What You Didn't Know About Sen. Jeff Bingaman
By Carol S. Hook
Posted 11/10/06
- First elected to the U.S. Senate in 1982, Sen. Jeff Bingaman is about to enter his fifth term.
- Bingaman was born in the mining town of Silver City, N.M., where his father was a science professor at Western New Mexico University and his mother taught in the public schools.
- After graduating from public schools, he received his undergraduate degree in government from Harvard University.
- As a law student at Stanford, he worked on Sen. Robert F. Kennedy's 1968 presidential campaign.
- Bingaman met his future wife, Anne Kovacovich, at Stanford, where they were both in law school; they have one son, John.
- After practicing and teaching law for many years, Anne Kovacovich Bingaman headed the antitrust division of the Justice Department under President Clinton. She was the center of controversy when it was disclosed that she had accepted $2.5 million from Global Crossing Corp. to lobby on behalf of favorable antitrust legislation, which subsequently passed.
- A dedicated runner, Bingaman cosponsored with fellow harrier Sen. Bill Frist a bill to combat obesity through outreach and awareness programs to teach Americans about the importance of exercise and healthful diets.
- As a kid, Bingaman was an active Cub Scout and Boy Scout, earning the rank of Eagle Scout.
- He is the 29th-richest member of Congress. Among his portfolio's assets is an oil and gas production lease in Lake Daverria, Texas, which he inherited from a relative.
- A private person, he has avoided making headlines and otherwise being in the press; in CQ Politics in America, he was compared to Star Trek's Mr. Spock, cerebral and logical.
Sources:
Sen. Jeff Bingaman (N.M.)
Associated Press
About.com
CQ Politics in America
http://Bingaman.senate.gov