SPENCER ABRAHAM
Name: Edward Spencer Abraham
Born: 12 June 1952 East Lansing, Michigan
Edward Spencer Abraham (born June 12, 1952 in East Lansing, Michigan) is a
former United States Senator from Michigan. He had served as the 10th United
States Secretary of Energy, serving under President George W. Bush. He was a
member of the Fred Thompson presidential campaign, serving as an "ambassador to
official Washington." He is of Lebanese descent.
Spencer Abraham and his wife, Jane (current co-chairwoman of the Michigan
Republican Party), have three children, a son and twin girls- Betsy and Julie,
who currently attend Langley High School in Mclean. He holds a Juris Doctor (J.D.)
degree from Harvard University, and is a 1974 Honors College graduate of
Michigan State University and is a native of East Lansing, Michigan. While at
Harvard Law School, Abraham founded the official journal of the Federalist
Society, the Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy.
Before his election to the Senate, Abraham was a law professor at Thomas M.
Cooley Law School.
He was elected chairman of the Michigan Republican Party from 1983 to 1990. He
was deputy chief of staff for Vice President Dan Quayle from 1990 to 1991. He
later served as co-chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC)
from 1991 to 1993.
Abraham was elected to represent Michigan in the United States Senate in 1995,
and served until to 2001 when he was defeated for reelection to the Senate in
2000 for a second term by Debbie Stabenow. He was the only Arab American in that
chamber. According to the New York Times, State Republicans attributed the loss
(defeat by Debbie Stabenow) to "often scathing advertisements by a wide range of
special interest groups, including advertisements that criticized Mr. Abraham's
support for a relaxation of some immigration restrictions". During the
campaign the Federation for American Immigration Reform ran ads asking: "Why is
Senator Spencer Abraham trying to make it easier for terrorists like Osama bin
Laden to export their war of terror to any city street in America?".
The media denounced these commercials as "vengeful". Abraham was a
consistent advocate of large-scale immigration and worked relentlessly to lessen
immigration controls and regulations. In 1997 he received the "Defender of the
Melting Pot" award from the National Council of La Raza.
He served on the Budget, Commerce, Science and Transportation, Judiciary, and
Small Business Committees. He also chaired two subcommittees: Manufacturing and
Competitiveness, and Immigration. Abraham authored the "H1B Visa in Global and
National Commerce Act", establishing a federal framework for on-line contracts
and signatures; the "Government Paperwork Elimination Act", and the "Anti-Cybersquatting
Consumer Protection Act", which protects Internet domain names for businesses
and persons against copyright and trademark infringements. In 1999, Sen. Abraham
co-sponsored S.896, A bill to abolish the Department of Energy, which would have
transferred control of the The Strategic Petroleum Reserve to the Defense
Department.
Abraham was appointed Secretary of Energy by the incoming Bush administration, a
post he maintained for the first Bush term. On November 15, 2004, Abraham
announced that he would resign from the position of Secretary of Energy, which
took effect with the swearing in of his successor Samuel W. Bodman on February 1,
2005.
On February 14, 2005 The Toronto Star reported that Abraham was on a short list
of candidates for American ambassador to Canada to replace Paul Cellucci.
In July 2005, Abraham's wife, Jane, announced that after some consideration she
would not be a candidate for the U.S. Senate to challenge Debbie Stabenow.
Michigan Republicans had attempted to recruit Mrs. Abraham to run against the
first-term Stabenow, who had defeated her husband in 2000.
Hon. Spencer Abraham, U.S. Secretary of Energy, received "The National Order
of the Cedar" from Lebanese Ambassador Farid Abboud
Name: Edward Spencer Abraham
Born: 12 June 1952 East Lansing, Michigan
Edward Spencer Abraham (born June 12, 1952 in East Lansing, Michigan) is a
former United States Senator from Michigan. He had served as the 10th United
States Secretary of Energy, serving under President George W. Bush. He was a
member of the Fred Thompson presidential campaign, serving as an "ambassador to
official Washington." He is of Lebanese descent.
Spencer Abraham and his wife, Jane (current co-chairwoman of the Michigan
Republican Party), have three children, a son and twin girls- Betsy and Julie,
who currently attend Langley High School in Mclean. He holds a Juris Doctor (J.D.)
degree from Harvard University, and is a 1974 Honors College graduate of
Michigan State University and is a native of East Lansing, Michigan. While at
Harvard Law School, Abraham founded the official journal of the Federalist
Society, the Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy.
Before his election to the Senate, Abraham was a law professor at Thomas M.
Cooley Law School.
He was elected chairman of the Michigan Republican Party from 1983 to 1990. He
was deputy chief of staff for Vice President Dan Quayle from 1990 to 1991. He
later served as co-chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC)
from 1991 to 1993.
Abraham was elected to represent Michigan in the United States Senate in 1995,
and served until to 2001 when he was defeated for reelection to the Senate in
2000 for a second term by Debbie Stabenow. He was the only Arab American in that
chamber. According to the New York Times, State Republicans attributed the loss
(defeat by Debbie Stabenow) to "often scathing advertisements by a wide range of
special interest groups, including advertisements that criticized Mr. Abraham's
support for a relaxation of some immigration restrictions". During the
campaign the Federation for American Immigration Reform ran ads asking: "Why is
Senator Spencer Abraham trying to make it easier for terrorists like Osama bin
Laden to export their war of terror to any city street in America?".
The media denounced these commercials as "vengeful". Abraham was a
consistent advocate of large-scale immigration and worked relentlessly to lessen
immigration controls and regulations. In 1997 he received the "Defender of the
Melting Pot" award from the National Council of La Raza.
He served on the Budget, Commerce, Science and Transportation, Judiciary, and
Small Business Committees. He also chaired two subcommittees: Manufacturing and
Competitiveness, and Immigration. Abraham authored the "H1B Visa in Global and
National Commerce Act", establishing a federal framework for on-line contracts
and signatures; the "Government Paperwork Elimination Act", and the "Anti-Cybersquatting
Consumer Protection Act", which protects Internet domain names for businesses
and persons against copyright and trademark infringements. In 1999, Sen. Abraham
co-sponsored S.896, A bill to abolish the Department of Energy, which would have
transferred control of the The Strategic Petroleum Reserve to the Defense
Department.
Abraham was appointed Secretary of Energy by the incoming Bush administration, a
post he maintained for the first Bush term. On November 15, 2004, Abraham
announced that he would resign from the position of Secretary of Energy, which
took effect with the swearing in of his successor Samuel W. Bodman on February 1,
2005.
On February 14, 2005 The Toronto Star reported that Abraham was on a short list
of candidates for American ambassador to Canada to replace Paul Cellucci.
In July 2005, Abraham's wife, Jane, announced that after some consideration she
would not be a candidate for the U.S. Senate to challenge Debbie Stabenow.
Michigan Republicans had attempted to recruit Mrs. Abraham to run against the
first-term Stabenow, who had defeated her husband in 2000.
Hon. Spencer Abraham, U.S. Secretary of Energy, received "The National Order
of the Cedar" from Lebanese Ambassador Farid Abboud