from politicians from across the aisle.
In April 2005, Jeffords announced his decision not to run for re-election in
2006. Jeffords said his wife's cancer and his own growing health concerns caused
him to decide it was time to retire. On September 27, 2006, Jeffords delivered
his farewell speech on the Senate floor after 32 years of service. Only one
Republican senator, Charles Grassley of Iowa, spoke to the floor in praise of
Jeffords, whom he called "his friend." Floor speeches for retiring senators are
a Senate tradition. The 70-year-old incumbent decided to retire despite
consensus within the political community that he had good opportunity to win re-election
in 2006. Jeffords' move set off a domino reaction among state politicians.
Congressman Bernie Sanders, formerly the only independent in the U.S. House, ran
for and won the seat being vacated by Jeffords, while Republican Governor Jim
Douglas declared that he would not run.