10 Things You Didn't Know About Jeff Sessions

1. Jeff Sessions was born on Dec. 24, 1946, and grew up in Hybart, Ala., as the son of a country store owner.

2. In 1964, Sessions became an Eagle Scout and was awarded the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award. The Scouts' motto, "Be Prepared," still sits on his desk in his Senate office.

3. He says he was inspired in high school by the National Review magazine, which helped him to "appreciate the United States and to develop a political philosophy that respected hard work, faith, and country."

4. In college, Sessions was active in the Young Republicans at Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Ala. He was also student body president.

5. Sessions and his wife, Mary Blackshear Sessions, have three children.

6. From 1973 to 1986, he served in the Army Reserve and achieved the rank of captain.

7. In 1986, he was the second judicial nominee in 48 years whose nomination was killed by the Senate Judiciary Committee. The committee refused to let the nomination come to the Senate floor for a vote, accusing Sessions of "gross insensitivity" to racial issues.

8. President Ronald Reagan in 1981 nominated him to serve as U.S. attorney in Alabama; Sessions held that position for 12 years.

9. His narrow victory over Sen. Roger Bedford in the 1996 Senate race gave Alabama two Republican senators for the first time since Reconstruction.

10. Sessions became the top-ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, which presides over Supreme Court justice nominations, after Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter switched to the Democratic Party in April.

Sources:

• Senate.gov
• Jeffsessions.com
• Congressional Quarterly