Pat Leahy
U.S. Senator
Democrat, Vermont
- Date of Birth: March 31, 1940
- Birthplace: Montpelier, Vt.
- First Elected: 1974
Committee Assignments:
Joint Committee on the Library, Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, Senate Committee on Appropriations, Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, Senate Committee on the JudiciaryPatrick Leahy became the youngest-ever U.S. senator from Vermont (age 34) in 1974, and remains the only Democratic senator ever to represent the state. Previously, Leahy was a state’s attorney in Chittenden County, Vt. (1966-1974). In the Senate, he has been outspoken on human rights issues and advocated banning the use of landmines. The Leahy War Victims Fund through USAID provides up to $14 million each year in relief to civilian victims of conflict in developing countries. Leahy has also worked to reform the death penalty. As the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, he led an investigation into mass firings of U.S. attorneys for political reasons that led to the resignation of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales in 2008. Leahy also led the confirmation hearings of Supreme Court Justices Sonia Sotomayor (2009) and Elena Kagan (2010). Leahy’s favorite superhero is Batman, and he made appearances in two Batman movies: as himself in Batman & Robin (1997) and as Gentleman at Party in The Dark Knight (2008). Leahy and wife Marcelle have three children and five grandchildren.
Campaign Fundraising
2005 - Present| Top 5 Organizations | PACs | Individuals | Total |
| Technet | $2,411 | $79,550 | $81,961 |
| Girardi & Keese | $0 | $67,200 | $67,200 |
| Time Warner | $10,000 | $55,400 | $65,400 |
| Walt Disney Co | $10,000 | $33,000 | $43,000 |
| Vivendi | $3,000 | $31,706 | $34,706 |
| Top 5 Industries | PACs | Individuals | Total |
| Lawyers & Law Firms | $66,780 | $417,911 | $484,691 |
| TV, Movies, & Music | $86,800 | $256,306 | $343,106 |
| Lobbyists | $3,500 | $170,900 | $174,400 |
| Leadership PACs | $147,900 | $0 | $147,900 |
| Computers & Internet | $46,170 | $91,900 | $138,070 |
Pat Leahy in the News
-
Reid Postpones Vote on Anti-Piracy Bill
January 20, 2012
Harry Reid said he was postponing a test vote set for Tuesday in light of online protests. -
Senate Committee Likely to Pass DOMA Repeal
November 03, 2011
Sen. Leahy got emotional comparing the law to the past ban on interracial marriage. - Supercommittee Put On Notice: Don't Cut Social Security Overlapping groups of Democratic senators have launched efforts to prevent the so-called congressional supercommittee from cutting Social Security benefits as a means to reduce the federal budget deficit. On the one hand, several Senate Democrats have gotten behind legislation to…
- Patently Unfair Congress has spent the last six years cobbling together a bill to overhaul the way the strapped and struggling U.S. patent system works. This week, lawmakers are on the cusp of passing the America Invents Act, which has been championed in the Senate by Judiciary Committee Chair Patrick Leahy, a Democrat from Vermont, and in the House by his counterpart Lamar Smith, a Republican from Texas. But like many inventors during their process of creation, Congress seems to have lost a clear vision of the problem it was trying to solve. For some time, patent-reform advocates have pushed for a…
- Vermont Is Devastated by Hurricane Irene: Deaths and Flooding Continue One of the hardest hit state's by Hurricane Irene is beautiful Vermont, the Green Mountain State. On Monday, Governor Peter Shumlin was touring the state in a National Guard helicopter with U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy. According to Governor Shumlin, "We prepared for the worst and we got the worst in central and southern Vermont. (www/burlingtonfreepress.com, 8/29/11) Prior to the storm hitting Vermont on Sunday, Governor Shumlin signed the paperwork that would allow him to immediately authorize deployment of Vermont National Guard soldiers in the event of a disaster. Of great…
